Deck Staining in North York: Multi-Level Deck Built Around Mature Trees, With Tall Board Skirting and Stairs, Cleaned, Sanded and Stained in a Rich Redwood Tone

The deck: a one-of-a-kind structure, weathered and faded

This backyard in North York slopes down from the house, and the deck was built to make the most of it: a high upper platform wrapped around a pair of mature trees, a lower deck with a railing, long wooden stairs down to the lawn, and a tall wall of vertical board skirting that closes in the space under the deck. Years under a heavy tree canopy had left all of it faded, grey and blotchy, with water marks on the skirting and dull, dry railings.

Wood cleaner and power washing

We started with a wood cleaner over the whole structure to break down the grey surface layer, mildew and tree stains, then power washed the skirting, railings, posts and stairs. The wet photo shows how much warm colour was hiding under the weathering once the grey was gone.

Sanding

After the wood dried, we sanded the deck surfaces, the railings on both levels, the posts, the stairs and the skirting, to smooth the raised grain from washing and give the stain a clean, even surface. On a structure this tall and detailed, with railings high in the trees, this is where most of the work goes.

Rich redwood stain

We stained the entire structure, both deck levels, all the railings and pickets, the stairs and the full skirting wall, in a rich redwood tone. The warm reddish-brown glows against the green canopy and the lawn and makes the deck look like a deliberate centrepiece of the yard rather than a grey wall. A penetrating stain soaks in rather than forming a film, so it will not peel, and it protects the wood from the moisture that comes with so much shade.

The result

A striking multi-level deck that looks rich and cared for from top to bottom, with every level, railing and board in one even colour.