Armstrong Stain Wont Dry & Has Ruined Deck Floors

I had a new red cedar deck built this summer. After much research and recommendations from this site, I decided to stain the deck with Armstrong Clark stain.

The lumber yard told me they kiln dry all of their wood so there was no need to weather the cedar before staining it. Despite this, I waited a good 6 weeks before staining. In addition, I used Restore-A-Deck cleaner and brightener before applying the stain - and waited a good 3 days after that to make sure the deck was thoroughly dried before staining.

After I stained the deck, I let it dry for a solid 4 days before walking on it. During the 4 days it was perfect "drying weather" - no rain, humidity, etc. When we started using the deck on the 5th day, we noticed the floor was slippery - but not wet or tacky. We just figured it was slippery because it was oil-based stain after all.

After a month of use, the deck floor became so dirty it looked like a dirt floor because EVERYTHING was sticking to it. Just walking on the deck would leave rubber marks from the soles of your shoes.

I couldn't hose it off and I couldn't even pressure wash the dirt off the floor. It was like the dirt mixed with the stain and embedded into the wood! I had to use Restore-A-Deck cleaner to remove the dirt. Much to my surprise, the cleaner took a lot of the stain off as well.

Now my deck floor is about half as dark as it was and I have an oily mess underneath the deck. And it seems I lifted some of the stain from the wood because the floor has that slippery feel again and we're noticing the dirt and shoes marks building up again.

I was told by a "local staining expert" to NEVER use oil-based stains on deck floors for this very reason. Apparently, it takes forever to dry and the maintenance is really high. He recommended water-based stains for the floor.

Now I have no idea what to do or who to believe. If anyone has any explanations why this stain essentially ruined my floors and what my options are at this point, I would greatly appreciate it.

Do I strip this stuff off the floor and use something different or do I just leave it for this season and try doing something with it next year?

Thanks,

Travis