[Sticky] Deck Staining Help

We live in Manitoba. Deck will face SE and will have full sun at around noon. Last fall we purchased our cedar decking material. We stickered the boards and kept them in our garage over the winter with a fan running fulltime to circulate the air. Before we stickered them, they were all sanded out with a rotary sander using 150 grit sandpaper. We want as much as possible to kept the rich look of the cedar.
1.What stain do you recommend?
2. Can we apply it immediately once the deck is finished or do we have to wait?
3. Do we still have to wash and brighten the deck?
4. We will be installing aluminum railings and posts. Will the wash and brightener effect the posts if some should get on them?

Thank you! We are anxious to get this deck finished so we can enjoy it before the bugs arrive!

1. Armstrong Clark stain
2. Wait a few months
3. Yes
4. Depends on the brand of railings. Hard to answer this. More of a question for the manufacturer of the railings.

1. Ohio
2. Full Sun
3. Pressure Treated Pine
4. No mold or Mildew Issues
5. I put in a new deck 2 years ago. I let it sit for a year and I used the 2-Step Restore-A-Deck system to clean it (which worked great). I stained it with Woodrich Brand Timber Oil (Ameretto) for the first stain (based on your recommendation). The stain is getting faded in some areas so I probably need to clean and put another coat of stain on it again this year. Would you recommend using the Restore-A-Deck system and Woodrich Timber Oil again or should I use something different for year 2?

Thanks for your help!!

Yes on the prep. As for the stain, try the Armstrong Clark this time. Use a semi-transparent or a semi-solid color.

Thanks ... love the site ... you guys rock!!

Quote from Tkingsbury24 on May 13, 23:16
Thanks ... love the site ... you guys rock!!

You are welcome!

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

maryland
partial shade or more
cedar
10 year soil

Large screened in (and under) 10 year old STK cedar porch. I think Restore a Deck may be the correct cleaner and brightener.
Question 1: The screening is not metal, probably plastic or fiberglass. Will Restore a Deck damage the screening? Screening also runs under the decking to keep critters out. I have wanted to clean and brighten my porch for several years but constantly worried that contractors I know would not do a good job.

Question 2: After cleaning and brightening do I stain it or seal it? I don't know. I believe it was originally stained with semi transparant.

I am uploading a photo from 10 years ago when the porch was built. This is what I want my porch to look like again.

The RAD products should not harm the screens. You want to stain after this is prepped. Try Armstrong Clark in Amber color.

When asking questions on Deck Staining

1. Georgia
2. Partial Shade
3. KDAT Decking and rails PT 6x6 and joists
4. New deck

I have a new deck that I am preparing for stain. The deck is 2 weeks old, I am going to stain the KDAT decking and hand rails. Can I also stain the Pressure Treated 6x^'s and stair treads or should I wait a few months for them.

Quote from administrator on May 15, 11:36
The RAD products should not harm the screens. You want to stain after this is prepped. Try Armstrong Clark in Amber color.

1. Why do you recommend Amber over Cedar?

2. It seems that the cleaning process can be done through a power washer. Can the stain as well?
Am I finished after I stain?

3. ALSO, can I purchase these products through a local store?

This is a wonderful site. Thank you. G

1. Better UV protection
2. You cannot pressure wash to apply a stain. Yes you do not need anything after the stain is applied.
3. You would have to check with the manufacturers of the products.

Quote from Dunlop44 on May 15, 14:57
When asking questions on Deck Staining

1. Georgia
2. Partial Shade
3. KDAT Decking and rails PT 6x6 and joists
4. New deck

I have a new deck that I am preparing for stain. The deck is 2 weeks old, I am going to stain the KDAT decking and hand rails. Can I also stain the Pressure Treated 6x^'s and stair treads or should I wait a few months for them.

We would wait. Make sure to clean and brighten all wood for the prep.

Hello! Here is my situation

1) live in Richmond, VA

2) very large deck (upper and lower areas) with built in table, planter, and bench- upper 1/2 gets a lot of shade, lower half middle gets a good deal of sun most of the day, side areas, rails, get partial sun on both sides (one side shadier than other)- deck is north facing. with a line of very large crape myrtles on the west side that hang over the deck.

3) pine I am guessing- probably pressure treated? Deck is approx. 20 years old. replaced 3-4 boards 3.5 years ago. Lower deck has lots of cracks/rough wood but no rot. Hoping not to have to replace many boards.

4) a good deal of mold/mildew/algae, especially on shady upper deck and shadier side rail areas

5) We used Armstrong Clark semi-transparent cedar color stain 4.5 years ago. Don't know what the deck had been stained prior to that, but it had been at least 5 years since it had been done at that point. When we prepped for the Armstrong Clark stain, we used restore a deck cleaner and brightener with brush and garden sprayer and then a light power wash before professionals applied it. Since it has been so long, I am not sure at what point the stain started to fail but seemed to hold up pretty well.

Obviously, we should have re-stained long before now but at this point, need advice on what to use. Do we need to use the restore a deck stripper and brightener to prep the deck or just the cleaner & brightener? Also, what stain would you recommend? The Armstrong Clark again or is there something better? Again, this is an old deck with lots of cracks and separations in certain areas (others are fine) and prone to mildew/algae in specific areas where it gets good deal of shade (plus past couple of years have been exceptionally wet). I have attached a couple of pics of the current state of the deck. Thanks for your help! - Valerie

Hi,

We would suggest the RAD Stripper this time and the RAD brightener. Stay with the AC, but consider using their semi-trans cedar as it will provide better UV protection over the Transparent Cedar.

Thanks! We did actually use the Semi-Transparent cedar last time. Given that, do you still recommend using the Armstronk clark semi trans cedar again?