Deck Cleaning & Staining
The deck that looked so marvelous the day you first used it probably does not look as good as it used to. HDR will help return your deck close to the condition it once was. It will be necessary to remove the environmental dirt and grime as well as any mildew first. This is usually done with a high-pressured waterpower spray machine and a deck-cleaning product.
HDR will remove the furniture that is able to be moved from the deck and store it nearby on the property. We will usually power spray the deck with a high-pressured waterpower spray machine using water from the property and a deck-cleaning product. We will remove the debris between the boards. We will lightly spray under the deck in those areas where we have at least 48” of headroom under the deck where it is safe for our technician to perform this task. We ask that the customer be at home to carefully check around doors and windows while this spraying is going on to ensure that no water gets into the house. We are not responsible for damage resulting from our spraying. We will be unable to remove some stains and treatments such as Thompson’s Water Seal or other paraffin based products. Please discuss your options with the service technicians when they are at your home. If we have to go through the house to gain access to the deck, all attempts will be made to not track dirt through the house.
After allowing the deck to dry (at least 3 dry days), we will apply our stain. We recommend the application of semi-transparent stains with a little color. We will be happy to discuss your options with you. You may select from a color selection of stains, or we will use a light redwood stain that has been our most popular color. We do not recommend the use of Thompson’s Water Seal for wood. We recommend a good product Super Deck. If you do not know what you have on your deck, check to see if water beads on your deck. If it does, you may have a sealer instead of stain on your deck. We cannot remove sealers. Unfortunately, we can only apply a sealer on top of a deck that has been previously sealed. Otherwise we apply oil base stains. Please see the Standard Terms and Conditions paragraph #4: “…no warranty is given on…deck staining….” We are currently recommending Super Deck brand stain.
Unless otherwise noted the cost includes only the walk-able deck boards. Care should be taken to wipe your feet when leaving the deck and entering the house, as some residue may be tracked into the house for about a week. Decks should be cleaned lightly every year and thoroughly every 2-3 years. If you have dogs, you may have to retreat your deck more often. If you have small children playing on the deck, you may also want to treat the deck more often to minimize the danger of splinters.
Sometimes when decks were constructed, the boards were not spaced properly. This does not allow for proper drainage and may cause dry rot. We may recommend that the edges of the boards by opened to allow for proper drainage. No carpentry work is included in this portion of the proposal. For an additional charge, we can clean and stain railings, stairs, and benches, pound down nails, lightly sand splintered boards, or replace some of the boards.
Pricing: We usually charge about $3.00/sq ft. for medium-sized decks and less per square foot for larger decks. We have a minimum charge of $750.00 per job. This price includes all labor and materials. -OR- For smaller decks, less than 250 sq ft., we bill at $85/per hour/per technician, plus cost of equipment and material.