Crafty people often refinish smaller items. Whether you are gilding the inside of a wooden bowl or putting a coat of SpackleTM on a favourite lamp, a refinished piece, given new life, brings happiness and other good feelings to a job well done.

But what happens when it is a 20 year-old deck that is really tired, weather-beaten and grey? Can you refinish it yourself, do you call in a professional or do you just replace it?

Gillet Painting and Decorating believes that refinishing should always be an option. Structural issues aside, if your deck is salvageable, you want to consider refinishing and not replacing.

Fall and spring are great times to refinish a deck. In either season you give the deck a chance to cure without too much sun exposure. Refinish your deck in the Spring to get ready for Summer and in the Fall to take advantage of off-season pricing.

If you have a deck that is 10 years old, or even 20 years old and has only ever seen one application of stain, now is the time to refinish. Leaving the deck with spotty stain or bare spots allows humidity to get into the wood at a faster rate and increases the likelihood of a more expensive and resource-dependant replacement job.

The process of washing and stripping, washing and brightening and staining in your choice of colour with a 2 in 1 stain and preserver will increase the value of your home dramatically. You will have an increased enjoyment of your property and the renewal is easier on the environment.

Here are some before and after pictures of a 20-year-old deck. Gillet Painting and Decorating flipped a few boards and then set about the task of refinishing. The results speak for themselves and so did the happy customer.

“I was not enjoying my outdoor time as much as I used to. Stephan saw the condition of my deck and encouraged me to refinish it. The results are amazing. I am going to spend much more time in the yard now.”

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~Anne from Niagara-on-the-Lake