Cedar Deck, Railings & Stairs Refinished in Toronto

The deck: good cedar under a failing red stain

This raised deck behind a Toronto home is built from cedar: a wide floor across the back of the house, picket railings on both sides, a broad three-step staircase down to the stone patio and cedar skirting around the base. Cedar is a great deck wood, but it had been coated in a red stain that was now peeling off every stair tread and wearing through in the walking areas. The colour also clashed with the beige stucco and grey stone. The owners wanted the cedar back, in a quieter tone that suited the house.

Sanding the cedar back to bare wood

A peeling stain has to come off completely before cedar will take a new finish evenly. We masked the stucco, windows and patio, then sanded the floor, every picket and top cap, the stair treads and risers and the skirting back to clean bare cedar. The during photo shows the deck at that stage: the warm natural colour of the wood is back and there is no red left in the grain. Railings and pickets are slow, detailed work, but they are what people see first. On a deck restoration this preparation decides how the finish looks and how long it lasts.

Driftwood-brown semi-transparent stain

The deck was finished in a driftwood-brown semi-transparent penetrating stain. On cedar, a semi-transparent stain lets the grain show while giving UV protection, and because it soaks into the wood instead of forming a film, it wears gradually instead of peeling. The tone was chosen to sit with the stucco, the stone patio and the Japanese maple beside the deck, so the floor, railings, stairs and skirting now read as one calm wood colour.

The result

From a peeling red deck to a cedar deck that looks new and fits the house. Maintenance is a wash and a refresh coat every couple of years, with no stripping.

Cedar deck staining in Toronto

UCO Construction Group restores and stains cedar and pressure-treated decks, railings and stairs across Toronto, Forest Hill, Leaside, North York, Etobicoke and the rest of the GTA. If your deck stain is peeling, see our deck staining and restoration service and our railings page, and get in touch for a free on-site estimate.