I'd really appreciate some advice from the forum. Last summer I had my two story deck power washed and stained. It was a big job and the contractor initially told me we would need a window of a few days without rain to apply the stain. However, 90% of the job was completed during a single day when rain was forecast and it rained that evening. When I raised concern, he told me that the stain would fully dry in a few hours. Initially, the job seemed very rushed and shoddy (many grooves in the wood showed no stain) and when I complained to the contractor he came back on his own on several afternoons and reapplied stain. We had a brutal winter in New Jersey and the deck did not hold up well. I've included two pictures. Unfortunately, I think some of the areas where stain is coming off is due to shovel scratches, but there is definitely stain coming off in places that no shovel touched. Granted we had a terrible winter, but should the stain come off so easily? I'd like to know if the stain was applied wrong (being rolled on many weeks after power washing and on a day when it rained six to eight hours after application). I'd also like to know what my options are now. Can stain be re-applied to touch up and prepare for next winter?
Any advice/help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks
What stain brand did they use?
Benjamin Moore Arborcoat
It is more of an issue with the product then the contractor. It has issues:
http://www.deckstainhelp.com/benjamin-moore-arborcoat-stain-review/
If you just touch up it will continue to peel every Spring. This is not an easy fix. You have to remove it and that would require heavy sanding or even replacing the wood.