Rooftop Terrace Deck Refinished in Toronto

The deck: a rooftop that takes the worst of the weather

Rooftop decks have the best views in the city and the hardest life. This terrace on top of a Toronto townhouse sits in full sun from morning to evening with no tree cover, takes every rain and snowfall directly, and dries out fast in the wind. The pressure-treated boards had gone a flat silver-grey with dark water marks under the pergola and around the A/C pad, and the surface fibres were raised and splintery underfoot. The owners use the space constantly — string lights, a barbecue, a seating area under the pergola — and wanted it to look like the outdoor room it is.

Sanding a rooftop deck

Rooftop work has its own logistics: every tool and bucket comes up through the house, and the deck is crowded with things that cannot move, in this case a steel pergola bolted to the deck, the A/C condenser on its pads, a skylight curb and cedar privacy screens on two sides. We sanded the full deck to bare wood, working around the fixed items by hand where the big sander could not reach. The during photo shows the result: the grey gone, the boards back to clean pale wood, the barbecue rolled aside and the pergola still in place. On any deck restoration this step decides how even the stain looks; on a rooftop with this much sun it also decides how long it lasts.

Oil-based stain for sun and exposure

The deck was finished in a warm cedar-brown oil-based penetrating stain. For a rooftop, oil is the right choice: it soaks into the wood and cures inside the board, so there is no film to blister in the heat or peel under the snow, and the next maintenance coat goes straight on after a wash. The after photo shows the finished floor under the pergola shadows, the grain and knots clear through the colour and the boards reading as one continuous warm surface from the brick parapet to the privacy screen.

The result

A rooftop terrace that went from grey and splintery to warm, smooth and ready for the season, with none of the fixtures disturbed. Maintenance from here is a wash in spring and a refresh coat every couple of years, which on a rooftop in full sun is the realistic schedule for any finish.

Rooftop and balcony deck staining in Toronto

UCO Construction Group restores and stains rooftop decks, balconies, townhouse terraces and backyard decks across Toronto, Etobicoke, North York, Scarborough and the rest of the GTA. If your rooftop deck has gone grey or the old finish is failing, see our deck staining and restoration service and get in touch for a free on-site estimate.