DecksBrighton · Family Home · 2025
Bayside Merbau Deck Restoration
Ninety square metres of salt-damaged merbau stripped, brightened, sanded and re-oiled, with glass balustrade posts refinished in a matching tone.
- Natural Merbau Colourtone
Deck Staining
Timber decks stripped, brightened and re-coated to a rich, even tone.
The short answer
Deck coating failure is nearly always a preparation failure. Old coating must be stripped, the timber neutralised and brightened to restore its pH, sanded where needed and moisture tested before thin, even coats of penetrating oil go on.
Decking failure is almost always a preparation failure. Old coating left in the grain, mill glaze on new boards or a deck stained while still damp will blotch within one summer.
We strip previous coatings, neutralise and brighten the timber to restore its pH, sand where the boards demand it, punch and fill proud nails, then apply penetrating oil in thin, even coats.
What every deck staining job includes
- Coating strip, timber brighten and neutralise
- Board sanding, nail punching and screw checking
- Moisture testing before any coating is applied
- Two to three coats of penetrating decking oil
- Balustrade, post and step detail hand-finished
Typical specification: Cutek or Intergrain penetrating oils with UV inhibitors, tinted to enhance the natural species colour.
How we prepare
The preparation behind a deck staining that lasts
Preparation is where the money either goes or gets saved, and it is the part you cannot see once the job is finished. This is exactly what happens before colour goes on.
- 01
Strip the old coating
Residual film in the grain blocks penetration and causes blotching. Previous coatings are chemically stripped or sanded off rather than coated over.
- 02
Neutralise and brighten
Strippers leave timber alkaline and grey. A brightener returns the surface to a neutral pH and lifts the natural colour back, so the oil takes an even tone across every board.
- 03
Sand, punch and check
Boards are sanded where splinters or raised grain demand it, proud nails punched below the surface, and loose screws and joist fixings checked while the deck is bare.
- 04
Moisture test before coating
Timber above about 15% moisture will not accept oil evenly. We test rather than guess — a deck stained damp will blotch within one summer regardless of the product used.
Products we specify, and why
Merbau and dense hardwoods
Cutek Extreme or similar penetrating oils that move into the timber rather than sitting on it, so there is no film to peel later.
Spotted gum and blackbutt
Intergrain UltraDeck or Nature's Timber Oil with UV inhibitors, tinted to enhance rather than mask the species colour.
Tannin management
Merbau bleeds tannin heavily on first wetting. We flush and manage it before coating so adjacent paving is not stained rust-brown.
Steps, posts and balustrades
Hand-finished with the same system, with extra attention to end grain where water enters first.
Workmanship standards
Hold us to these. They are written into every deck staining proposal we issue.
- Moisture tested and documented before the first coat
- Two to three thin coats — flooding a deck leaves a sticky film that never fully cures
- End grain, board ends and cut edges sealed
- Adjacent paving, glass, pool coping and garden protected from tannin and overspray
- Deck left non-tacky and walkable, with clear guidance on when furniture can return
- Maintenance schedule provided — a wash and single refresh coat annually keeps the deck out of full restoration
Every deck staining proposal we issue names the products, the number of coats and the preparation steps above, so you can compare it line by line against any other quote.
Request a written specificationCompare the options
Decking finishes compared
Oils, stains and film coatings age very differently. This is what to expect on an exposed Melbourne deck.
| Finish | Appearance | Life before refresh | Failure mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penetrating oil | Rich, natural, low sheen | 12–18 months | Fades gradually, no peeling |
| Decking stain | Tinted, slightly more uniform | 18–24 months | Fades, can blotch on wear paths |
| Water-based film coat | Higher sheen, sealed look | 2–3 years | Peels at wear paths and end grain |
| Do nothing | Silver-grey weathering | n/a | Surface checking and splintering |
Covered and shaded decks hold a finish roughly twice as long as fully exposed ones.
Recent projects
Deck Staining we have completed
Each case study documents the condition we started with, the preparation, the products, the colours and the finished result.
- Decks
- Decks
Doncaster · Family Home · 2024
Spotted Gum Deck and Pergola Refinish
A 60sqm spotted gum deck under a hardwood pergola brought back in a single week, with post bases treated where ground moisture had begun to soften the timber.
- Natural Spotted Gum
- Jarrah
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Questions
Deck Staining questions we answer every week
Real questions from Melbourne homeowners, answered the way we answer them at the kitchen table.
Question we have not covered? Send us photos with your enquiry and we will answer it against your actual surfaces, not a general case.
Ask us with photosWhere we work
Deck Staining across Melbourne
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