Those three prices cover different work, which is why playset quotes look so far apart. Below is what each visit includes, what doing it yourself costs, and how often you’ll pay again.
Dealer prices for washing, sealing and staining
Most published prices come from the stores that sell and install playsets, not from pressure washers. Here is what four of them list.
| Provider (area) | Service | Published price |
|---|---|---|
| Swing Set Solutions (Los Angeles) | Power-spray cleaning of the set | $75 |
| Wood Kingdom West (Long Island, NY) | Seal and service: single tower / double tower / bridge set (clear sealant, hardware, no wash) | $249.99 / $299.99 / $329.99 |
| Wood Kingdom West (Long Island, NY) | Power wash: single tower / double or bridge set | $475 / $775 |
| Woodplay of the Carolinas (Raleigh, NC) | Deluxe tune-up: power wash, hardware check, hand-applied stain | from $399; sanding from $50 |
| Playground King (Tampa Bay, FL) | Deluxe tune-up with clean and re-stain | from $600 |
| Playground King (Tampa Bay, FL) | Standard tune-up (page does not list what it covers) | from $150 |
Three things move these prices more than the brand of the set:
- Size. The Long Island dealer charges $80 more to seal a bridge set than a single tower, and $300 more to power wash a double or bridge set. The Raleigh dealer prices by playset size and components.
- Wash or no wash. A seal-only visit is the cheapest line on the table. On Long Island, washing a double-tower set and then sealing it adds up to $1,074.99 ($775 plus $299.99).
- Sanding. Rough, gray wood needs it. The Raleigh dealer starts sanding at $50, on top of the tune-up.
A plain clean is the one cheap line. The Los Angeles company lists $75 to power-spray a set, and its price list shows no staining line.
Several dealers quote from a photo. The Los Angeles company asks for a photo, a description and your city, and a Wisconsin dealer asks for a photo of the set. Send one taken in daylight that shows the whole fort, and ask the quote to list the wash, sanding and number of stain coats as separate lines.
What a house washer may charge instead
A pressure washing company can clean a playset, but small jobs run into minimums. One Kansas City washer charges $1.50 a square foot to clean and brighten a wood deck and has a $300 minimum per visit. A playset alone rarely reaches that, so add it to a house or deck wash and it may cost little extra.
Ask whether the washer also stains or quotes the wash only. Our fence staining prices show how fast labor adds up on vertical wood with lots of edges, which is what a playset is.
The do-it-yourself cost
Stain is the main expense. One cedar playset maker sells its stain and sealant at $64 a gallon. A playset refurbisher puts good stain at around $45 a gallon. One stain seller estimates that a medium swing set takes about 1 gallon for two coats, with coverage of 200 to 400 square feet a gallon depending on how thirsty the wood is.
So the stain for a medium set comes to about $45 to $64, and twice that if your set is large or very dry. Add a wood cleaner and a few sheets of sandpaper. The cedar maker’s care guide says to clean with an outdoor wood cleaner, let the wood dry completely, sand rough spots, then reseal.
What you don’t get from a DIY weekend:
- The hardware check. The Raleigh and Long Island visits include tightening the hardware, and the Long Island one also lubricates the swing hangers.
- Reach. Staining inside a fort, under a slide and along the swing beam is slow.
Our deck prep guide covers dry times and fuzzy wood, which apply to playset lumber too. One playset maker’s manual lists power washing among the prep methods before sealing, so read yours first. Sets built before 2004 that aren’t cedar or redwood may be CCA-treated, and CPSC says not to power wash or sand them.
How often you’ll pay again
The recoat schedule matters more than any single quote, because you’ll repeat it for as long as the set stands.
| Source | Recoat schedule |
|---|---|
| Cedar playset maker (care guide) | Every 1 to 2 years, or when the wood looks dry or faded; first coat within 90 days of a new set |
| Long Island dealer | Seal and service yearly |
| Playset maker (power wash and reseal page) | Wash and reseal every 18 to 24 months |
At the Long Island dealer’s seal-only price, a yearly visit costs about $250 to $330 a year. A DIY coat every other year costs about one or two gallons of stain each time.
For how we source every price on this page, see our methodology.
Sources
Based on 14 sources · How we price
- Swing Set Solutions, Repair and Cleaning Services: swingsetsolutions.com/swing-set-services/swing-set-repair.html
- Wood Kingdom West, Swing Set Services and Maintenance: woodkingdomwest.com/swing-sets/seal-and-service
- Woodplay of the Carolinas, Playset Services and Maintenance: woodplaync.com/services
- PlayN Wisconsin, Service, Warranty and Maintenance: playnwisconsin.com/about/products-service-warranty-and-maintenance
- Playground King, How to Re-Stain Your Playset (service prices): playgroundking.com/playset-maintenance/how-to-re-stain-your-playset/html-2
- KC Splash, Residential Pressure Washing Pricing: kc-splash.com/residential-pressure-washing-pricing
- Gorilla Playsets, Playground Stain/Sealant (1 gallon): gorillaplaysets.com/products/playground-stain-sealant-1-gallon
- Gorilla Playsets, How to Stain a Swing Set: gorillaplaysets.com/blogs/the-playground/how-to-stain-a-swing-set-a-step-by-step-guide-for-long-lasting-protection
- Gorilla Playsets, Swing Set Maintenance Guide: gorillaplaysets.com/pages/suggested-maintenance
- Swing Set Pros, Relocation and Refurbishment: swingsetpros.com/relocation-and-refurbishment
- Green Building Supply, answer on stain for a medium swing set: greenbuildingsupply.com/a/answers/6639848/I-am-reviving-a-medium-sized-wood-swing-set-How-many-gallons-would-you-recommend-for-two-coats-Thanks
- Rainbow Play Systems (Rainbow Direct), Power Wash, Reseal and Stain Services: rainbowdirect.com/services/power-wash-reseal-stain-services
- Swing-N-Slide, playset owner’s manual (Lowe’s product documents): pdf.lowes.com/productdocuments/6857a159-d146-4d32-9e08-67eb44933ed9/09727870.pdf
- U.S. CPSC, CCA-Pressure Treated Wood: Guidance for Outdoor Wooden Structures (Publication 270): cpsc.gov/s3fs-public/270_0.pdf
