Illustration for Deck Cleaning and Staining Cost

Stripping, sanding or a lot of railing can double a quote or more. For a 300-square-foot deck, that painter’s rate is $300 to $750. Across all published rates, it is about $300 to $1,650. A 500-square-foot deck runs $500 to $2,750. A wash on its own is cheaper.

A homeowner in Northern Virginia asked a pressure washing forum for a ballpark to wash and stain their deck. Replies ran from about $1,500 to more than $3,000. Here’s why quotes land that far apart, and how to compare them.

What contractors publish

These four businesses, in four different regions, post deck prices. The 300-square-foot figures are our math from each per-square-foot price. The Northern Virginia figure is the builder’s own for that size.

Provider (area) What the price covers Per sq ft 300 sq ft deck
KC Splash (Kansas City) Clean, rinse and brighten a wood deck; $300 minimum per visit $1.50 $450
True Coat Painting (Reno, NV) Power wash, stain and seal $1.00 to $2.50 $300 to $750
True Coat Painting (Reno, NV) Strip, brighten, sand, stain and seal $2.50 to $5.50 $750 to $1,650
AllBright Painting (Los Angeles area) Professional staining, cleaning and prep included $2 to $5 $600 to $1,500
LDN Decks (Northern Virginia) Power wash, prep and one coat, 300 sq ft deck Not stated $800 to $1,500

The Northern Virginia builder adds $200 to $500 for heavily weathered decks. Those need sanding, extra wash passes or a brightener. Railings and stairs usually sit outside these numbers. The Reno painter lists railings and spindles at $4 to $12 per linear foot and stairs at $8 to $20 per step. So 40 feet of railing could add $160 to $480.

For siding, driveways and fences, see our pressure washing cost guide and our wood fence cleaning prices.

Why staining costs more than washing

Stain itself isn’t the expensive part. The Reno painter says materials make up about a quarter of the bill. Labor is the other three-quarters. The same guide says a gallon of deck stain runs $20 to $90 and covers 200 to 300 square feet of plank. A 300-square-foot deck might need only one or two gallons.

What costs money is time:

  • Prep before the stain can stick. The Reno painter says peeling solid stain or paint has to be stripped or sanded to bare wood. That step “turns a $600 job into a $2,000 job.”
  • Waiting. The Reno painter’s guide describes washing, letting the wood dry, then coating. That can mean a second visit. Our deck prep guide covers dry times and the moisture check.
  • Brush work. Railings and spindles are hand-brushed, one baluster at a time.
  • Coats. The Reno painter notes a one-coat bid is cheaper than a two-coat bid. Know that before you compare.

The Los Angeles-area painter puts the cleaning part alone at $0.50 to $1.50 a square foot, when it’s bundled with staining. That leaves most of a $2 to $5 price for prep, stain and application.

Wash, recoat or full restoration

Most quotes fall into one of three scopes. Ask which one you’re getting:

  1. Wash and brighten only. Good if you like the weathered look or plan to stain yourself.
  2. Wash and recoat. For a deck that’s been kept up, with stain worn but not peeling.
  3. Strip or sand, then stain. For flaking finish, gray fuzzy wood or a switch in stain type.

A homeowner on a home-improvement forum got two options from one contractor. One was a wash plus solid stain with no sanding. The other was a full sand and then stain. They asked whether skipping the sanding was a shortcut. That’s the right question. A cheaper scope isn’t wrong, but get it in writing so you know what you bought.

Have a wooden playset in the same yard? See what playset dealers charge to clean and reseal one. Composite boards are a different job. See cleaning a composite deck.

How often you’ll pay again

Stain choice sets the repeat cost. The Reno painter’s guide lists these restain intervals:

  • Transparent stain: every 2 to 3 years
  • Semi-transparent: every 3 to 4 years
  • Solid stain: every 5 to 7 years

The Northern Virginia builder says most wood decks there need staining every 2 to 3 years. A cheaper clear coat can cost more over time if you’re paying for labor twice as often.

Book for fall in humid places

Weather decides when a crew can finish. Atlanta’s airport averages about 116 days a year with measurable rain, according to NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals. About 33 of those fall in June through August, and only 22 in September through November. Summer also brings most of the city’s roughly 47 days a year at 90°F or hotter. Early fall can be the easier window there for washing, drying and staining.

Before you sign

Ask each company to put these in writing:

  • The scope: wash only, wash and recoat, or strip or sand and stain
  • Floor square footage and railing footage as separate lines
  • The stain product, color and number of coats
  • How long they’ll wait after washing, and whether they check moisture
  • The price for any board replacement (the Reno painter lists $15 to $40 per board)

Our questions to ask a house washing company covers insurance and reviews. For how we check every number, see our methodology.

Sources

Based on 7 sources · How we price