Deck & Fence Painting Melbourne

Choosing between oil, stain and paint for outdoor timber depends on the timber species, its condition and the look you want to achieve. Decking oil — such as Cabot's Deck & Exterior Stain or Intergrain UltraDeck — penetrates the timber grain and enhances the natural colour while providing water repellency and UV protection. It needs reapplication every twelve to eighteen months on high-traffic decks but is easy to maintain because it does not peel or flake. Solid stains and paints sit on the surface and provide stronger colour coverage and longer recoat cycles, but they will eventually crack and peel on horizontal surfaces exposed to foot traffic and weather.

Fences are less demanding than decks because they do not experience foot traffic, but they still face significant UV and moisture exposure. For timber paling fences we typically recommend a semi-transparent stain that protects the timber while allowing the grain to show through. For a more finished look, a solid acrylic fence paint provides excellent coverage and a uniform colour. Colorbond fences can also be repainted using specialist metal primers and topcoats — a cost-effective way to update the colour without replacing the panels.

Every deck and fence project starts with high-pressure washing to strip dirt, mould and old grey weathering from the timber. We then sand the surface to open the grain and remove any remaining coating. On new or bare timber, we apply a tannin-blocking primer to prevent extractive bleed — the dark brown staining that occurs when moisture draws tannins out of hardwoods like Merbau and Spotted Gum.