What deck restoration includes
How much work a deck needs depends on how far the finish has gone. Most jobs are one of these:
Clean and re-oil
The boards still have colour and the old oil has simply worn. We wash the deck with a deck cleaner, let it dry, and apply two coats.
Sand and oil
Silver, furry or cracked boards are sanded back to fresh timber, the dust is cleared, the deck is cleaned, and then it gets two coats. A deck in full sun may need a third.
Strip and recoat
Peeling paint or a flaking film finish has to come off first, by sanding back to bare timber or with a coatings stripper, before any oil or stain goes on.
Repair, then restore
Raised nails are punched or swapped for decking screws and split boards replaced before sanding, so the sander runs clean. See deck repairs for board and step work.
Deck restoration cost per square metre
Deck cleaning, sanding and oiling prices
| What's charged | Price | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Deck cleaning only (wash and brighten) | $8 – $18 per m² | The Quote Yard (NSW guide) |
| Clean and re-oil a maintained deck, two coats | $15 – $35 per m² | The Quote Yard (NSW guide) |
| Strip, sand and coat a neglected deck (repairs extra) | $35 – $70 per m² | The Quote Yard (NSW guide) |
| Deck board replaced, supplied and fitted | $60 – $120 per board | The Quote Yard (NSW guide) |
| Maintenance re-oil, one coat on a clean deck | $18 – $40 per m² | Mates Rates (national) |
| Two-coat oil or semi-transparent stain, with prep wash | $40 – $65 per m² | Mates Rates (national) |
| Machine sand and two-coat hardwood stain | $65 – $100 per m² | Mates Rates (national) |
| Full restoration: sand, repair boards, two or three coats | $90 – $140 per m² | Mates Rates (national) |
From two marketplaces that pass jobs to tradespeople, checked 5 November 2026. The Quote Yard's figures are "indicative 2026 NSW estimates" (page published 13 August 2026) with no ACT row. Mates Rates' national guide shows no review date and says its table includes labour and materials unless noted. Neither says whether these prices include GST. We couldn't find a Canberra business that publishes a deck sanding or oiling price.
The Quote Yard's own whole-job figures for NSW put a 30 m² neglected deck restoration at $1,100 to $1,900 and a 30 m² maintenance coat at $450 to $900. That's a guide to the order of cost, not a quote: steps, balustrades, a high deck and the state of the timber all change it.
Decking oil or stain: choosing a finish
A clear or natural decking oil soaks into the timber and keeps its own colour. A tinted oil or semi-transparent stain adds colour and evens out boards of different ages, which helps when a few new boards have gone in.
Tell us the finish you like, or the product already on the deck, and we'll recoat with something compatible. Our deck oiling guide covers how often a Canberra deck needs oil and the best time of year to do it.
When a deck needs more than sanding and oil
Sanding and oil look after the surface. If the deck bounces, leans or sags, the frame underneath needs checking before any money goes on the finish.
Frame repairs need a licensed builder
Replacing rotten bearers, joists or posts that carry the deck is a structural repair under the ACT Building Act, so it needs a licensed ACT builder. We'll tell you if we see it.
Sanding older decks and asbestos
Sanding makes fine timber dust, so keep windows and doors next to the deck closed while it's done. WorkSafe ACT says homes built before 2003 must be assumed to contain asbestos, and some had fibre-cement sheeting around the base of the house beside the deck. We don't sand or scrape that sheeting. See our asbestos guide.
What to send us
- Photos of the whole deck, the worst boards and the steps
- The deck's rough size in square metres
- The timber, if you know it, and what it was last coated with
- Whether you'd like a natural oil, a tinted oil or a stain
- Any boards that are split, loose or soft
- The year the house was built
Related guides
- Deck oiling in Canberra: how often, and when to sand How often a Canberra deck needs oil, the weather window for oiling, new timber versus old, and when sanding or repairs come first.
Questions about deck restoration in Canberra
How much does it cost to sand and oil a deck?
No Canberra business we found publishes a price. A NSW price guide from The Quote Yard, a quotes marketplace, lists $35 to $70 per m² to strip, sand and coat a neglected deck, and $15 to $35 per m² to clean and re-oil a maintained one (published 13 August 2026; GST not stated).
Is it better to restore or replace an old deck?
If the frame is sound and most boards are firm, restoring is usually far cheaper than rebuilding. If the bearers or joists are rotten, the frame needs a licensed builder first, and a rebuild may be better value.
Can you stain a deck that was oiled before?
Usually, once the old oil has weathered off or been sanded back. Tell us what was used last; some film-forming finishes have to be stripped before a different product will take.
How long does a deck restoration take?
The deck must be dry before oil goes on and each coat needs time between coats, so most jobs run over more than one day, around the weather. Cabot's, for one, says to allow 6 hours between coats of its natural decking oil.
Do you restore composite decks?
Composite boards aren't oiled or sanded. They're cleaned, and damaged boards are replaced. Tell us the brand if you know it.
Where this information comes from
The rules and figures on this page come from these published pages, checked on 8 October 2026.
- The Quote Yard: deck staining and oiling in NSW · National quotes marketplace, NSW price page published 13 August 2026 (no ACT figures)
- Mates Rates: deck staining cost in Australia · National jobs marketplace cost guide, no review date shown (© 2026)
- Intergrain UltraDeck Timber Oil: product page · Decking oil manufacturer's instructions (maintenance, temperatures, drying times)
- Cabot's Natural Decking Oil: product page · Decking oil manufacturer's instructions (maintenance, new timber, temperatures)
- WorkSafe ACT: identify and remove asbestos before residential renovations · WorkSafe ACT safety alert, 16 January 2025
- ACT Planning: unroofed decks, patios and terraces (building approval) · Territory Planning Authority, when a deck doesn't need a building approval
