[Sticky] Deck Staining Help

We used the Restore product several years ago and was ready for our annual touch up of all the spots that peeled off over the winter. We have touched up with Olympic and Behr deck restore products each year and was getting ready to do it again this year but after power washing and cleaning to apply the product again we decided to start replacing boards and sanding. We used the Diamond Brush on a grinder to remove the deck restore product followed by a 40 and 80 grit belt sander. We are about 2/3 complete and are contemplating what our staining options are. We would like to use the Sherwin Williams Cedar Bark Semi Solid Stain or Cabot Semi Solid. Questions.... 1) any thoughts on using a semi solid on a sanded deck that shows some age and has new and old boards as well some cedar and some pressure treated wood?  2)  how will semio solid cover the railings that are solid Olympic stain that we do not plan on sanding. 3) any Suggestions Cabot vs Sherwin Williams?

1st tier deck is complete, second tier we will be finished sanding today and the 3rd tier we are going to wait until the fall as this is consuming every weekend so far this summer. You can see the 3rd tier still has the deck restore on it.  

Appreciate any feedback on semi solid vs solid with this scenario?

Thanks!

It would be best to go the solid stain route as you are not removing the old coating 100% in some areas and this will show through if using a semi-solid. Definitely cannot apply a semi-solid over the railings. Cabot makes a better stain than the SW.

Thanks for the reply greatly apprciate it!  That is the route we will Go.... Cabot Solid Stain.  Would you reccomend using the cabot resurfacer to just apply to any cracks.  Were we went wrong with the other deckovers is that we did the textured option with the honeycomb roller which causes issues as you have to finish that way all the time with that type material.  Thinking just going over cracks with resurfacer then rolling the whole deck with a solid color?  Thoughts?

No, do not do that. Leave the cracks alone as well. Filler never works well on exterior wood.

I live in MO and I have a deck that is 14 years old but was never stained.  It is on the north side of the house and some of it never gets direct sun light so it can get very slick with mildew.  I'm surprised it's not in worse shape considering it's never been stained in 14 years.  What is the best product/process to make it look as good as possible?   This picture is of the middle right after I power washed it and it looks worse than most of the deck and steps.  Most of it has little to no cracking.

After you finish the prep, let the wood dry for a few days. Stain withing 2 weeks of the prep with Armstrong Clark or Restore A Deck Wood Stains.

What are the pros and cons of going with a solid instead of semi-transparent?

See this:  https://www.deckstainhelp.com/deck-stains/

I just found your website today, unfortunately.  Two weeks ago I stained my deck with S.W. semi-transparent oil based stain and am not completely happy with the look. Blotchy, uneven color and now that we've had our first rain it doesn't seem to be beading up evenly.

I built the deck April 2018, 10' x 20', pressure treated pine, north side of house but out away from the house a bit, so full sun 90% of the day. No real rain in this part of MI. since May and temp.s in the high 80's and 90's. The wood was dry prior to staining, if I put water on it, it immediately soaked in so I figured it was ready to go.

My question, Since you highly recommend the TWP 100, can I go over the Sherwin  Williams now with the TWP or should I recoat with the same S.W. semi-trans oil base ?

You should strip off the SW and start over. Stains like twp cannot go over a different brand and adding more SW will make the scenario worse. 

I'm having difficulty getting a stain job to last for more than one year.  Every spring it peels, particularly in the spaces between boards.  The deck is SW facing here in Seattle and gets full sun, lots of rain and winds in winter and fall.  It is 21" off the ground. I use an oil based Cabot semi-transparent stain and put 2 coats on as my wife doesn't care for the knotty wood grain and cracks in the western cedar wood.  She prefers to use a solid stain, but agreed to a semi transparent one with 2 coats.  Currently, the color is a medium dark brown and we would like to change it to a medium gray tone. Besides sanding and pressure washing, what would you recommend to prep the wood to receive the new stain. I would like to try a different stain product other than Cabot's.  Which product would you recommend that could be custom tinted. If stripping is recommended for the cracks, which product works best?  I've already tried one from Benjamin Moore that didn't do much.  Any help would be much appreciated!

The only way to custom tint is to go to a solid color or semi-solid color. Try the Solid color. It would be the easiest for you. Pressure wash to clean and cover the current stain with Flood Pro Series Solid Stains

In reference to the response given to ProKotebill by Deck Stain Help, are you referring to the Pro Series Solid Color Stain that is acrylic? I did a search and came up with this:

Flood Pro Series Solid Color Stain is an advanced stain and sealant in one that protects wood from moisture and sun damage while adding rich, opaque color.
100% acrylic formula provides excellent adhesion and durability
Urethane-fortified to resist cracking and peeling
Rain resistant finish within 12 hours
Application down to 35°F and up to 120°F
Water repellent
Powerful UV absorbers protect against fading and UV damage
Provides a mildew-resistant finish
Self-priming in two coats
Tintable to over 120 colors

ProKotebill said he is using the Cabot's oil-based semi-transparent stain now. 

The TDS for the Flood Pro Series Solid Color Stain says:

Surface must be dry and clean. Remove all dust, dirt, mildew, oil, loose wood fibers and other contaminants. Use FLOOD Wood Stripper
to remove any previous coatings. Previous coatings must be completely removed. To ensure proper adhesion, weathered, dirty or mildewed
surfaces should be cleaned with FLOOD Wood Cleaner prior to applying product. After rinsing, allow wood to dry. Remove grade stamps
or pencil marks by sanding.
WARNING! If you scrape, sand, or remove old paint, you may release lead dust or fumes. LEAD IS TOXIC. EXPOSURE TO LEAD
DUST OR FUMES CAN CAUSE SERIOUS ILLNESS, SUCH AS BRAIN DAMAGE, ESPECIALLY IN CHILDREN. PREGNANT WOMEN
SHOULD ALSO AVOID EXPOSURE. Wear a properly fitted NIOSH-approved respirator and prevent skin contact to control lead
exposure. Clean up carefully with a HEPA vacuum and a wet mop. Before you start, find out how to protect yourself and your family
by contacting the USEPA National Lead Information Hotline at 1-800-424-LEAD or log on to www.epa.gov/lead. In Canada, contact
a regional Health Canada office. Follow these instructions to control exposure to other hazardous substances that may be
released during surface preparation.
PRETEST: Test wood for absorbency by sprinkling water on the surface – if water is absorbed within 30 seconds to 2 minutes, depending
on climate, the surface is ready for finishing. If water is not absorbed, wait 30 days and re-test.

Yes, and we have used this product over other solids stains without removing the previous coating 100% without issues. You have to make sure that any coating you have left is fully intact on the surface though. Remove whatever is loose.