Sealing and staining are not the same thing. A sealer is a clear or very lightly tinted water repellent. It stops water soaking into the boards, which is what causes checking, cupping and rot, but it offers little UV protection, so the wood will still gray over time. It is the right choice for new cedar you want to keep looking natural, for hardwoods like ipe, and for decks that get restained on a short cycle.
We seal decks across Lake County with penetrating water repellents that soak into the wood rather than forming a surface film. A film is what cracks and peels. Applied to clean, dry wood, a good sealer beads water for a season or two and buys time before the deck needs a full stain.
Ask a Lake County homeowner when their deck was last sealed and the honest answer is usually never. Water gets into the end grain at the board ends, the screw holes and the ledger board against the house, and that is where rot starts. A sealer is cheap insurance. It is also the one step people think they can skip on a hardwood deck, when hardwood is exactly what a UV-blocking penetrating oil is made for.
We do a lot of this work in Gurnee, Mundelein and Indian Creek, and the central Lake County towns like Vernon Hills and Green Oaks keep us busy through the season. See every town on the areas page, or jump to Deck sealing in Mettawa.
Deck sealing usually pairs with one of these.
Text a photo of your deck or fence and get a number back. We answer Mon–Sat 7am–7pm.
Text (224) 944-8652Board ends and stair treads drink water first. Sealing these is where most of the value is.
Ipe and cumaru gray fast without a hardwood oil. A thin coat wiped back keeps the color.
A clear water repellent with UV blockers holds the natural look longer than leaving it bare.
Wet on top, dry underneath. A sealer slows the moisture swing that causes it.
Excess was not wiped off. We remove the residue and reapply thin.
See the pricing page for how we quote, or text photos and get a real number.
Our season runs roughly late April through October. Stain needs the wood dry, temperatures between about 50 and 90 degrees, and 24 to 48 hours without rain afterward. In Lake County that means spring and early fall are the best windows, with midsummer jobs scheduled around heat and pop-up storms. We book spring work early because the good weeks fill fast.
After staining, keep furniture and foot traffic off for 24 to 48 hours, longer if it is humid. Rinse pollen and leaves off through the season instead of letting them sit and hold moisture. Move planters and rugs periodically so they do not leave shadows. Rinse the deck each spring with a hose, and when water stops beading on the horizontal boards, that is the signal for a maintenance coat. Done on that schedule, a deck never needs stripping again.
Stain if you want color and UV protection with a two- to four-year cycle. Seal if you want the natural wood look and are fine with the deck graying gradually, or if it is a hardwood deck. A tinted sealer is the middle ground.
A clear water repellent typically lasts one to two seasons in Lake County. Tinted sealers with UV blockers last longer. When water stops beading, it is time.
Not the same day. The wood needs to dry out fully, usually two to three days of dry weather. Sealing damp wood is the most common reason a sealer fails.
Only stains with pigment stop graying. Pigment is what blocks UV. A clear sealer slows it but will not stop it. If gray bothers you, a natural or honey semi-transparent stain keeps the wood tone.
Every Lake County town has its own deck sealing page.
Text a photo of the wood and your town. Quotes usually come back the same day.
Text a photo of your deck or fence and get a number back. We answer Mon–Sat 7am–7pm.
Lake CountyFence & Deck Restoration