On 31 Aug 2008 15:51:58 GMT, FenderAxe wrote:

Hi there --

My house in the Pacific Northwest is 47 years old, I've owned it for 8
years, and the deck that existed when I bought the house got so rotten in
parts that this year I had it all ripped out and rebuilt. (The guy that
owned the house before me had built the deck with non-pressure treated
lumber, so without knowing it I was actually walking around on sawdust
that looked like a deck.)

The contractor I hired to build the deck is also my neighbor and friend. He
does excellent work and I trust his opinion unchallenged 99.9% of the time
-- but this time I have to seek additional opinions.

He says I should not stain my new cedar deck unless for some reason I want
it to be a different color.

I was under the impression that deck stain was pretty much required to
protect the wood from bacteria, fungus, water damage, and mold.

He says no.

If he's right I will be happy -- pressure washing and restaining the deck
every two years to keep it looking good has been a total pain. (It's a
really big deck, rebuilding was 4K in lumber and 3k in labor.)

So what do you guys think? Is it necessary to stain the deck or not?

Thanks for any feedback you can provide.

FA


It is not necessary to stain a deck. If you do, it will last much
longer. Water is very damaging to wood, so whatever you do to help
keep it dry will help. Expect a deck to last 10 to 30 years. Decks,
especially large ones, are high maintenance.