Deck Staining
in Cypress, TX

Gray, splintered, or peeling? A deck in Houston takes more weather than almost any other surface on your home. We clean, repair and refinish it properly, using the finish the wood actually needs.

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Quick Answer

Why do decks in Cypress go gray so fast?

Three things work on a deck at once here, and all of them are worse than on a wall.

It faces straight up. A deck takes direct sun and pooling water in a way that siding never does.
Houston is wet. Houston Intercontinental averages 51.84 inches of rain a year. Wood swells, then shrinks, over and over.
The wrong product was used. Paint and solid stain form a film. On a horizontal surface that film fails, and then it peels.

Gray wood itself is not damage. It is the surface fibers breaking down under UV. Caught early, it cleans up. Left long enough, the boards start to split and cup, and then you are replacing lumber instead of finishing it.

The Finish Matters More Than the Brand

Homeowners usually ask which brand we use. The more useful question is which type.

The USDA Forest Products Laboratory, which has studied wood finishes for decades, says plainly that opaque stains "should not be used on structures such as decks and fences." Their recommendation for wood fully exposed to the weather is a penetrating semitransparent stain.

The reason is what happens underneath a clear or opaque film. Sunlight passes through or works around it and degrades the wood right at the coating surface, which causes the coating to lose its grip. That is why a painted deck peels in sheets while a stained deck simply fades.

Coverage matters too. The same research notes two coats on rough sawn wood can last ten years or more. A single coat on a smooth surface may only give two or three. We plan for two.

If Your Deck Is Peeling, Do Not Re-Coat It

Peeling means a film-forming product is already failing. Adding another coat on top traps the problem and it comes back within a season. The old finish has to come off first. That is more work, and it is the only version that lasts.

What We Actually Do

Assess the boards. Soft spots, splits, popped fasteners and rot get identified before anything else. Damaged boards are replaced. No finish saves a bad board.
Clean, and strip if needed. Dirt, mildew and weathered fibers come off. If a failing film is present, it is stripped and sanded back to sound wood.
Let it dry. This is the step people skip. Wood has to reach the right moisture level before stain goes on, and in Houston humidity that is not always the next morning.
Stain and seal. Two coats of penetrating stain, worked into the grain, with the railings and stairs treated to the same standard as the deck floor.

Decks, Railings, Pergolas and Gates

Most jobs are not just the deck floor. Railings and balusters weather differently because they shed water instead of holding it, so they often need less stripping but more careful cutting in. Pergolas and covered structures take less direct rain but plenty of sun.

If your fence is going gray at the same time, and it usually is, we can handle both in one visit. See our fence painting and staining page for how that side works.

Who You Are Hiring

Cypress Supreme Painting is a family owned and veteran owned business with over 30 years of experience in Cypress and northwest Houston. We do the exterior work around decks too. If the deck needs attention, the trim and siding are usually on the same clock. That is covered on our exterior painting page.

Want an independent reference first? The USDA Forest Products Laboratory guide to exterior stains is the source we work from. Read it before you talk to any contractor, including us.

Deck Staining Near You

Same crew, same standards, across every community we serve.

Cypress Tomball Katy Spring Houston Bridgeland Towne Lake Coles Crossing Fairfield Blackhorse Ranch Stonegate Cypress Creek Lakes

Frequently Asked Questions

Should my deck be stained or painted?

Stained, in almost every case. The USDA Forest Products Laboratory is direct about it: opaque stains and paints "should not be used on structures such as decks and fences." A film sits on top of the wood, and on a horizontal surface that film traps moisture, then cracks and peels. A penetrating stain soaks in instead, so it wears rather than flakes.

How often does a deck need re-staining in Houston?

More often than in a dry climate. Houston Intercontinental averages 51.84 inches of rain a year and a July normal high of 94.5 degrees, so a deck here takes constant wetting, drying and UV. Most Cypress decks want attention every two to three years. Rough sawn wood holds stain longer than smooth, and two coats last considerably longer than one.

Can you fix a deck that is already peeling?

Yes, and that is most of the work. Peeling almost always means someone applied a film-forming product. It has to come off before anything new goes on, which means stripping and sanding back to sound wood. Staining over a failing film just buys a season.

Do you replace rotten boards?

We do. Boards that have gone soft, split, or lost their fasteners get replaced before any finish is applied. There is no finish that fixes a rotten board, and staining over one hides the problem until it becomes a safety issue.

How long does a deck project take?

Most residential decks are a two to four day job: clean, dry, prepare, then finish. Wood has to dry properly between washing and staining, and that step is weather dependent. We would rather wait a day than seal moisture into the wood.