How much does deck restoration cost in Sydney?

Deck restoration is priced by the square metre, and the biggest swing is whether the boards need sanding. According to What's The Damage's Sydney decking guide (updated November 2026), a clean and re-oil with no sanding runs from $17 to $52 per square metre, while sanding plus oiling runs from $29 to $69 per square metre, with a typical figure of $46. What's The Damage also puts a full restoration of a 20 square metre deck, including sanding, minor repairs and two or three coats of oil, at $580 to $1,380.

The Quote Yard's NSW deck staining guide (October 2026) splits the work into more steps: a wash and recoat with oil at $18 to $35 per square metre, a light sand and two coats at $35 to $65, stripping a failed coating before sanding and recoating at $55 to $95, and a full restoration with board repairs at $70 to $120 per square metre. For the Eastern Suburbs and Northern Beaches, The Quote Yard lists $45 to $75 per square metre for a prepared deck with two coats, and $44 to $72 on the North Shore.

TPS Trade Connect does not set prices; the tradies you're matched with quote directly, and quotes vary with access, condition and size. The ranges above are a yardstick for reading quotes, nothing more.

Two decks of the same size can come back with quotes that differ by half. The usual reasons:

• Size and layout. Quotes start with square metres, but steps, landings, built-in seats and the gaps around posts all add hand-sanding time. Balustrades and privacy screens are usually priced on their own.
• Condition. Grey, weathered hardwood that has only ever been oiled is the easy case: wash, light sand, oil. A deck with a peeling film-forming stain or paint has to be stripped or sanded right back, and that is the most expensive step in every guide.
• Timber. Dense hardwoods such as spotted gum, blackbutt and merbau sand slowly and drink less oil. Treated pine is softer and quicker to sand but soaks up more product. Composite boards are cleaned, not sanded or oiled.
• Repairs. Loose, split or rotten boards are quoted per board. The Quote Yard's NSW staining guide puts a single replacement board at $45 to $110, and its separate NSW deck repair guide (2026) at $30 to $80 per board, with joist or post work on top. The Quote Yard also lists punching nails below the surface across a whole deck at $120 to $300.
• Access and height. A ground-level deck off a Lindfield kitchen is a straightforward day. A high-set deck on a steep block in Clontarf, Castlecrag or Vaucluse, reached by stairs and sitting above a drop, needs edge protection or a harness for anyone working near the outside edge. That is a requirement under the WHS Regulation 2017, and it adds setup time.
• Exposure. North-facing and ocean-facing decks in Palm Beach, Whale Beach, Bronte and Coogee weather fastest under UV and salt. They need more frequent coats and sometimes an extra coat on the first restoration.
• Product. Penetrating oils are cheaper per litre and easier to maintain. Water-based decking coatings and film-forming stains cost more and need more careful preparation. Airtasker's deck repair guide (December 2023) lists decking oil at $12 to $25 a litre and deck surface cleaner at $20 to $25 a litre.
• Strata. A balcony or terrace deck on common property in Neutral Bay, Manly or Bondi needs approval from the owners corporation, normally arranged through the strata manager, before anyone sands or coats it.
• Disposal and clean-up. Sanding dust, old boards and used rags all have to leave the site. Wash water carrying deck cleaner cannot go into the stormwater system. Letting it in is an offence under NSW pollution law, so the tradie needs a lawn or garden bed to divert it to.

The table collects the ranges from the published guides we found that date their figures. Where two guides cover the same job they do not match exactly, so each appears on its own row. What's The Damage figures come from its Sydney decking guide; The Quote Yard figures come from its NSW deck staining guide unless marked as the repair guide. Figures are in Australian dollars and include GST unless the source says otherwise.

The sources disagree in places. The Quote Yard's deck repair guide puts sanding and oiling at $25 to $45 per square metre, below the $35 to $65 in its own staining guide and the $29 to $69 published by What's The Damage. Airtasker's figure is older and describes repair rather than restoration, so it is there for context. Read the recent Sydney-specific guides as the better benchmark, and expect quotes in the harbour and beach suburbs to sit in the upper half of each band.

A restoration quote normally covers moving light furniture and pots, a wash with a deck cleaner or brightener, sanding or stripping where quoted, vacuuming or blowing off the dust, masking nearby walls and glass, and two coats of the agreed oil or coating. Most quotes include the product, but some price labour only and bill the oil on top, so ask.

Usually excluded, or listed as extras:

• replacing boards, fixings, joists, bearers or posts
• balustrades, privacy screens, pergola posts and stairs, which are often priced per metre
• a third coat, or a different product from the one quoted
• treating termite damage or rot uncovered once sanding starts
• removing old carpet, synthetic turf, built-in planters or heavy outdoor furniture
• disposal of old boards and offcuts
• pressure cleaning of the surrounding paving or house walls, which is a separate job covered in our house washing cost guide

Drying time is the other hidden item. Oils need dry timber and a dry forecast, and most tradies want a day or two between the wash and the first coat, so two days of work can span a week in a wet spring.

Three quotes for the same deck are only comparable if they describe the same work. Check that each one states:

1. The area in square metres, and whether stairs, screens and balustrades are in or out.
2. The preparation method. A clean and oil and a sand back and oil are different jobs at different prices. If a film coating is failing, the quote should say strip or sand to bare timber.
3. The product and the number of coats, by brand and line, so you can look up its coverage and maintenance interval.
4. Repairs itemised per board or per joist, with a rate for anything found once work starts.
5. Who supplies the oil, and whether GST is included.
6. Weather terms. What happens if rain falls between coats, and whether a return visit is included.
7. Wash water. Where the cleaner and rinse water will go. Only rain belongs in the stormwater drain, in every council area from Randwick to Northern Beaches.
8. Paperwork. An ABN, proof of current public liability cover, and the quote in writing. Our guide on how to check a tradie in NSW walks through each one.

A low quote that leaves out sanding on a deck that needs it is not a saving. It usually means a coat over grey timber that lifts within a season.

Maintenance between restorations is well within reach for a ground-level deck.

• Sweep and clear. Leaf litter from the tall gums around Wahroonga, Turramurra and St Ives holds moisture against the boards and stains them. Keep the gaps between boards clear so water can drain.
• Test the coating. Sprinkle water on the deck. If it beads, the oil is still working. If it soaks in and darkens the timber within a minute or so, it is time for a coat.
• Wash gently. A deck cleaner, a stiff broom and a hose do the job. If you use a pressure washer, keep the pressure low and the wand moving, because high pressure furs hardwood and gouges pine.
• Re-oil a sound deck. A maintenance coat on clean, dry timber is a weekend task with a lambswool applicator. The Quote Yard's NSW guide puts materials for a DIY recoat at $6 to $14 per square metre, and Airtasker's deck repair guide prices decking oil between $12 and $25 a litre.
• Handle rags with care. Oily rags can self-heat and ignite. Lay them flat to dry outdoors, or soak them in water in a sealed metal container before disposal.
• Keep wash water out of the drain. Divert it onto lawn or garden, never into the gutter or a stormwater pit.

Leave to a tradie: anything on a raised deck without a compliant balustrade, decks over water or a drop, sanding a large area with hired drum sanders, stripping film coatings with solvents, and any deck that butts against a pre-1990 fibro wall, where sanding or pressure washing the wall itself could disturb asbestos cement.

Cleaning, sanding and oiling an existing deck is maintenance, and under the $5,000 Home Building Act threshold it does not call for a contractor licence in NSW. The picture changes when structure is involved, or when a large job passes that figure.

• Repairs and rebuilds over the threshold. Under the Home Building Act 1989, a contractor licence from Building Commission NSW in the right class, plus a written contract, is required once residential building work goes past $5,000 of labour plus materials, including GST. Replacing joists, bearers, posts or a large share of the boards can cross that line quickly on a big deck. The Home Building Act also says that above $20,000 the contractor must give you a full contract and Home Building Compensation cover before taking any money, and a deposit is capped at 10 per cent.
• Deck lighting and power. Any wiring, including step lights run from the mains, counts as electrical wiring work, so a licensed electrician must do it whatever the value. Plug-in or solar lights are not.
• New or enlarged decks. Building a new deck or raising its height can need council approval depending on its size and height above ground. Check with council before you commit, particularly in the heritage conservation areas of Woollahra, Mosman, Hunter's Hill and Ku-ring-gai.
• Strata. Decks and balconies on common property need owners corporation approval before work starts.

You can confirm a contractor licence for free through the Service NSW licence check, searching by name, licence number or ABN. Our regulations page covers the thresholds in more detail.

Post the deck via the quote form with two or three photos, the rough size and a note on access. We match it with vetted, independent tradies covering your suburb; each one contacts you and quotes directly. Compare them side by side and hire whoever suits, or no one. It costs you nothing, and you are never obliged to hire.

Nobody in the network is sent a job before clearing our vetting checks. In short: photo ID matched against an active ABN, the licence confirmed on the public register when the job calls for one, public liability insurance with a current certificate of currency, photos of recent local jobs plus references, and a commitment to quote in writing and follow our code of conduct. How we vet sets out each step. To start, see deck restoration, or go straight to full restoration, deck cleaning or fence and screen staining.

• What's The Damage, Decking Cost Sydney 2026 (restoration, maintenance and repair prices)
• The Quote Yard, Deck Staining Cost NSW 2026
• The Quote Yard, Deck Repair Cost NSW 2026
• Airtasker, How much does deck repair cost? (December 2023)
• NSW Government, Contracts for residential building work
• NSW Government, Electrical work licences
• Service NSW, Check a builder or tradesperson licence
• SafeWork NSW, Asbestos
• NSW EPA, Waste levy (Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997)