Deck Restoration

Horizontal surfaces take the brunt of the weather. Standing water and direct UV rays will destroy an unprotected deck.

Without proper maintenance, deck boards quickly turn gray, begin to splinter, and eventually rot away completely. Restoring a neglected deck requires patience.

We start by applying specialized cleaners to break down dirt, mold, and old failed sealers, followed by a gentle power wash. We let the wood dry completely—sometimes for several days—before sanding rough patches to eliminate splinters. Finally, we brush and roll premium stains deep into the wood grain for maximum penetration, rather than just spraying a thin coat on top.

Preparation is ninety percent of a lasting finish. We check the wood's moisture before we ever open a can, strip failed film-forming coatings that would otherwise trap water, and apply a wood brightener to neutralize cleaners and even out the tone. Then we wait — freshly washed or pressure-treated boards often need several dry days before they'll accept stain properly.

Different woods drink differently. Pressure-treated pine is thirsty and forgiving; western red cedar is softer and needs a gentler touch; dense tropical hardwoods like ipe and mahogany are so tight-grained they'll reject an ordinary stain unless you use a penetrating oil made for them. We match the product to your boards rather than forcing one coating onto every deck.

Weatherproofing is where the choice really matters. Penetrating, semi-transparent oils soak in and wear away gradually instead of peeling, which makes recoating far easier down the road; solid, film-forming stains hide age and last longer but demand flawless prep. Whichever we use, we back-brush it into the grain and add UV and mildew protection sized to how much sun and standing water the deck actually sees.

Much of our deck work is out on the water around Lake Wallenpaupack, the west-shore coves near Lakeville, and the lake communities around Lake Ariel, plus the cabins near Equinunk, where moisture and UV are especially hard on horizontal wood.