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Research dataset · verified September 9, 2026

Deck Staining & Sealing Cost Statistics 2026 (U.S.)

Cost, cost per square foot, labor share, resale value, coverage per gallon and recoat intervals for deck staining and sealing — every figure read from its source, dated, and separated into cost-guide estimates, manufacturer data and association figures.

22 rows verified against source pages and data sheets · 13 primary-source

Avg. cost to stain a deck

$850

Angi and HomeAdvisor (same figure); HomeGuide $730. Per sq ft $1–$4.

Wood deck resale recovery

95%

Zonda 2025 Cost vs Value: $18,263 deck addition → $17,323 at sale.

Recoat cycle

2–3 years

Sherwin-Williams, Cabot; ARBORCOAT 12–36 months; Thompson's 4-year waterproof rating.

Quick facts

A 20-second read. Every card opens its source.

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Average cost to stain a deck

$850

Angi (Jul 2026) and HomeAdvisor (Jun 2026) — identical figure

HomeGuide national average

$730

HomeGuide · $300–$2,300 range

Cost per square foot

$1–$4

HomeAdvisor · Angi $2–$4 · HomeGuide $1.57–$4.04

Wood deck addition, cost recouped

95%

Zonda 2025 Cost vs Value · $18,263 → $17,323

Recoat interval

2–3 years

Sherwin-Williams and Cabot guidance · BM ARBORCOAT 12–36 months

U.S. decks

60M+

NADRA estimate · ~30M past useful life

Key findings

Sentence-ready statements with the source named inline. Copy any line as-is.

  1. 1

    Angi and HomeAdvisor both put the average cost to stain a deck at $850 (Angi range $100–$1,465, HomeAdvisor $550–$1,250); HomeGuide reports $730 ($300–$2,300).

  2. 2

    Per square foot, published rates run $1–$4 (HomeAdvisor), $2–$4 (Angi) and $1.57–$4.04 (HomeGuide); HomeGuide splits that into $1.16–$3.08 labor and $0.41–$0.96 stain and supplies.

  3. 3

    A wood deck addition recouped 95% of its $18,263 cost at resale in Zonda's 2025 Cost vs Value report; a composite deck recouped 89% of $25,096.

  4. 4

    Manufacturers converge on a two-to-three-year recoat cycle: Sherwin-Williams and Cabot say inspect every 2–3 years, Benjamin Moore ARBORCOAT 12–36 months, Olympic WaterGuard protects up to 3 years, Thompson's WaterSeal is guaranteed 4 years on decks.

  5. 5

    Coverage per gallon ranges from 150 to 500 square feet depending on product and surface: SuperDeck 350–400 on new wood and 250–300 on weathered, ARBORCOAT 200–400, Cabot 400–500 smooth or 200–300 rough, Olympic 250–350, Thompson's 150–400.

  6. 6

    NADRA estimates more than 60 million U.S. decks, about 30 million of them past their useful life — an association figure, not a census.

Charts: cost per square foot, coverage, resale, recoat

Every bar carries its number; the full table below is the accessible fallback.

Cost per square foot, by source

Total rates and HomeGuide's labor / materials split.

  • Angi — total $2–$4
  • HomeAdvisor — total $1–$4
  • HomeGuide — total $1.57–$4.04
  • HomeGuide — labor only $1.16–$3.08
  • HomeGuide — stain and supplies $0.41–$0.96
  • Angi — labor only $1–$2.50

Axis: $ per square foot of deck · Angi Jul 2026 · HomeAdvisor Jun 2026 · HomeGuide Jul 2024 content

Coverage per gallon, by product and surface

From manufacturer data sheets and product pages. Rough or weathered wood drinks more.

  • SW SuperDeck — new wood (2 coats required) 350–400
  • SW SuperDeck — weathered wood 250–300
  • Benjamin Moore ARBORCOAT 200–400
  • Cabot 1800 — smooth 400–500
  • Cabot 1800 — rough 200–300
  • Olympic 250–350
  • Thompson's WaterSeal transparent 150–400

Axis: square feet per gallon, one coat · Sherwin-Williams PDS Apr 2024 · BM TDS 2019 · Cabot TDS 2023 · Olympic TDS · Thompson's product page

Deck additions: cost recouped at resale

Zonda 2025 Cost vs Value, national averages. These measure a new deck, not a re-stain.

  • Wood deck addition — $18,263 → $17,323 95%
  • Composite deck addition — $25,096 → $22,199 89%

Source: JLC / Zonda 2025 Cost vs Value

Recoat intervals and protection claims

Maintenance guidance vs. marketing claims, as published by each brand.

  • Sherwin-Williams — general deck guidance 2–3 yrs
  • Cabot — inspect / recoat 2–3 yrs
  • Benjamin Moore ARBORCOAT 12–36 months
  • Olympic WaterGuard — “up to” 3 yrs
  • Thompson's WaterSeal — guarantee 4 yrs

Axis: years

Deck stain calculator: gallons, cost by source, next recoat

Runs the published formulas from each source side by side. These are aggregator estimates, not a Carolina Renew quote.

Stain needed—
Angi — $2–$4 per sq ft—
HomeAdvisor — $1–$4 per sq ft—
HomeGuide — $1.57–$4.04 per sq ft—
HomeGuide — stain and supplies only, $0.41–$0.96—
Next recoat window (2–3-year cycle)—

Third-party estimates for budgeting, not a Carolina Renew price. A real quote depends on board condition, railings and prep: deck staining services.

Verified facts

22 rows · 13 primary-source · each links to its source and opens a ready citation.

Metric Value Scope Entity Confidence Source Cite
Average cost to stain a deck (national, total project) $100–$1,465, avg. ~$850 national, total project cost Angi Med Angi Updated Jul 8, 2026
Deck staining cost per square foot (materials) $2–$4/sq ft — this is Angi's general per-square-foot cost under the 'Size of Deck' section, not a materials-only figure national, per sq ft Angi Med Angi Updated Jul 8, 2026
Deck staining labor rate per square foot $1–$2.50/sq ft ($35–$90/hr) national, labor only Angi Med Angi Updated Jul 8, 2026
Deck staining cost per square foot, pro (power wash + stain + seal) $1.57–$4.04/sq ft national, per sq ft, labor+materials HomeGuide Med HomeGuide Jul 8, 2024 byline (page dated "2026")
National average cost to stain a deck $730 avg. ($300–$2,300 range, $450–$1,000 typical) national, total project cost HomeGuide Med HomeGuide Jul 8, 2024 byline (page dated "2026")
Deck staining labor cost per square foot vs materials Labor $1.16–$3.08/sq ft; stain & supplies $0.41–$0.96/sq ft national, per sq ft, labor vs materials breakdown HomeGuide Med HomeGuide Jul 8, 2024 byline (page dated "2026")
Average cost to stain a deck (national, total project) $550–$1,250, avg. $850 national, total project cost HomeAdvisor Med HomeAdvisor Updated Jun 20, 2026
Deck staining cost per square foot $1–$4/sq ft national, per sq ft HomeAdvisor Med HomeAdvisor Updated Jun 20, 2026
Average cost to seal a deck (national, total project) $556–$1,384, avg. $970 ($0.75–$4/sq ft) national, total project cost + per sq ft HomeAdvisor Med HomeAdvisor Updated Oct 29, 2025
2025 Cost vs Value: Wood Deck Addition, job cost / resale value / % cost recouped $18,263 job cost → $17,323 resale value, 95% recouped Context-only Zonda (Cost vs Value Report) High JLC / Zonda Cost vs Value 2025 2025 national averages
2025 Cost vs Value: Composite Deck Addition, job cost / resale value / % cost recouped $25,096 job cost → $22,199 resale value, 89% recouped Context-only Zonda (Cost vs Value Report) High JLC / Zonda Cost vs Value 2025 2025 national averages
SuperDeck Solid Color Acrylic-Alkyd Stain coverage per gallon 350–400 sq ft/gal new wood; 250–300 sq ft/gal weathered wood; 2 coats required (value itself confirmed) manufacturer coverage spec, solid color stain Sherwin-Williams SuperDeck High Sherwin-Williams Product Data Sheet 4/2024 (printed revision date on the PDS, e.g. footer code 'HOTW 04/09/2024' and '4/2024' page date) — not genuinely undated
Deck recoat interval — every 2–3 years (Sherwin-Williams general deck-staining guidance, not product-specific) Every 2-3 years (value confirmed) manufacturer maintenance guidance Sherwin-Williams SuperDeck High Sherwin-Williams (official project center) n/a (current page) — but source is general Sherwin-Williams guidance, not SuperDeck-brand-specific
ARBORCOAT Waterborne Semi-Transparent Stain (N638) coverage per gallon 200–400 sq ft/gal manufacturer coverage spec, semi-transparent stain Benjamin Moore ARBORCOAT High Benjamin Moore Technical Data Sheet (N638) Revised 2019-03-19
ARBORCOAT recommended deck recoating interval Every 12–36 months, climate/traffic dependent manufacturer maintenance guidance Benjamin Moore ARBORCOAT High Benjamin Moore ARBORCOAT Contractor Brochure n/a (contractor brochure)
Cabot Solid Color Acrylic Deck Stain coverage per gallon 400–500 sq ft/gal smooth surfaces; 200–300 sq ft/gal rough surfaces manufacturer coverage spec, solid color acrylic stain Cabot High Cabot Technical Data Sheet (1800 Series) Revised 3/3/2023
Cabot recommended deck stain inspection/recoat interval Inspect/evaluate recoat every 2–3 years for decks manufacturer maintenance guidance Cabot High CabotStain.com (official maintenance guidance) n/a (current page)
Olympic Elite Semi-Transparent/Semi-Solid Stain coverage per gallon 250–350 sq ft/gal manufacturer coverage spec Olympic (PPG) High Olympic Technical Data Sheet n/a (current TDS)
Olympic WATERGUARD stain+sealer protection interval Protects decks up to 3 years manufacturer maintenance/protection guidance Olympic (PPG) High Olympic.com official product page n/a (current page)
Thompson's WaterSeal Transparent Wood Sealer coverage per gallon and deck warranty 150–400 sq ft/gal; guaranteed 4 years on decks manufacturer coverage spec + warranty-based maintenance interval Thompson's WaterSeal High ThompsonsWaterSeal.com official product page n/a (current page)
U.S. decks — more than 60 million (50 million residential, 10 million commercial); trade-association estimate 60+ million (50M residential, 10M commercial) Context (association estimate) NADRA (North American Deck and Railing Association) High NADRA.org Published Jun 4, 2026 (Deck Safety Month page)
Decks past their useful life needing repair or replacement — about 30 million; trade-association estimate ~30 million decks Context (association estimate) NADRA (North American Deck and Railing Association) High NADRA.org Published Jun 4, 2026 (Deck Safety Month page)

Where sources disagree

Published figures that are often quoted interchangeably but measure different scopes. Cite the source, not a blended number.

Average cost to stain a deck

Angi (updated Jul 8, 2026)
$850 · $100–$1,465
HomeAdvisor (updated Jun 20, 2026)
$850 · $550–$1,250
HomeGuide (Jul 2024 byline, page labeled 2026)
$730 · $300–$2,300

Angi and HomeAdvisor share a parent company and publish the identical $850; treat them as one source, not two confirmations. HomeGuide's content is two years old despite the 2026 label.

Recoat interval

Sherwin-Williams (general deck guidance)
every 2–3 years
Cabot
inspect / recoat every 2–3 years
Benjamin Moore ARBORCOAT
every 12–36 months
Olympic WaterGuard · Thompson's WaterSeal
up to 3 years · 4-year waterproof rating

Marketing claims (“up to”, “guaranteed”) and maintenance guidance are different kinds of statements; the calculator uses the conservative 2–3-year cycle.

Deck resale value

Zonda 2025 — wood deck addition
95% recouped
Zonda 2025 — composite deck addition
89% recouped
Any source — staining alone
not published

Zonda measures a new deck, not a re-stain. No association isolates the resale effect of staining; see Known gaps.

Known gaps (no authoritative source)

Metrics people ask for that no association-grade source isolates. Listed instead of estimated.

Metric Status Why
Annual number of decks stained/sealed (service volume) in the U.S. No source No fetchable primary or association source isolates a yearly stain/seal transaction count — NADRA's ~60M figure is a total deck-stock estimate, not an annual-service count, and cost aggregators report per-project pricing, not national volume.
Behr / Home Depot deck stain coverage and recoat guidance No source Behr's and Home Depot's product pages return HTTP 403 to both WebFetch and curl per the project's known fetching constraints; per scope instructions this was skipped rather than reported unverified.
Composite-deck-specific staining/sealing service cost (as opposed to composite deck *construction* cost) No source Angi/HomeGuide/HomeAdvisor cost guides for 'deck staining' address wood decks only; composite decking is explicitly not stained (per Sherwin-Williams SuperDeck label: 'Some Composite Decking Materials*... Consult composite deck manufacturer for staining procedures'), so no aggregator isolates a composite-specific stain/seal price.
NADRA-sourced injury/collapse statistics (counts of deck-related injuries or fatalities) No source The current nadra.org/deck-safety page states qualitative risk ('thousands of injuries occur annually due to hidden issues') only inside a member testimonial quote, not as a sourced NADRA statistic with a citation — not solid enough to report as a verified NADRA figure.

Journalist view

Copy-ready attributions. Each card credits the original source and links this dataset.

Angi · Updated Jul 8, 2026

$100–$1,465, avg. ~$850 — Average cost to stain a deck (national, total project)

Source

Angi · Updated Jul 8, 2026

$2–$4/sq ft — this is Angi's general per-square-foot cost under the 'Size of Deck' section, not a materials-only figure — Deck staining cost per square foot (materials)

Source

Angi · Updated Jul 8, 2026

$1–$2.50/sq ft ($35–$90/hr) — Deck staining labor rate per square foot

Source

HomeGuide · Jul 8, 2024 byline (page dated "2026")

$1.57–$4.04/sq ft — Deck staining cost per square foot, pro (power wash + stain + seal)

Source

HomeGuide · Jul 8, 2024 byline (page dated "2026")

$730 avg. ($300–$2,300 range, $450–$1,000 typical) — National average cost to stain a deck

Source

HomeGuide · Jul 8, 2024 byline (page dated "2026")

Labor $1.16–$3.08/sq ft; stain & supplies $0.41–$0.96/sq ft — Deck staining labor cost per square foot vs materials

Source

HomeAdvisor · Updated Jun 20, 2026

$550–$1,250, avg. $850 — Average cost to stain a deck (national, total project)

Source

HomeAdvisor · Updated Jun 20, 2026

$1–$4/sq ft — Deck staining cost per square foot

Source

HomeAdvisor · Updated Oct 29, 2025

$556–$1,384, avg. $970 ($0.75–$4/sq ft) — Average cost to seal a deck (national, total project)

Source

JLC / Zonda Cost vs Value 2025 · 2025 national averages

$18,263 job cost → $17,323 resale value, 95% recouped — 2025 Cost vs Value: Wood Deck Addition, job cost / resale value / % cost recouped

Source

JLC / Zonda Cost vs Value 2025 · 2025 national averages

$25,096 job cost → $22,199 resale value, 89% recouped — 2025 Cost vs Value: Composite Deck Addition, job cost / resale value / % cost recouped

Source

Sherwin-Williams Product Data Sheet · 4/2024 (printed revision date on the PDS, e.g. footer code 'HOTW 04/09/2024' and '4/2024' page date) — not genuinely undated

350–400 sq ft/gal new wood; 250–300 sq ft/gal weathered wood; 2 coats required (value itself confirmed) — SuperDeck Solid Color Acrylic-Alkyd Stain coverage per gallon

Source

Sherwin-Williams (official project center) · n/a (current page) — but source is general Sherwin-Williams guidance, not SuperDeck-brand-specific

Every 2-3 years (value confirmed) — Deck recoat interval — every 2–3 years (Sherwin-Williams general deck-staining guidance, not product-specific)

Source

Benjamin Moore Technical Data Sheet (N638) · Revised 2019-03-19

200–400 sq ft/gal — ARBORCOAT Waterborne Semi-Transparent Stain (N638) coverage per gallon

Source

Benjamin Moore ARBORCOAT Contractor Brochure · n/a (contractor brochure)

Every 12–36 months, climate/traffic dependent — ARBORCOAT recommended deck recoating interval

Source

Cabot Technical Data Sheet (1800 Series) · Revised 3/3/2023

400–500 sq ft/gal smooth surfaces; 200–300 sq ft/gal rough surfaces — Cabot Solid Color Acrylic Deck Stain coverage per gallon

Source

CabotStain.com (official maintenance guidance) · n/a (current page)

Inspect/evaluate recoat every 2–3 years for decks — Cabot recommended deck stain inspection/recoat interval

Source

Olympic Technical Data Sheet · n/a (current TDS)

250–350 sq ft/gal — Olympic Elite Semi-Transparent/Semi-Solid Stain coverage per gallon

Source

Olympic.com official product page · n/a (current page)

Protects decks up to 3 years — Olympic WATERGUARD stain+sealer protection interval

Source

ThompsonsWaterSeal.com official product page · n/a (current page)

150–400 sq ft/gal; guaranteed 4 years on decks — Thompson's WaterSeal Transparent Wood Sealer coverage per gallon and deck warranty

Source

NADRA.org · Published Jun 4, 2026 (Deck Safety Month page)

60+ million (50M residential, 10M commercial) — U.S. decks — more than 60 million (50 million residential, 10 million commercial); trade-association estimate

Source

NADRA.org · Published Jun 4, 2026 (Deck Safety Month page)

~30 million decks — Decks past their useful life needing repair or replacement — about 30 million; trade-association estimate

Source

Methodology & data confidence

How each row got here

  1. A research pass compiled candidate figures from Angi, HomeGuide, HomeAdvisor, the JLC/Zonda 2025 Cost vs Value table, five manufacturer data sheets or product pages and NADRA, each with the verbatim sentence.
  2. An independent verifier re-opened all 22 rows across 15 sources (five manufacturer PDFs downloaded and text-extracted): 19 confirmed verbatim; 3 corrected for wording — Angi's $2–$4 is a general per-square-foot rate, not materials-only; the SuperDeck PDS carries an April 2024 revision date; the 2–3-year recoat line is Sherwin-Williams' general deck guidance, not a SuperDeck claim.
  3. The Zonda deck rows and the NADRA figures were re-read a third time in-session.
  4. Cost rows are labeled Med: they come from lead-generation cost guides with undisclosed samples. Manufacturer coverage and recoat rows, Zonda and NADRA are labeled High or Context.
  5. Where no source isolates a figure (staining-only resale effect, deck count from a census), the metric is listed under Known gaps.

Confidence levels

High = primary source (association report PDF, government data, manufacturer data sheet, industry study). Med = consumer-cost aggregator (Angi, HomeGuide, HomeAdvisor, Homewyse) whose methodology is not public and whose ranges diverge by scope.

Manufacturer data sheets, Zonda and NADRA are the primary-grade rows; every cost row comes from a lead-generation cost guide with an undisclosed sample and is labeled Med.

Checked and left out

  • Behr, Olympic and Thompson's data hosted on homedepot.com — HTTP 403; only the brands' own pages and PDFs were used.
  • Any deck-count figure other than NADRA's — no government count exists; NADRA's is labeled an association estimate.
  • Carolina Renew's own deck-staining prices — not published here.

Found an error or a newer edition of a source? Tell us and the row will be re-verified and dated.

Data freshness

Publication date of every source behind this page, newest first, so editors can judge recency at a glance.

  1. Page verified and published

    All 22 rows re-read; CSV and JSON exports generated from the dataset file.

  2. Angi deck staining cost guide updated

    $850 average, $100–$1,465; $2–$4 per sq ft; labor $1–$2.50 per sq ft or $35–$90 an hour.

  3. HomeAdvisor deck staining guide updated

    $850 average, $550–$1,250; $1–$4 per sq ft.

  4. NADRA Deck Safety Month page

    60 million U.S. decks, 30 million past useful life.

  5. HomeAdvisor deck sealing guide updated

    $970 average, $556–$1,384; $0.75–$4 per sq ft.

  6. Zonda 38th Cost vs Value report

    Wood deck 95% and composite deck 89% recouped.

  7. HomeGuide deck staining guide (page labeled 2026)

    $730 average; $1.57–$4.04 per sq ft; labor vs materials split.

  8. Sherwin-Williams SuperDeck product data sheet

    350–400 sq ft/gal new wood, 250–300 weathered, two coats.

  9. Cabot 1800 Series technical data sheet

    400–500 sq ft/gal smooth, 200–300 rough.

  10. Benjamin Moore ARBORCOAT technical data sheet

    200–400 sq ft/gal; brochure: recoat every 12–36 months.

FAQ

How much does it cost to stain a deck in 2026?

Angi and HomeAdvisor both report an $850 average (Angi range $100–$1,465; HomeAdvisor $550–$1,250), and HomeGuide reports $730 ($300–$2,300). Per square foot: Angi $2–$4, HomeAdvisor $1–$4, HomeGuide $1.57–$4.04. The identical $850 on two sites suggests shared sourcing, so cite one.

How often should a deck be re-stained?

Manufacturer guidance clusters at two to three years: Sherwin-Williams (general deck guidance) and Cabot say inspect and recoat every 2–3 years; Benjamin Moore ARBORCOAT gives 12–36 months depending on climate and traffic; Olympic WaterGuard and Thompson's WaterSeal advertise 3 and 4 years of protection.

How much stain do I need?

Data sheets give coverage per gallon: Sherwin-Williams SuperDeck 350–400 sq ft on new wood and 250–300 on weathered wood (two coats required); Benjamin Moore ARBORCOAT 200–400; Cabot 400–500 smooth or 200–300 rough; Olympic 250–350; Thompson's 150–400. Use the calculator above for your square footage.

Does a deck add resale value?

Zonda's 2025 Cost vs Value report shows a wood deck addition recouping 95% ($18,263 cost, $17,323 resale value) and a composite deck 89%. No association publishes a figure for staining alone; that is listed as a gap.

What share of the bill is labor?

HomeGuide splits staining at $1.16–$3.08 per sq ft labor versus $0.41–$0.96 per sq ft for stain and supplies; Angi lists labor at $1–$2.50 per sq ft or $35–$90 an hour.

How to cite this page

Carolina Renew Painting & Finishes. (2026). Deck Staining & Sealing Cost Statistics 2026. https://carolinarenew.com/deck-staining-cost-statistics-2026/

Rule: Cite cost figures as cost-guide estimates and name the source (Angi and HomeAdvisor publish the same $850 — cite one); cite coverage and recoat figures to the specific manufacturer document; cite Zonda's 95% as a deck addition, never as a staining return; cite NADRA's deck count as an association estimate.

Free to reuse with attribution (CC BY 4.0). Link to the row anchor (the “Cite” button gives it) so readers land on the exact figure.

Deck staining in Charlotte

Charlotte's humidity and sun shorten every recoat interval above. See how we prep, stain and schedule the next coat.

Back to research hub Deck staining servicesStaining vs. painting a deckExterior painting statistics

Updated: September 9, 2026

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