Full Porch & Deck Restoration

Your porch or terrace deck has been through a lot of seasons, and it shows: cracked boards, graying wood, a railing that wobbles more than it should. This project brings the whole structure back to a condition you can actually enjoy, and it starts with a proper inspection rather than a quick coat of paint over the problems.\n\nThe first stage is a board-by-board walk of the deck surface, probing for soft spots with an awl and checking moisture readings where discoloration or a hollow sound suggests hidden rot. Any board that fails that test gets pulled and replaced with pressure-treated or matching hardwood stock, cut and fastened to sit flush with its neighbors. While the surface is open, I check the joists and ledger board underneath — the framing that actually carries the load. Split joists, rusted hangers, and a ledger pulling away from the house are structural issues that get fixed before anything cosmetic happens, because no amount of sanding fixes a deck that is not sound underneath.\n\nOnce the structure is solid, the whole deck gets power-sanded to strip old, peeling finish and raise the grain of weathered wood back to a clean, even surface. Corners, baluster spindles, and stair edges are hand-sanded where a power sander cannot reach safely. Dust is cleared and the wood is left to dry fully before any finish goes on — rushing this step is the most common reason a restain fails within a year.\n\nRailings and balusters get their own pass: loose posts are re-anchored, split spindles replaced, and any wobble in the top rail traced back to its connection point and tightened or rebuilt. Then comes staining and sealing — a penetrating, UV-resistant stain matched to your existing color or a new tone you choose, applied in even coats with proper drying time between them, followed by a weatherproof sealant that protects against rain, sun, and foot traffic.\n\nTypical timeline runs five to nine working days depending on deck size and how much rot is found once boards come up, with weather-dependent drying built into the schedule. You will get a written note on which boards and joists were replaced, plus care guidance so the new finish lasts.