[Sticky] Deck Staining Help

I live in Alabama, I have a covered deck which receives full sun on limited areas, it is constructed of pine, minor mildew issues and no prior stains. I will be installing a rail system in the coming week and will also wrap the support posts with pine to create columns (should I use pressure treated pine or untreated pine on this project?). Afterward, I plan on staining the deck. My wife requests that I use two colors on the project. I plan on using a semi-transparent stain on the floor and a solid stain on the rail and columns because they receive full sun on the outward facing surfaces. What type of cleaning product should I use to prep the wood prior to staining and what type of stains should I use on my project? Thanks for your advise.

Use pressure treated pine so it does not rot.

I would use the Restore-A-Deck system to prep as it is works very well and is economical as well.

For the semi-transparent stain I would look at a coating that can penetrate new wood well and can resist mold. Here is a couple of options:

TimberOil Brand
Armstrong Clark Stain

We do not review solid color stains. Your logic though is correct. Solid colors work well on verticals but not so well on horizontal exterior surfaces. Many people like the two-toned look.

For the solid color wood or deck stain I would visit your local paint store and see what they offer. I would stay away from Behr and SW Deckscapes. Flood, Olympic, and Cabot make nice solid color deck stains.

Good luck!

Sir,
I have new deck -( We put new pressure treated (wood - contractor bought it -home depot or Lowes). I have claened teh deck and now want to stain the deck to protect from water, sun and mldew.

When asking questions on Deck Staining please include:

1. State you live in - I an in Knxiville,Tn
2. Full Shade, Partial Shade, or Full Sun - West side deck - Full harsh sun
3. Type of Wood - pressure treated (lumber from homedepot or Lowes)
4. Mold or Mildew Issues -none
5. Main Issues with Previous Stains none

We strongly suggest a stain that is able to penetrate newly installed pressure treated pine:

Timber Oil Brand

State: Montana
Sun:Full
Wood:Redwood
Mold/mildew:No
Issue:Peeling, flaking fading
Originally coated with Rhinoguard but they are out of business. Now need to find an alternative. Realize this will require the strip/clear & brightner routine but it saves having to sand the deck again. Am leaning toward TWP, is this the right choice? Also, railings on deck are peeled pine logs which need TLC. They were coated once but much greying/weathering with sun exposure. Same product but different color? BTW extremely informative website!

Zeke-

Thanks for the praise!

AS for prepping I would look at a powdered stain stripper followed by the brightener to remove the Rhinoguard. You do not need a deck cleaner when you use a stains stripper. I would look at Restore-A-Deck Stain Stripper or HD80.

TWP stains are excellent products and would work very well.

We have a large deck facing west - so it get sun from around noon through sunset. It's made entirely of Ipe. We've finished in the past with Wood-tux by Woodrich, but I didn't like the way that product darkened. 18 months ago we had the deck professionally stripped, and we've left the wood to weather a bit (open the pores), since we've read that ipe takes stain better if it has weathered. Now we're reading to prep the deck (with EFC-38 and citralic) and restain. Here are the details:

State: Pennsylvania (south-central)
Sun: Full afternoon
Wood: Ipe
Mold/Mildew - a little mildew from morning dampness
Issue: As above - previous stain darkened over time.

I know nothing lasts more than a year on ipe, but I'd like the application and re-application to be easy. Thanks.

I would look at this for your IPE:

Armstrong Clark in the Mahogany color

It offers excellent UV resistance and can be easily cleaned and re coated when needed.

1. New York
2. Partial shade to full sun, but a strip of 1.5ft width in full shade
3. Cedar, ~25 years old
4. Green mold/mildew only on a strip in full shade; reappears after cleaning and
restaining
5.Mold/mildew in full shade.

I find this site very informative. Thanks !

I've been using Baker gray away for 5-6 years and was satisfied except for mold/mildew issue. You give great scores to Defy water based stains (not a lot reviews on Web) and still an oil based TWP is rated #1. Also I read Armstrong-Clark stains are very good. Please give me your opinion.

Bakers has changed their formula as of last Summer. From what we understand it has application and drying issues.

I would look at any of the three that you mentioned. Bakers is actually a thinned down version of TWP. Might be time to try the real stuff now and use the TWP 1500 Series.

State: Southwest Ohio
Full Sun
Pressure treated pine (premium)
New Deck

You seem to be consistently recommending TimberOil Brand for new decks, yet their website talks mostly about old wood and also says 2 coats. I'm confused.

TimberOil can be used on both old and new wood. We like it on new wood as it penetrates better then other stains. You can apply 1 cot or new wood and 2 coats on older wood.

State: NW Florida (gets very hot and can get very cold, very humid)
Full Sun on part of deck and Partial Sun on part
New Deck/Pressure Treated Pine
old deck - Wood RX solid, never adhered totally and wood weather very badly in 3 yrs

We are replacing the deck we had after only 3 years and I want to be sure to do it right. I wanted to strip the old deck but nothing worked that I tried except sanding and the wood was rather damaged so we thought we needed to tear it off and start again. I see where you recommend TimberOil for new decks but I am really wanting the quality of the TWP or Defy. I really want the mold and mildew protection, the water protection and the simplicity of just cleaning and being able to reapply when the time comes. Can you please help me decide what to use. I definitely want a color and not a clear so that in itself should help. Thank you.

We have just laid a new yellow pine front porch (covered, north facing & fairly well protected from weather) and are considering light colored stain and seal. Since this is not the common decking wood situation, is it necessary to "clean" the new wood for better penetration? We realize we are NOT good at home upkeep, and want a finish as long-lasting as possible, with next step upkeep as simple as possible. What is your very rough estimate on how long this first finish should last? Our contractor is recommending TWP. Like folks above, my concern is extra work with TimberOil.