Deck Restoration

Atlanta deck doctor has provided deck restoration services in Atlanta, Ga since 1998. We know there are many contractors who offer a wider range of services than we do, but are confident once our prospective customers perform their due diligence they’ll recognize the advantages of hiring a deck restoration specialist over a jack-of-all-trades company.

Our Deck Restoration Services:

Decks are a transitional space between backyards and indoor living spaces. Decks unlike indoor spaces are exposed to spring downpours, blistering summer sun, frigid winters, snow, ice. These climate extremes create the perfect conditions for wood deck rot. In 1998 when we started our deck restoration journey we noticed a lack of deck specialists, homeowners being at the mercy of contractors who ‘worked on decks to stay busy’. We knew right then to dedicate ourselves to the art of deck restoration.

What Is Deck Restoration?

Deck restoration is not a single task, it is a process. A process that is not static in its nature, as it varies from deck to deck. Some deck restoration projects are simple, some are more complex, labor intensive. The constant between them is the goal: To restore the appearance of decks, removing fading stains, graying wood, oxidation, discoloration – rejuvenating, refinishing decks which, once restored, will be protected from the elements. Transforming outdoor wooden decks to spaces that will continue to look great year after year. Our goal is to make deck restoration a simple line-item our customers can check off their to-do list. We know these outdoor living spaces are where special memories are created, that is why we are here. To ensure our customers have amazing spaces to share these special moments with friends and family year after year.

How Is A Deck Restored?

Deck restoration can be broken down into four categories:

• Deck Cleaning
• Deck Sanding
• Deck Staining & Sealing
• Deck Painting

Even Though deck restoration can be summed up by four categories, there is one constant: Excellent communication with our clients. Gathering details about previous products used, age of deck, sun exposure, deck orientation, species of wood, adjacent/surrounding tree canopies. With this relevant, important information gathered we draw up a plan of action that will provide reliable results. There isn’t a deck restoration one size fits all formula. We rely on many years of on-the-field experience, at times making judgment calls as they’re encountered. Deck restoration is part great communication (from beginning of project to end), part immaculate wood preparation, part artisan application of deck sealers, stains. Our goal is to refurbish our customer’s decks, beautifying them, making them not only great to look at, but livable, comfortable, safe, and well protected from the elements. We offer our deck restoration services for those decks hat need special TLC. Sometimes these decks seem like they’re lost causes- our customers cannot believe the difference we make with these ‘lost cause decks’ that they deemed not salvageable. We call it deck CPR (clean, prep, refinish).

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Our Deck Cleaning Process:

No two decks are alike – for this reason we always perform a thorough walk-through of every deck and inspect the condition of all surfaces. Depending on its condition we use the appropriate deck cleaning agents.
Regarding our deck cleaning products: All our deck cleaning, stripping, brightening detergents are sources from professional deck restoration suppliers. We never use products from big box stores, we use products that are tailor-formulated by professional deck restoration suppliers for specific species of wood, specific condition of woods, and specific coatings on wood surfaces. Without the use of these costly, yet necessary products our deck cleaning results would be ordinary instead of extraordinary.
Depending on our customer’s deck condition (sun damage, type of existing coating) we proceed to use a specific deck cleaner, stripper, brightener that will be effective at softening up dirt, grime, sun damage, old coatings from all deck surfaces. Once our detergent bath has spent a specific amount of time on wooden surfaces we gently pressure wash all grime, mold, mildew and previous stains/sealers without much effort. We follow-up every deck cleaning with a thorough neutralizing and brightening. This is a crucial step that cannot be missed. Wood brightening will also accentuate the wood grain- without it wood will look murky, not as vibrant (and it will show with stain applied).
Using proper wood preparation methods, superior wood cleaning detergents, our professional wood cleaning equipment makes restoring a deck a breeze.
For further examples, and a deeper dive into our deck cleaning services please visit our deck cleaning page.

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Our Deck Sanding Process:

Most decks do not need sanding. We’d venture to say that out of 100 decks we find maybe 15-20 actually need sanding. These are special circumstances where we encounter catastrophic coating failure, or damage to wood (raised grain, pressure washing damage) caused by unskilled contractors.
Our deck sanding service can rectify many imperfections that are present on new, and weathered decks. The equipment, sandpaper grit, technique will all vary depending on what needs to be rectified. On some decks a very light buffing with a 110V buffer and 80/100 grit sandpaper will be required. Other decks a large format 220V belt sander and 40/60/80 sanding belts will be required for the removal of thick deck paints. Whichever the method,deck sanding is something we are experts at. We can rectify splintering, peeling paint from horizontal deck surfaces, as well as correcting raised grain, removal of thick elastomer coatings such as deck over, deck correct. Deck sanding is a service that separates Atlanta deck doctor from the competition.
Please visit our Deck sanding page for before & after images, testimonials, as well as more information regarding our deck sanding services.

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Our Deck Staining & Sealing Process:

after cleaning (sanding if necessary), brightening, proper drying times – we can move on to staining & sealing.

1. Color Selection: We always put down stain samples on our customer’s decks so they can see what the color will look like on their deck – not a swatch, not a piece of scrap wood. This is vital to ensure color consistency between sample and finish product. This is a service we perform free of charge.
2. Product Selection: We strongly recommend a quality oil based stain and sealer such as TWP or Cabot. If you have a deck stain that you’d prefer, and is of high quality (Armstrong-Clark, Penofin, Ready-Seal) we will gladly stain and seal your deck with these quality products.
3. Protection Of Home Surfaces: We ensure all home surfaces (siding, windows, concrete, pavers, stone, masonry) are protected before, during, after staining & sealing to avoid spatter, stains.
4. Stain & Sealer Application: When applying a stain & seal it is vital to ensure even application. Uneven application leads not only to a sloppy, blotchy appearance, but also uneven waterproofing, short deck seal life-span. This step is crucial in protecting a deck, especially falt walking areas. Once stain and seal has been evenly applied to all deck surfaces we inspect the entire deck to make sure there are no puddles, excessive stain. We wipe everything down, working with stain pads, brushes, and rags ensuring stain is applied as evenly as possible. Once we’ve wiped the entire deck down with stain pads teh job is complete.

For a thorough walk-through about our deck staining & sealing process, methods, please visit our deck staining & sealing page.

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Deck Painting

When applying a solid stain to a deck surface (we will refer as painting) all preparation steps are vital for a long lasting, flawless finish. Preparation wise it involves the same method as prior to staining (pressure wash, brighten, sand (if necessary).

• Color selection: When doing a solid stain/paint we make sample boards. It is a different approach than our staining samples method. This is because solid stains are a paint, and the stain’s final appearance will be teh same whether applied on a sample board, or applied on customer’s deck – the color will be the same. We make up to four sample boards for customers to evaluate free of charge.
• Product Selection: We strongly recommend a quality oil based solid stain (CABOT) although expensive (at currently $90+ per gallon) it is an excellent solid stain. Other good quality solid stains are Flood Pro solid stain, as well as Cabot’s water borne solid stain.
• Protection Of Home Surfaces: We ensure all home surfaces (siding, windows, doors, concrete, pavers, stone) are protected. We use plastic, tape, drop cloths to ensure no paint drips get on any of your home surfaces.
• Application: When applying a solid stain – proper application is key. We ensure to use brushes, stain pads to work the stain into all tight spaces, between floor boards, lattice work, and produts is applied per the manufacturer’s specifications. When painting decks applying more stain than instructed is not recommended. Many painters over apply deck stains with good intentions, but with bad results. This is especially so on flat walking surfaces such as deck floor, stair steps.

We cover the subject more thoroughly on our Deck Painting page, so please visit for more information.