Nazareth, Northampton County
Wood staining in Nazareth, PA.
In the borough, porches and doors on houses a century old; past its line, decks on houses built since 2000 on what was farmland. The wood is the same, the starting point is not.
Wood staining for Nazareth homes
More than half of the borough's homes predate 1940, most of them two-and-a-half-story brick or frame houses on the grid around Center Square. On houses like these, the wood that takes stain sits at the porch and the front door: steps and floorboards that see every footfall, and any door whose grain was meant to show.
The townships belong to another era. Upper Nazareth Township has put up nearly half its homes since 2000, and Lower Nazareth and Bushkill more than half of theirs since 1980, much of it on farmland turned into close-set house lots. A deck on one of those houses can be the largest stretch of wood open to the sky on the property, and the first to need care.
Nazareth
Century-old porches in town, new decks on open ground
A porch on a house built for a cement-plant worker in the 1920s and one on a high-style Victorian near the square share their weak points: floorboards that cup where water sits, steps that drink rain through their cut ends, and a finish worn through on the path to the door. Some older porches pair a painted floor with stained steps or a stained door, and where the two meet the line is kept clean, because stain will not soak in where paint has been.
Out in the townships, a lot cut from open fields may have no mature trees at all, and then a deck takes sun from morning to evening. January averages below freezing here, so whatever water gets into open checks freezes and thaws all winter; a penetrating stain kept up keeps more of it out.
Worth knowing
The historic district
The Nazareth Historic District was listed on the National Register in 1988; listing alone does not restrict a private owner. Ask the borough before rebuilding a porch that faces the street.
Cupped boards
On the borough's older porches, a board that has cupped holds water in its hollow. It is replaced before the floor is stained; no finish will flatten it.
Close-set lots
On the close-set lots of the newer subdivisions, a deck can sit a few yards from the neighbor's. Washing and staining are planned so cleaner and rinse water stay on your side.
The work
How the work goes
The same care on every job, in every town. The full guide to wood staining.
The walkthrough
Randy looks at the wood with you: what finish is on it now, how it has weathered, which boards take the full sun. The walkthrough is complimentary, and so is the written estimate.
Cleaning
Dirt, mildew and loose gray fibers come off with a cleaner and gentle washing; too much pressure furs and gouges the soft grain. On cedar, redwood and oak, no steel wool or steel brushes, which leave dark iron stains in the wood.
Old film removed
Where solid stain or paint has peeled on a deck, the loose film is stripped or sanded away. A penetrating stain cannot soak through an old film, and a new film over a failing one peels with it.
Drying
The wood dries fully before any stain goes on, usually a couple of dry days after washing, longer in shade. Stain on damp wood soaks in unevenly and fails sooner.
Brushed in by hand
Penetrating stain goes on by brush, a few boards at a time with a wet edge to avoid lap marks, out of hot sun where possible. The wood gets only what it will absorb, and any excess left on the surface is wiped off.
Recoating
A penetrating finish is renewed with a cleaning and a fresh coat, no stripping. Shaded parts of a deck can go longer between coats than the boards in full sun.
Questions
Wood staining, Nazareth.
We just moved into a new house in Upper Nazareth. When should the deck be stained?
As soon as the boards have dried from treatment. Leaving new decking bare for a season lets the sun break down its surface, and the first finish then has less sound wood to hold. At the walkthrough, Randy can tell you whether the boards are ready.
Our deck faces open fields with no shade. Does it need a different stain?
Not a different kind, but a well-pigmented semi-transparent stain in a lighter shade suits it. Pigment is what shields wood from the sun, and darker finishes heat up more and check more as the boards move. The sunniest boards will still want attention before the rest.
Is the porch on a cement-era house in the borough worth restoring?
Usually. Porches from the early 1900s were often built of tighter-grained lumber than most sold today, so sound boards are worth keeping; soft ones are cut out and replaced in matching wood before the floor is refinished. Randy walks the porch with you and explains which is which.
More in Nazareth
Other services here.
- Level 5 drywall finishA skim coat over the entire surface, for walls that hold up under raking light and dark paint.
- Skim coatingRough, patched or uneven walls resurfaced smooth, often after wallpaper comes down.
- Plaster repairCracked, loose and failing plaster in older homes, repaired and made sound.
- Interior paintingWalls, ceilings, trim, doors and millwork, prepared properly and finished clean.
- Exterior paintingSiding, trim, porches, stucco and brick, prepared to stand up to Pennsylvania weather.
- Drywall installation & repairNew drywall hung, taped and finished; cracks, holes and water damage repaired invisibly.
- Drywall texture matching & removalTexture matched so repairs disappear, applied where you want it, or taken off for a smooth wall.
- Popcorn ceiling removalOld acoustic texture taken down and the ceiling finished smooth.
- Wallpaper removalOld wallpaper and wall linings stripped without tearing up the wall beneath.
Consultation
Request a private consultation.
Private walkthrough & written estimate, complimentary. Tell us a little about the house and the rooms, and Randy will be in touch to arrange a time.
- Hours
- Monday – Friday8:30 AM – 5:30 PMSaturday10 AM – 3 PMSundayClosed
- Service area
- Easton, Bethlehem, Allentown and the greater Lehigh Valley; Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
Fully insured — proof on request. Residential and commercial.