Why should I stain and seal my exterior wood?

Exterior wood ages over time mostly due to two factors: UV rays and damage from moisture. Staining and sealing the wood will protect your wood from damaging Ultraviolet Rays from the sun and will seal out moisture from penetrating and rotting the wood.

When should I get my deck or fence sealed?

If the wood is new it needs to be tested to check its moisture content. Once the content is measured, a determination on when the work can be started can be determined.

What product do you use?

We use a water based acrylic manufactured by the Flood Company. We use their line of premium products called Spa-N-Deck. We have been using the same product, with excellent results for the last fifteen plus years. Several of our offerings are custom blends that we mix to achieve the right color and finish out.

What else do you stain besides decks?

We stain homes, fences, docks, arbors, cedar roofing systems, furniture, and playscapes.

How long does the average stain and seal job last?

Typically our average deck job lasts about 2 years. Fences, on average need to be redone about every 5 years. Arbor projects last 3-5 years before they need to be redone. There is a wide range of considerations on projecting a fair expectation for your project. The major factors that determine how long a stain job will last comes down to the exposure to the sun, usage, trees and surrounding environment. Hill Country Wood Restoration warranties all of our projects for materials and workmanship for a period of 18 months.

Is it possible to change the existing deck finish to a different appearance?

Old stains can be removed through a stripping process and then a new product can be applied to achieve your desired result.

How long do I need to wait before I can start using my deck?

Under normal weather conditions it is advisable to wait 24-48 hours before using the deck.

I am concerned about the impact on my family, pets and the environment around my backyard? Is your product safe?

We use only water-based acrylics for all of our staining and sealing work. The are completely safe for your family, pets and the environment. Oil based stains add accelerants to help them dry. These accelerants are what home owners should be concerned about.

I have a hardwood deck. What is the best way to maintain it?

Hardwoods are becoming much more prevalent here in Central Texas. They are great because of their beautiful look and unique properties as far as longevity, fire, and pest ratings. If you let these woods age untreated they will turn to a patina grey/silver. The wood will remain structurally sound for a long time with no treatment. The main issue is that over time the wood grains will start to open up and splintering may occur. Also, if you would like to keep the wood looking rich and luxurious similar to when it is new, some sort of sealing is necessary.

What is recommended to seal hardwoods?

By nature, hardwoods are unique in the area of preservation. Many stains and seals claim to be deep penetrating. Because of the hardness (Janka Scale) of the average hardwood, no product really penetrates very far. It is not uncommon to have new hardwood decks recently stained to have almost all of the stain weathered off of the deck in under a year. Our process is unique in handling these types of wood because we use a special ''glue like'' additive to our base coat to help the product adhere to the surface of the wood. We also use a foam pad to ''force'' the product as far as possible into the grain of the wood.

Does the treatment in all treated wood prevent mold and mildew?

No. In fact, most treated lumber is not mold and mildew resistant. Some treated material does contain a mold inhibitor. In some stores, lumber will appear to be dirty or even have black spots. That is mold!

Why should I consider Hill Country Wood Restoration for my exterior wood preservation project?

There are many reasons you should consider us. We have been serving Central Texas for over 15 years and know what we are doing. More importantly however, is that we care about what we do. Our philosophy is to treat others' homes as we would like ours to be treated. We work hard to make sure each project turns out great and meets or exceeds our customer's expectations. Give us a call and see for yourself if there isn't a quantitative difference between us and the other guys.