Modern Horizontal Slat Deck Restored in East York

The deck: modern design, weathered grey

This East York home has a contemporary raised deck off the main floor, enclosed by tall horizontal slat privacy screens. Below it, solid horizontal board walls frame a walkout stairwell down to the basement, with a wood stair railing and landing. When it was new, the clean horizontal lines were the whole point of the design. After a few years outdoors, the wood had turned silver-grey, with dark water streaks and blotchy patches, and the modern look was lost.

Wood cleaner and power washing

We started by treating all the slats, boards, caps and the stair railing with a wood cleaner to break down the grey surface layer, mildew and water stains, then power washed everything. With hundreds of narrow slats, this step matters: it clears out the gaps and edges that a sander cannot reach. The wet photo shows the natural wood colour coming back right after washing.

Sanding

Once dry, we sanded the slat faces, wall boards, cap boards, stair railing and landing to smooth the raised grain from washing and remove the remaining discolouration, giving the stain a clean, even surface to soak into.

Warm cedar-tone stain

We stained the whole structure, the privacy screens, stairwell walls, caps, railing and landing, in a warm cedar-tone penetrating stain. It brings back the rich wood colour that makes horizontal slat designs look so sharp, shows off the grain, and complements the dark red brick and black window frames. A penetrating stain will not peel, so it can be refreshed easily in a few years.

The result

The deck looks like the modern feature it was designed to be: warm, even wood tones, crisp horizontal lines and protection against UV and moisture.

Deck and privacy screen staining in East York

UCO Construction Group cleans, sands and stains decks, privacy screens and fences across East York, Toronto and the rest of the GTA. See our deck and fence staining service and contact us for a free on-site estimate.