How long does deck stain actually last?

The honest answer for a professional-grade hand-applied stain in central Illinois is three to five years, sometimes longer in shaded conditions. South-facing decks fade faster than north-facing ones because they take more direct sun. Decks that get rained on hard several times a week and never dry out hold less time than decks with overhangs.

If your last stain job lasted six to twelve months, you did not get a contractor-grade stain. Big-box products sit on top of the wood instead of seeping in. The first time they get hit with sun and water, they start to fail. The fix is not a different brand of the same product, it is a different category of product.

The way our finishes go out of style is that the color fades, not that the stain peels. When you are ready for fresh color, we restain. No stripping. No surprise damage. That is the whole point of hand-applied oil-based stain.