How to paint, stain or oil your decking

Decking can brighten up and add character to any home, allowing you have the perfect place within your garden to relax, dine outdoors and even play. Whilst the benefits of decking are obvious, it is also important to maintain your decking. To keep your decking in pristine condition, in this blog we have put together decking maintenance methods varying from oils, paints and stains for you to use, including top tips for each method.

Should I use oil, stain or paint on my decking?

Before you set off and start your decking care programme, its important to consider what finish you will use. This depends on the style and finish you’re looking for whilst ensuring your decking is protected. Below we shed some light on the key differences between oil, paint and stain.

Decking Oil

Available in coloured and natural options, decking oil is great choice to help protect timber from within as it penetrates the timber. It offers a high and durable finish, with a perfect finish. Decking oils will make your decking boards resistant to water and dirt. The key benefits are:

• Rainproof
• Slows down the effect of UV on timber
• UV protection
• Prevents warping, rotting and cracking
• Easy to apply and maintain
• Help replenish natural look of the decking timber

Decking Stain:

Decking stain, unlike decking oil comes in a varnish form and tends to coat the surface of the decking. It comes in many rich decking shades, so you have a variety of stain colours to choose from. The purpose of stains is to help seal the decking from harsh elements. The key benefits are:

• Rainproof
• Lots of colour options which provide high coverage
• Colour pigment in stain allows UV protection
• Easy to use and quick drying
• Offers a plastic like layer on top of decking to provide additional protection

Paint

Using paint for decking allows you to have a great range of colours. You can opt for natural shades, bright and bold or even subtle shades – whatever you fancy. You should purchase specialist decking paints which will protect the wood and help fill any small cracks in the timber and take care of any splinters. The key benefits are:

• Variety of colours – you can select any kind of shade
• Will hide any weathered timber
• Easy to paint

How to paint, stain or oil your decking?

Before you start your decking painting, staining or oil, its essential to prepare your decking for the task in hand. Give your decking a deep clean and remove moss, mould and algae. This process will make it easier to apply deck paint, stains and oils. You can read our ‘How to clean your decking’ guide to find out top tips and methods for decking cleaning.  

After you have given your decking a good clean, the next step is paint, stain or oil your decking. There are a few tools you can use, which we will outline using a brush, roller set or a paint sprayer.

Using a paint brush

You can use a paint brush to finish your decking, follow our simple steps below:

Step 1:

Clean your decking, getting rid of dirt and debris and allow it to dry thoroughly. Give your paint or stain a good stir to ensure the colour is consistent. Do not shake paint or stains as this will form bubbles!

 If you’ve opted for oil, then give it a good shake.  

Step 2:

Select a corner and work along the length of the boards. Apply a generous coat on the brush and paint the decking board 3-4 times from one end to the other.

If you are staining or using oil, you only need to apply as much as your timber absorbs.

Step 3:

Allow the stain, oil or paint to dry

Step 4:

Clean brush and remove as much product as possible.

Top tip – using a paint brush may be time consuming.

Using a roller set

You can use a roller set to finish your decking, follow our simple steps below:

Step 1:

Clean your decking, getting rid of dirt and debris and allow it to dry thoroughly. Give your paint or stain a good stir to ensure the colour is consistent. Do not shake paint or stains as this will form bubbles!

If you’ve opted for oil, then give it a good shake.  

Pour your chosen finish on a roller tray.

Step 2:

Select a corner and work along the length of the boards. Apply a generous coat on the roller by dipping it into the tray and remove any excess finish. Roll the paint or stain onto decking and repeat until you have a neat finish.

Swap to use a paint brush to paint/stain over smaller and tight areas.

Step 3:

Allow the stain, oil or paint to dry and reapply if required

Step 4:

Clean roller set and remove as much product as possible.

Top tip: Rollers are known to splash more than brushes, so cover any nearby surfaces with dust sheets.

Using a paint sprayer

The process for using a paint sprayer is the same as using a paint brush or roller, so follow the steps above, but with a few key differences:

• Always test the paint sprayer before applying onto the decking
• Test the paint sprayer on a piece of wood
• Hold the sprayer by an angle and keep your arm at the same distance throughout to ensure a consistent finish