Bay Area weather works on wood from two directions: summer sun bleaches and cracks it, winter fog feeds mildew. A redwood deck that goes gray is not dying. It is asking for maintenance. Done on schedule, refinishing adds years to the same boards.
People call this work by different names: deck staining, deck sealing, deck oiling, deck sanding, deck painting, deck refinishing, deck restoration, deck refurbishing, or simply deck maintenance. It is one job. The wood gets washed, sanded and dried, then protected with the finish that suits it: a penetrating oil or stain, a sealer, or a solid color coat. Tell us what you have in mind in your own words and we will match it to the right finish.
The visible difference is in the photo above: one pass of stain against raw prepared wood. The invisible difference is the preparation: washing, sanding and drying before any finish goes down. Skipping prep is the usual reason a stain peels in its first season, and it is the step we do not skip.
Our rates are published rather than quoted on request: sanding runs $7.00 and staining $3.50 per square foot of labor on a 300–500 sq ft deck, lower above that. The calculator adds the rest of what you pay — the pressure wash, protecting the house and plants, and the stain — so its number is the full price. Railings are priced apart: staining them is $10 per linear ft, and sanding the top rail is $5 per linear ft; posts and balusters are cleaned and stained, not sanded. The full breakdown is on the deck refinishing cost page.
Not sure which one your deck needs?
This points you to the right page; it is not a diagnosis.
Gray boards don't rule out rot underneath, and a frame isn't sound just because it is pressure-treated. We check the frame during the free on-site estimate; for a repair, text us photos first. Any one of the warning signs is reason enough to have the deck looked at.
- The surface has gone gray and rough, but the boards are sound.Refinishing and stainingYou are on this page
- Real damage: rotted joists or posts, soft spots, a floor that bounces, or many boards cracking or rotting at once.Text us photos first. We tell you which side your deck is on, then we come out.Deck repair
- The boards are worn out, and the frame has passed our check.New boards on the existing frame
- Rot in the parts that carry the load, no metal connectors, or a deck that wobbles when you walk across it.Full deck replacement
Small fixes — a loose screw, one board, a squeaky step, a single wobbly railing, a couple of stair treads — are usually better value with a local handyman. We take repairs where a large part of the decking or the frame needs work.
How to decide: repair or replaceWhat refinishing costs
Labor is priced per square foot of deck:
- 300–500 sq ft$10.50sanding $7 + staining $3.50 per sq ft, labor
- Over 500 sq ft$9.50sanding $6.50 + staining $3 per sq ft, labor
The full price adds the pressure wash, protecting the house and plants, and the stain. A full sand and stain on a 300–500 sq ft deck comes to $4,025–$6,475: labor $3,150–$5,250, pressure wash $300–$500, protection $350, stain $225–$375. That is the range for the size band, not the sum for your deck.
We take refinishing from 300 sq ft. Stairs are in the price; railings are priced apart.
See your refinishing priceReal projects, same crew start to finish
Questions about refinishing
When is refinishing the wrong answer?
When the problem is under the surface. Soft spots, a floor that bounces, rotted boards or framing are not fixed by sanding and stain: that is a repair or a replacement. Gray, rough boards that are still sound are exactly what refinishing is for.
What does the price include?
Labor for sanding and staining, the pressure wash, protecting the house and plants, and the stain. Stairs are included. Railings are priced apart: staining them is $10 per linear ft, and sanding the top rail is $5 per linear ft.
How small a deck do you take?
From 300 sq ft. Below that the trip, the masking and the drying time cost the same as on a full deck, so we do not take those projects on.