Peeling Red Deck Restored in Cedar in Ajax

The deck: red-brown solid stain peeling everywhere

This deck sits behind a brick home in Ajax: a large lower deck, a small upper landing at the sliding door with a short set of stairs, wood railings with solar post caps and a built-in planter box along the house. It had been coated in a red-brown solid stain, and that film had failed badly. Across the whole deck it was peeling and flaking off in patches, leaving bare, grey wood showing through and a blotchy, rough surface underfoot.

Sanding off the old coating

A peeling solid stain cannot be fixed by putting another coat on top; the new coat just lifts off with the old one. We sanded both deck levels, the stairs, the planter box and the railings back to bare, clean wood, removing every trace of the failed red coating, as the sanded photo shows.

Warm cedar penetrating stain

On the bare wood we applied a warm cedar-tone penetrating stain to the whole deck: both levels, stairs, railings, posts and the planter box. Unlike the old solid stain, it soaks into the wood instead of forming a film on top, so it will not peel. It also shows the wood grain and knots that the opaque red coating used to hide, and the warm tone looks great against the tan brick and green yard.

The result

A deck that looks natural, rich and even again, with a finish that wears gracefully and only needs a wash and a maintenance coat every few years.

Deck staining in Ajax

UCO Construction Group strips, sands and stains decks across Ajax, Pickering, Whitby, Oshawa, Scarborough and the rest of the GTA. If your deck stain is peeling, see our deck sanding and staining service and contact us for a free on-site estimate.