How Much Does It Cost to Stain a Deck?

Deck staining cost by deck size

A professionally stained deck plans at $100 to $1,465 nationally, with an average of $850, per Angi's July 2026 update. Most decks fall between 300 and 400 square feet, and per square foot pricing runs $2 to $4 according to Angi, $2 to $5 including light sanding and sealing according to Fixr, and $1.50 to $4.00 according to HomeGuide.

Size sets the band. Angi puts professional deck staining at $550 to $1,250 before deck-specific factors. Fixr reports a typical $750 for a 14 by 18 foot deck including cleaning, minor repairs, staining, and sealing, with small decks near $300 and larger decks in disrepair reaching $1,000. HomeGuide's average range of $450 to $1,000 includes power washing, staining, and sealing. Before committing to a straight restain, our deck refinishing vs resurfacing vs replacing cost guide helps you check which tier your deck actually needs.

Sources: Angi: How Much Does It Cost to Stain a Deck? | Angi, Fixr: Deck Staining Cost | Fixr, HomeGuide: 2026 Deck Painting Cost | HomeGuide

How much does it cost to stain a deck?

Professional deck staining costs $100 to $1,465 nationally in 2026, an $850 average, per Angi's July 2026 update. Most decks fall between 300 and 400 square feet, and per square foot pricing runs $2 to $4 according to Angi, $2 to $5 including light sanding and sealing according to Fixr, and $1.50 to $4.00 according to HomeGuide. Simple arithmetic: a 300 square foot deck at $2 to $4 per square foot plans at $600 to $1,200 before deck-specific factors.

The per-project bands tell the same story. Angi puts professional deck staining at $550 to $1,250 before deck-specific factors. HomeGuide's average range of $450 to $1,000 includes power washing, staining, and sealing. Fixr reports a published typical of $750 for a 14 by 18 foot deck including cleaning, minor repairs, staining, and sealing, with small decks near $300 and larger decks in disrepair reaching $1,000.

What moves the number is condition, not square footage alone. Board replacement, structural repairs, and railings priced per linear foot sit outside the base bands. A sound deck that needs only cleaning and staining lands near the per-square-foot math; a deck needing repairs first lands near the high end. If the deck needs more than a restain, check our deck refinishing vs resurfacing vs replacing comparison before committing to a staining quote.

Sources: Angi: How Much Does It Cost to Stain a Deck? | Angi, HomeGuide: 2026 Deck Painting Cost | HomeGuide, Fixr: Deck Staining Cost | Fixr

Labor and material scope

Angi publishes labor at $1 to $2.50 per square foot, which is $350 to $875 for a standard 350 square foot deck, or $35 to $90 per hour for roughly 10 hours of work. Fixr publishes $1.50 to $3 per square foot for labor with another $0.50 to $2 for materials. Because the published splits use different scopes than the installed project range, this guide stores labor and material as zero and quotes the published figures verbatim rather than forcing them to fit.

What the ranges include matters. HomeGuide's range covers power washing, staining, and sealing. Fixr's $750 typical figure covers cleaning, minor repairs, staining, and sealing. Quotes that exclude prep or repairs will sit below the planning range and are not directly comparable.

Sources: Angi: How Much Does It Cost to Stain a Deck? | Angi, Fixr: Deck Staining Cost | Fixr

Stain type and finish factors

The stain itself is a modest line item. Fixr prices stain at $25 to $35 per gallon for latex, $25 to $45 for oil-based, and $40 to $80 for water-based. Product choice affects application and dry time more than it moves the project total.

Railings and extras move the total. Angi prices staining deck railings at $4 to $12.50 per linear foot. Multi-level decks, built-in benches, and heavy prep add labor hours at the $35 to $90 per hour rates above.

Sources: Fixr: Deck Staining Cost | Fixr, Angi: How Much Does It Cost to Stain a Deck? | Angi

Prep and deck condition factors

Condition is the biggest cost lever after size. HomeGuide notes the total depends on prep work, the wood's condition, and the deck design. Fixr's high end of $1,000 reflects deep cleaning plus moderate to serious repairs before staining and sealing, while its $300 low end assumes a small deck with no repairs and minimal cleaning.

Power washing is typically bundled into the staining quote. HomeGuide includes power washing in its $450 to $1,000 range. If a deck needs board replacement or structural repair, price that separately; none of the published staining ranges include carpentry.

Sources: HomeGuide: 2026 Deck Painting Cost | HomeGuide, Fixr: Deck Staining Cost | Fixr

Worked example: 14 by 18 foot deck

Take a 14 by 18 foot deck, 252 square feet, sound boards, needing cleaning and staining with sealing. Low: $100. Typical: $850. High: $1,465, the Angi national band. Fixr's published real-world typical for this exact size is $750 including cleaning, minor repairs, staining, and sealing, which sits just under the stored typical. Refreshing the whole exterior while you are at it? Our exterior house painting cost guide prices the house side of the project.

Cross-checks bracket the example. Angi's $2 to $4 per square foot puts 252 square feet at $504 to $1,008. HomeGuide's $450 to $1,000 average range contains the $750 figure. Add allowances only for what the base range excludes: board replacement, structural repairs, and railing staining priced per linear foot.

For perspective, deck staining ranks #25 of 33 common projects by typical installed cost in our 2026 Home Improvement Cost Index.

Sources: Fixr: Deck Staining Cost | Fixr, Angi: How Much Does It Cost to Stain a Deck? | Angi, HomeGuide: 2026 Deck Painting Cost | HomeGuide

Limitations

This guide's planning range rests on three national publisher datasets, which is why confidence is MEDIUM rather than HIGH. Angi's figures carry a July 2026 update date; the Fixr and HomeGuide pages reviewed did not display an explicit publication or update date in the fetched text, so their currency is less certain.

The $100 low end reflects small, simple decks, not a typical full-size project. The range blends deck sizes from small to 400 square feet, carries no regional price multipliers, and excludes carpentry repairs. Re-verify figures before signing a contract; this record is due for re-verification by 2027-10-01.

Sources: Angi: How Much Does It Cost to Stain a Deck? | Angi, Fixr: Deck Staining Cost | Fixr, HomeGuide: 2026 Deck Painting Cost | HomeGuide