I am having a douglas fir deck put on the back of my house here in Sacramento, CA. Rather than paint it (which my contractor suggests), I would like to stain it. What are your thoughts on this? It would see moderate use and my backyard gets a lot of shade, though it does get quite hot here in the summer. Maintenance is a factor, though if it's not much more trouble, I would opt for stain. I feel it gives more of an organic look. With paint, I can imagine it would chip after being walked on for an extended period of time.

Just trying to weigh my pros and cons. They're installing tomorrow, so the sooner you can get back to me, the better.

Never paint a deck! Only use products that are suggested for decks. These products can be solid or transparent stains. Transparent deck stains is the way to go if you want to retain the natural look of your wood and preserve it from snow, rain, etc. Solid stains will "mask" the wood similar to a paint but will adhere better.

Thanks so much! I am definitely going to stain!