[Sticky] Deck Staining Help

First you would have to remove the old Cabot 100% by sanding it all off. Once removed you would need to clean and brighten. You would want a 100% penetrating stain and no they cannot be custom tinted. Try TWP 1500 Series.

Dear Sir/Madame

1. NC
2. Full W/SW Sun on 5 decks, 1 deck is covered by a pergola so mostly shade
3. Pine (we have 6 decks over 2000 sqft) Deck 1 is builder deck ~16 yrs, deck 5-6 10 yrs, decks 2-4 7 yrs old
4. Some mold, but cleans up easily with deck cleaner
5. Pealed and cracked horribly on one of the decks - Cabot solid Acrylic stain in driftwood gray and black (I know now not a good choice and we are stuck)

Unfortunately 10 years ago when we first applied a solid stain to our decks there was not much information on the internet that would have cautioned me to NEVER use a solid stain. But we are where we are now.
After reading this site for the past few months we have followed your advice. We used deck stripper on the decks, and as most have pointed out, where the stain failed it came up easily, but other spots are on there for good.

Steps we have taken - repaired all bad boards, stripped the decks, power washed, conditioned and hand sanded the entire deck. I would have loved to have taken the decks back down to the natural wood, but with this large of a deck and the multiple ages of the decks, there is just no way to completely remove all the solid stain.

So my question is - should we apply a penetrating water based stain on the bare wood spots, wait a week or so and lightly sand it, then cover all the decks with the solid stain? Would this help the solid stain adhere to the bare wood? We did notice that the decks that had previous stains held up better then those that just got the solid 'film' stain.

Thanks so much in advance and I wish I would have found this site 12 years ago 🙂

Thanks Heather in NC

1. State: Idaho
2. Full afternoon sun
3. Type of Wood: Larch
4. Mold or Mildew Issues: Rot and not good wood
5. Main Issues with Previous Stains: Peeling off
HI - My mom lives in the panhandle state of Idaho, where are winters are snowy, the springs are wet and the summers are HOT. Her deck is probably about 10 yrs old and boards are made of larch, without replacing the whole deck, what would you suggest she use? She has painted it and used the "Deck Over" products and everything just peels right off with the baking of the sun. Also the house is a log house and the back of that is looking almost singed from the sun is there a product out there that would also work for the house??

Sorry but nothing will work on a painted deck that has been "Deck Overed". Need to sand it all off or replace the wood. Sorry 🙁

Quote from administrator on December 29, 11:58
When asking questions on Deck Staining please include:

I live in Central NC.
I am putting down new KDAT SYP on 900+ square feet of wrap around covered porch that has exposure in all 4 compass directions. The underside of the porch is over the crawl space with foundation vents every 4 ft all around. The left side and front are south and west facing respectively with no yard shade so there is direct sun afternoon hours each day year round. The north side gets mid to late afternoon sun (depending upon season of the year) from the west but can remain damp from dew or blown in rain until 11 am or so on really damp days. The east exposure is filtered shade early each day getting more direct sun from about 10 am to about 1 pm on sunny days. It is no surprise that the east facing porch original flooring fared the best over time. There is fungus or lichen like growth on the north side porch but no mold or mildew, surprisingly.

Prior stain was a cabot semi transparent deck product that simply did not hold up well in any parameter.

Having spent a good bit of time on the website and reading the excellent reviews, I now need recommendations for the best clear sealer to use on this new wood when I put it down. I could use a little color but do want to keep the natural grain appearance as much as reasonable and still get the protection I need.

The sales rep for the wood company suggested sealing top and bottom sides and the edges on the bench before installing and then a second top coat within a few days of installation since it is KDAT.

The question comes to which product will give me good service. I am a senior citizen and will be doing the work myself and do look for less work rather than more work both now and in the future maintenance of the porch floor. Water cleanup sounds inviting simply due to the high cost of paint thinner and the amount it would take, but that CANNOT be my only criteria by a large measure.

I am leaning to one of the following products in no particular order:

Timber Oil
TWP
Defy
Armstrong Clark

Thanks
Richard S

Armstrong Clark in Amber.

Quote from administrator on December 29, 11:58
When asking questions on Deck Staining please include:

<ul>1. State you live in</ul> Michigan
<ul>2. Full Shade, Partial Shade, or Full Sun</ul> Partial Shade
<ul>3. Type of Wood</ul> Fir
<ul>4. Mold or Mildew Issues</ul> Rotting issues
<ul>5. Main Issues with Previous Stains</ul> Prior floor rotted quickly

I am getting a new fir floor for my exterior covered porch and am looking for a SOLID color stain/paint that will help prevent rotting/water damage. Several boards of the last floor rotted after only a few years. I am not sure whether paint or stain would help protect it better. Do you have any suggestions for a solid color stain and possibly a sealer or paint? Thanks so much!

Central NC
Covered Porch floor.

NEW Kiln Dried After treating Pressure treated southern yellow pine to be installed in the next 2 weeks.

Is it necessary to clean or brighten this new wood before sealing?
Can I seal right away since it is kiln dried after treating?

Thanks

Quote from Richard S on July 10, 14:27

Central NC
Covered Porch floor.

NEW Kiln Dried After treating Pressure treated southern yellow pine to be installed in the next 2 weeks.

Is it necessary to clean or brighten this new wood before sealing?
Can I seal right away since it is kiln dried after treating?

Thanks

Yes on the cleaner and brightener since you need to remove mill glaze. Wait a couple of weeks after install.

Quote from HeatRichi_NC on July 8, 18:57
Dear Sir/Madame

1. NC
2. Full W/SW Sun on 5 decks, 1 deck is covered by a pergola so mostly shade
3. Pine (we have 6 decks over 2000 sqft) Deck 1 is builder deck ~16 yrs, deck 5-6 10 yrs, decks 2-4 7 yrs old
4. Some mold, but cleans up easily with deck cleaner
5. Pealed and cracked horribly on one of the decks - Cabot solid Acrylic stain in driftwood gray and black (I know now not a good choice and we are stuck)

Unfortunately 10 years ago when we first applied a solid stain to our decks there was not much information on the internet that would have cautioned me to NEVER use a solid stain. But we are where we are now.
After reading this site for the past few months we have followed your advice. We used deck stripper on the decks, and as most have pointed out, where the stain failed it came up easily, but other spots are on there for good.

Steps we have taken - repaired all bad boards, stripped the decks, power washed, conditioned and hand sanded the entire deck. I would have loved to have taken the decks back down to the natural wood, but with this large of a deck and the multiple ages of the decks, there is just no way to completely remove all the solid stain.

So my question is - should we apply a penetrating water based stain on the bare wood spots, wait a week or so and lightly sand it, then cover all the decks with the solid stain? Would this help the solid stain adhere to the bare wood? We did notice that the decks that had previous stains held up better then those that just got the solid 'film' stain.

Thanks so much in advance and I wish I would have found this site 12 years ago 🙂

Thanks Heather in NC

Sorry missed your post. No do not apply anything to the bare areas first. Just apply the new solid stain.

Quote from administrator on December 29, 11:58
When asking questions on Deck Staining please include:

<ul>1. State you live in</ul>
<ul>2. Full Shade, Partial Shade, or Full Sun</ul>
<ul>3. Type of Wood</ul>
<ul>4. Mold or Mildew Issues</ul>
<ul>5. Main Issues with Previous Stains</ul>

I live in Minnesota, two years ago I replaced a 30 year old treated pine deck with another treated pine deck, waited one year then applied Restore. So far,so good with only small amount of blistering -no large amounts of pealing. But after reading of deck disasters, I am not sure I want to use this on my other decks. Last year and this year, I am replacing 30 year old cedar decking around a above ground swimming pool. The old deck was stained with solid color Behr stain. This deck gets partial to full sun, faces west and the old cedar deck had problems with rot, mold and mildew. I am replacing this deck with treated pine and will wait a year before staining. I have three decks in my back yard and would like them all to match in color and texture.
Question #1 - what stain to apply around the swimming pool deck - oil or water base? One coat or two?
Question #2 - what to do with the smaller deck that already has 2 coats of Restore?
Thanks, gary

1. Penetrating oil based stain is best. Coats needed vary depending on the brand you choose but new wood is typically just one coat.
2. Not much you can do except for leaving it alone or sand it all off.

I live in Colorado Springs, CO. Altitude 6300 ft.
Brazilian Cherry Deck. Posts are Cedar. Very large deck. Winters, mostly full sun. Summers partial sun then shade. Deck is about 3 years old. Due to the fierce sun expose I need to re-stain. It has been stripped and cleaned. Ready for stain.

I want to use Superdeck Exotic Hardwood Stain (Cherry #2503). Apparently hardwoods decks are not very popular here, so no store stocks stain for hardwoods. I want to see the wood grains. Semi-transparanet is as far as I'll go toward a solid stain. I've read many posts on this site for guidance. Oil based seems to be the best for my deck.
Question 1. If I can't obtain a stain specifically for a hardwood what is the next best option?
Question 2. Would you still recommend Messers? Don't know that I can locate here.

1. Yes you should use a hardwood stain
2. If you cannot find locally than buy online for the Super Deck or other hardwood stains.

Bumping as I didn't see a response
We bought a lake house a couple years ago with a 12 year old pressure treated deck that needs some attention.
Location: lake of the Ozarks missouri so pretty humid summers.
Lumber: pressure treated pine. Most is 12 years old but some is new where we added on or replaced. All new has been weathering for at least 6 months.
Exposure: most is partial to full shade
Mold/mildew: green mold or mildew is present in many areas
Reason for failure: old stain is peeling off in many places. Guessing it has been at least 3-4 years since anything was done to it. Mold and mildew too.
What is the best method and product to clean it and then re-stain? Probably a solid color, maybe semi transparent. Have about 1000 sq ft and 60 stairs.
Thanks!