Call or Text Us today (720) 552-0752
Call or Text Us today (720) 552-0752
Decks and fences are wood working harder than any other surface on your property. A deck takes foot traffic, furniture weight, snow load, rain that pools and freezes, and direct UV exposure that bleaches the grain and breaks down the lignin holding the boards together. A fence stands in ground contact at every post, soaks up moisture from sprinkler systems and wind-driven rain, and never gets the cleaning attention that a house exterior receives. By the time a homeowner notices the finish is failing, the wood underneath has usually been working alone for a year or two.
At ORUS Painting Solutions, deck and fence refinishing is a specialty within our exterior work, not a side service we tack on. The horizontal surface of a deck behaves nothing like the vertical siding of a house, and the right approach to a fence is different again. We treat both the way the trade actually demands.
This is the question every homeowner asks, and the honest answer depends on the wood, the condition, the use, and what you want it to look like five years from now.
Stain makes sense when:
Stain penetrates the wood rather than sitting on top of it. That means it doesn’t peel but it also wears away with sun exposure and foot traffic, which is why decks need restaining more often than fences.
Paint makes sense when:
Paint forms a protective film. That film is more durable in the short and medium term, but when it eventually fails, it fails by peeling. Once you’ve painted a deck, going back to a clear or semi-transparent stain later requires significant stripping work.
We’re not advocates for one approach over the other. We’ve seen beautiful stained decks last twenty years with regular maintenance, and we’ve seen painted decks that still look fresh a decade after install. What matters is matching the choice to your actual deck and your actual willingness to maintain it.
Before we quote a deck or fence project, we walk it carefully and identify what we’re dealing with:
On a deck:
On a fence:
We don’t replace structural deck framing or set new fence posts as part of standard refinishing as those are separate carpentry scopes. But we’ll flag what we see and let you know whether it should be addressed before paint or stain goes on. Refinishing failing wood is a waste of money.
The single biggest predictor of how long a deck or fence finish lasts is what happens before the brush hits the wood. Most failed refinishing jobs we see were doomed at the prep stage, not the application stage.
Our process:
Only after all of this does product go down.
The right product depends on the wood, the orientation, and what the homeowner wants the finished result to look like. Our working categories:
Solid stains offer the strongest pigment coverage among stain products and last longer than semi-transparent or transparent options on decks. They hide weathering and previous color variation while still penetrating the wood somewhat.
Semi-transparent stains show grain while adding color and UV protection. They’re a good middle ground for fences and for decks in good condition, but they require more frequent reapplication.
Transparent stains and clear sealers show the most natural wood appearance but offer the least UV protection. They work best on newer cedar or premium woods where the homeowner is committed to annual maintenance.
Acrylic and alkyd deck paints provide the most durable film for decks that need heavy protection. We apply these only after full prep, including primer when the wood warrants it.
For both stains and paints, we use products formulated for horizontal surfaces on decks. These have additives for UV resistance, mildew resistance, and traction underfoot that house-siding paints lack. Skipping that distinction is another common contractor shortcut.
Not every outdoor surface is a candidate for refinishing. We give honest answers:
Composite decking is generally not paintable. Most composite boards are designed not to accept finish, and painting them creates a maintenance problem that the original material was specifically designed to avoid. If your composite deck is faded, the right solution is usually cleaning, not painting.
Vinyl fences are paintable with the right primer system, but the result is rarely worth it. The factory color is bonded into the material; paint applied over it will eventually fail and look worse than the original. We tell homeowners to consider replacement before refinishing on vinyl.
Metal fences and railings are different and respond well to proper paint systems, but require their own prep approach (rust removal, etching primer) that’s outside the wood-refinishing scope.
We’ll tell you when a project we’re capable of doing isn’t a project worth doing.
A refinished deck or fence isn’t a one-time investment. Even the best finish wears, and Colorado’s UV exposure is harder on outdoor wood than most homeowners realize.
Reasonable maintenance schedules:
Stained decks: Recoat every 2–3 years, often just the high-traffic areas
Painted decks: Inspect annually, touch up high-wear areas as needed, full recoat every 5–7 years
Stained fences: Recoat every 3–5 years, sooner on south- and west-facing sides
Painted fences: Full recoat every 7–10 years with proper prep at install
We provide written guidance on what to inspect and when, and we’re available for maintenance recoats when the time comes. A small recoat on a well-prepared surface costs a fraction of starting over from peeling and damage.
Yes, but the prep work is more involved. Failing paint has to be stripped before new finish goes on, which adds time and cost compared to refinishing a sound or bare-wood surface. We won’t paint over peeling — doing so guarantees the same failure within a year.
Late spring through early fall is the working window. We need dry weather for prep and several days of dry conditions for the finish to cure. We avoid scheduling work during periods of overnight freezing or sustained rain, both of which compromise how the product cures.
We handle isolated board and picket replacement as part of refinishing when the scope is reasonable. Larger carpentry work — replacing significant deck framing, setting new fence posts, or rebuilding sections — is a separate scope that we discuss honestly during the estimate. We don’t pad refinishing quotes with structural work that isn’t needed.
Cost depends on square footage of surface area, current finish condition (bare wood vs. failing paint), the amount of stripping and sanding required, board or picket replacement, product choice, and access difficulty. Our estimates are itemized so you can see exactly what’s driving the number.
If your deck is weathered, your fence is peeling, or you’ve been putting off refinishing because the last contractor’s work didn’t last, ORUS Painting Solutions is ready to help. We bring the same prep-first standard to deck and fence work that we bring to every project: careful inspection, honest recommendations on paint versus stain, and the kind of surface preparation that determines whether a finish lasts two years or seven.
Contact ORUS Painting Solutions to schedule a free on-site assessment. We’ll walk your deck and fence with you, identify what’s actually there, and give you an itemized quote with our recommended approach including the reasoning behind paint or stain, product choice, and prep scope. No pressure, no inflated work, just honest outdoor wood refinishing done the way it should be done.
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