Why Fall Is a Good Time to Stain a Fence or Deck
Savannah, Port Wentworth and the surrounding coastal Georgia towns go through a long, hot, humid stretch every summer, with plenty of afternoon storms mixed in. That kind of weather is hard on exposed wood, and it is not great for stain either. Wood needs to be clean and fully dry before stain will soak in and hold, and that is a lot easier to get right once the heat and humidity start to ease up in the fall. Getting a fence, deck or porch floor stained now also means it is cleaned, sealed and protected before winter weather arrives, instead of going into the cold season already worn down from summer.
What Actually Goes Into Staining a Fence, Deck or Porch Floor
Staining wood is not just rolling color onto a fence. Done right, it is a few distinct steps, and skipping any of them is usually why a stain job looks good for a month and then fails.
Cleaning and Prep
Every job starts with cleaning the wood and letting it dry out fully. Stain only soaks into a surface that is actually clean and dry, so this step is not skipped, even when it means waiting an extra day before the stain goes on. Rushing straight to staining over dirty or damp wood is one of the most common reasons a stain job does not last.
Fences and Rails
Once the wood is ready, every board, rail and post gets even coverage, front and back where it is exposed, not just the side that faces the street or the neighbor's yard. A fence that only gets stained on the visible side tends to weather unevenly, since the unstained side is still soaking up sun and moisture with no protection.
Decks and Porch Floors
Deck boards and porch floors get stained and sealed so they shed water and hold their color, which matters most on a deck or porch that sits in direct sun for most of the day. A sealed deck floor also holds up better to foot traffic, furniture and everyday use than bare or faded wood does.
What Sun and Salt Air Do to Untreated Wood
We work on fences, decks and porch floors across Savannah and the rest of the coastal Georgia towns we serve, where sun and salt air wear untreated wood down faster than they do further inland. A fence or deck that goes too long without stain starts to gray, dry out and crack. Once wood gets to that point, it usually needs more prep work, and sometimes board replacement, before it can be stained again. Staying ahead of it with a fall touch-up is a smaller job than catching up on a fence or deck that has gone a few years without any attention at all.
Porch Ceilings, Too
If you are having a deck or porch floor stained, it is also worth thinking about the ceiling above it. Along the Georgia coast, porch ceilings are traditionally painted a soft haint blue, and we paint them that way when asked, alongside staining the deck floor below. It is a small detail, but it is part of what makes a coastal Georgia porch feel finished rather than half done. You can see an example of that pairing on our fence and deck staining page.
Scheduling Your Fall Stain Job
We are open Monday through Friday, 9:00am to 5:00pm, and we accept credit cards as well as other merchant services, so paying for the work is straightforward once it is done. Since fall weather in coastal Georgia can still bring the occasional warm, humid stretch, it helps to get on the schedule sooner rather than later so your fence, deck or porch floor is not the last job squeezed in before winter.
Getting It Done Before Winter
Wheeler Brothers of Savannah is a family owned company based in Port Wentworth, GA, and we have been doing this work for 11 years. We serve Savannah, Garden City, Pooler, Rincon, Bloomingdale, Guyton, Richmond Hill, Tybee Island, Whitemarsh Island and Thunderbolt. If your fence, deck or porch floor could use some attention before winter, call us or send a message for a free estimate. You can read more about how we got started on our about page.
