Most deck repairs land in the hundreds to low thousands. Nationally, Fixr puts overall deck repair at $500–$3,000 with an average near $1,500, and Bob Vila reports an average of $2,019 with a typical range of $859–$3,321. Baltimore-area pricing varies with access, deck height and framing condition — here's what drives it, line item by line item, with every published figure on this page labelled as the national data it is.
Read this first. There is no published Maryland or Baltimore-specific deck repair cost data. Every dollar figure below is a national average or range from Fixr or Bob Vila, named at each table. We publish them because nobody else in this market publishes anything — but a national average is a starting point for a conversation, not a quote. Ours are free and in writing.
What does deck repair cost overall?
Nationally, Fixr puts deck repair at $500–$3,000 with an average of about $1,500. Bob Vila reports a national average of $2,019 and a typical range of $859–$3,321. Both sources agree on a per-square-foot band of $10–$55. Baltimore-area pricing varies with access, deck height and framing condition — here's what drives it.
| What's measured | National range | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Overall deck repair project | $500–$3,000 (avg. $1,500) | Fixr |
| Overall deck repair project | $859–$3,321 (avg. $2,019) | Bob Vila |
| Repair per square foot | $10–$55 | Fixr & Bob Vila agree |
| Materials only, per square foot | $3–$45 | National |
| Cedar, per square foot | $25–$55 | National |
| Composite, per square foot | $12–$45 | National |
What does each type of deck problem cost to fix?
Nationally, Bob Vila breaks deck repair down by symptom, and the spread is instructive: surface problems are cheap, structural problems are not. Baltimore-area pricing varies with access, deck height and framing condition — here's what drives it.
| Problem | National range |
|---|---|
| Popped screws | $100–$200 |
| Missing nails | $100–$200 |
| Cracks | $150–$500 |
| Holes | $150–$500 |
| Creaky boards | $150–$600 |
| Mold | $200–$600 |
| Mildew | $0.25–$1.50 per sq ft |
| Wobbly stairs | $200–$2,000 |
| Rot | $300–$5,000 |
| Termite damage | $500–$10,000 |
| Sagging | $750–$10,000 |
The three items at the bottom of that table are the same item wearing different hats: framing trouble. That's why our deck safety inspection checks the ledger, joists, posts and footings before anyone talks price.
What do deck boards cost to replace?
Nationally, Bob Vila puts a board replacement project at $500–$4,000 and resurfacing at $15–$50 per square foot; Fixr puts board replacement at $15–$55 per square foot. Baltimore-area pricing varies with access, deck height and framing condition — here's what drives it.
| Work | National range | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Board replacement project | $500–$4,000 | Bob Vila |
| Board replacement, per square foot | $15–$55 | Fixr |
| Floor board repair, per square foot | $10–$35 | National |
| Deck resurfacing, per square foot | $15–$50 | Bob Vila |
More on the work itself: deck board replacement and composite and Trex repair.
What does structural deck repair cost?
Nationally, Fixr and Bob Vila agree closely on the structural line items — joists, posts, footings and flashing. Baltimore-area pricing varies with access, deck height and framing condition — here's what drives it.
| Structural item | National range |
|---|---|
| Joist repair | $100–$300 each |
| Joist replacement | $150–$350 each |
| Post replacement | $200–$400 each |
| Footing | $300–$400 each |
| Flashing | $15–$30 per linear foot |
Why there's no ledger-board line item here
The ledger board — the piece that bolts your deck to the house — is the most failure-prone component on a deck, and it is also the one repair for which no published cost figure exists. We're not going to invent one.
In practice, ledger work is priced from the bands above after an inspection: the flashing running the length of the connection, the joists that have to come off and go back, and whatever rot is found in the rim joist and the framing around it. Whether the house is brick-veneered matters too, because the code prohibits attaching a ledger to brick or stone veneer — it isn't structural — so a deck found hanging on veneer is a different conversation entirely. See structural and rot repair, and why 1980s decks fail at the ledger.
What do railings and stairs cost to repair?
Nationally, the two sources differ more here than anywhere else, mainly because "railing repair" covers everything from tightening a post to replacing a run. Baltimore-area pricing varies with access, deck height and framing condition — here's what drives it.
| Work | National range | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Railing repair, per linear foot | $25–$100 | Fixr |
| Railing repair, per linear foot | $35–$210 | Bob Vila |
| Railing replacement, per linear foot | $50–$250 | National |
| Step repair | $15–$50 per step | Both agree |
| Step replacement | $30–$60 each | National |
Railing material is the biggest single swing in that category. Nationally, per linear foot:
| Material | National range (per linear foot) |
|---|---|
| Wood | $40–$60 |
| Metal | $55–$85 |
| Composite | $80–$165 |
| Cable | $115–$175 |
| Glass | $140–$210 |
Related work: railing repair and code retrofit and stair and step repair.
What do staining, sealing and waterproofing cost?
Nationally, Fixr puts deck staining at $550–$850 with an average of $750, while Bob Vila reports an average of $775 within a typical range of $540–$1,250. Baltimore-area pricing varies with access, deck height and framing condition — here's what drives it.
| Work | National range | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Deck staining project | $550–$850 (avg. $750) | Fixr |
| Deck staining project | $540–$1,250 (avg. $775) | Bob Vila |
| Staining, per square foot | $2–$5 | National |
| Staining labor | $1.50–$3 per sq ft, or $40–$70/hr | National |
| Stain materials | $0.50–$2 per sq ft | National |
| Sealing only | $0.75–$4 per sq ft, or $550–$1,300 per project | National |
| Seal and stain together | $800–$1,700 | National |
| Waterproofing | $2.30–$5.40 per sq ft | National |
| Refinishing | $3–$6.50 per sq ft | National |
Nationally, Fixr also breaks staining down by deck size, which is the easiest way to sanity-check a quote:
| Deck size | National range |
|---|---|
| 80 sq ft | $160–$400 |
| 144 sq ft (12×12) | $290–$720 |
| 280 sq ft | $560–$1,400 |
| 400 sq ft (16×25) | $800–$2,000 |
See staining and sealing, deck waterproofing and rooftop deck waterproofing for what each of those actually involves.
What does prep work cost?
Prep is where finish jobs are won or lost — stain on dirty or damp wood fails inside a season. Nationally, Fixr puts deck power washing at $150–$500 and Bob Vila at $200–$400. Baltimore-area pricing varies with access, deck height and framing condition — here's what drives it.
| Prep work | National range | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Power washing (project) | $150–$500 | Fixr |
| Power washing (project) | $200–$400 | Bob Vila |
| Power washing as prep, per sq ft | $0.30–$0.40 | Fixr |
| Power washing as prep, per sq ft | $0.50–$1.50 | Bob Vila |
| Cleaning, per square foot | $0.25–$0.50 | National |
| Sanding, per square foot | $1–$4 | National |
| Stripping, per square foot | $1–$3 | National |
More: power washing and stripping and full deck restoration.
What actually drives a Baltimore-area quote up or down?
National tables can't see your deck. These six variables are what we're actually looking at when we price one here:
- Deck height and access. A deck two steps off the ground is a different job from one two storeys up over a walkout in Ellicott City's valley lots, and a rowhome roof deck in Canton is different again, because every board and every bag of debris goes up and down through the house.
- How much framing is affected. This is the biggest single variable. Surface damage is priced per board; rot that has reached joists, posts or the ledger moves you into the structural bands above.
- Stairs. Stringers, treads, handrails and footings each carry their own labor, and stair stringers resting on soil or block rather than a proper footing usually mean more work than the homeowner expected.
- Railing material. Look again at that material table — the difference between wood and glass is roughly five times per linear foot, and that choice alone can reshape a quote.
- Finish choice. Clean-and-seal, semi-transparent stain, solid stain and full refinishing are different amounts of prep and different products. Sealers generally need redoing every 12–18 months, semi-transparent stains last 12–18 months on horizontal surfaces, and solid colour holds 1–3 years horizontally.
- Whether a permit is triggered. Rules change at every county line. Baltimore County requires a permit above 16 inches of height or 120 square feet; Howard County treats board-only replacement as ordinary repair; Anne Arundel always requires one for an attached deck; Baltimore City has no exemption at all. Staining, sealing and power washing aren't addressed in any county's permit materials. See the Baltimore County permit guide.
Where deck money gets wasted
Three patterns, over and over: refinishing a deck whose framing is failing, so the money is gone in two years; replacing a whole deck when the frame was sound and only the surface and railings were finished; and paying for repeated small fixes at a ledger or a rooftop membrane that needed one real repair. We serve Lutherville-Timonium, Severna Park, Federal Hill and the rest of the metro with the same rule: we tell you which of those you're looking at before you spend anything.