[Sticky] Deck Staining Help

So the Flood product can go over preciously coated oil or acrylic stains provided proper prep is done?

Hello, just discovered your site. Vancouver Island BC Canada here, very temperate climate, brand new deck, partial sun/shade, non pressure treated spruce. We are thinking of a water based natural cedar coloured stain. Do you recommend staining immediately to protect the non pressure treated wood? Thank you

Thank you for your response.  I'm checking out info on the Internet about this product.  Couple of questions, though...

1. What's the best way to remove the peeling paint in the cracks between boards so the new stain will adhere?

2.  Consumer Reports recommends Olympic Elite Advanced Stain + Sealant in One Solid product  for solid wood stains.  Perhaps they did not test the Flood Pro Series.  Between the 2 products, would you still go with the Flood Pro Series?

3.  For wood prep...should I use the 'Flood Stripper'...then sand...then apply the solid stain?

Thank you.

Posted by: Excelsior1958

So the Flood product can go over preciously coated oil or acrylic stains provided proper prep is done?

 

Acrylic for sure. 

Posted by: vanisle

Hello, just discovered your site. Vancouver Island BC Canada here, very temperate climate, brand new deck, partial sun/shade, non pressure treated spruce. We are thinking of a water based natural cedar coloured stain. Do you recommend staining immediately to protect the non pressure treated wood? Thank you

No, see this about new wood:  https://www.deckstainhelp.com/staining-a-new-deck/

Posted by: Prokotebill

Thank you for your response.  I'm checking out info on the Internet about this product.  Couple of questions, though...

1. What's the best way to remove the peeling paint in the cracks between boards so the new stain will adhere?

2.  Consumer Reports recommends Olympic Elite Advanced Stain + Sealant in One Solid product  for solid wood stains.  Perhaps they did not test the Flood Pro Series.  Between the 2 products, would you still go with the Flood Pro Series?

3.  For wood prep...should I use the 'Flood Stripper'...then sand...then apply the solid stain?

Thank you.

1. Pressure wash and scrape with a hand tool to remove what is loose.

2. Yes. 

3. Any stripper and pressure washing to remove as much as you can. You will probably not need to sand.

Hello.  I live in Alamo, CA.  We have temperatures ranging from 80's to low 100's in summer and upper 20's to mid 50's in Winter.  I have partial shade.  Unsure the type of wood - perhaps redwood.  I moved here a couple years ago and the deck was already stained.  It wasn't very transparent and after a fairly heavy rain season for us it started to darken to greyish and black in color.  I recently power washed it and majority of it looks like new unfinished wood.  There are some areas where no matter how much I power wash, I can't remove the stain.  So now wondering if I should sand the deck and the remaining stain and if so what stain would be best for my climate.  I would also want something that would be low maintenance and hopefully a stain where I don't have to redo all the steps of power washing and sanding but hopefully just reapplying new coats of stain every few years[attach].  I have included some photos to give you an idea of the deck and photos that hopefully will show you some of the remaining stain.  Thanks

Use a stain stripper while pressure washing. Sand only if needed after to remove the rest. Brighten after to finish the prep.

You can clean and reapply as needed with these brands:  https://www.deckstainhelp.com/the-5-best-deck-stain-reviews-and-ratings/

Okay.  So I used a stripped and it got a portion of the old stain off.  I have also used a power sander to remove even more.  I doubt I will be able to remove 100% without spending 100+ hours.  In other words, it would be a tedious task as even my hand sander can't reach all the areas between deck and railings, so I will just have to do my best.  Anyway the area I stripped is dark in color even after power washing the stripper and doing some further sanding.  My guess is I will use the brightener in this area.  Questions -

1) do is use the brightener in only areas that show some discoloration from the stripper as well as areas that may have dark spots?  Majority of the deck looks like brand new wood after the sanding and initial power wash.

2) Is a water based stain like Restore a Deck better or worse than say an oil based such as Armstrong Clark? Or would you use a different.  Problem is Restore-a-Deck has limited colors and I want something like a chestnut color.

Thank you

1. Brighten all the wood.

2. You cannot use a different brand of stain unless you remove 95-100% of the old stain. If you cannot get it to this then you may be better off with a different stain type like a solid stain.

I got off 98% of the old stain and have sanded the entire deck to the point that it looks like brand new wood.  There is just one small area of the lower portion of the two level deck where I used the stripper, so this area is now dark even after sanding, as compared to the rest of the deck that looks like it was just built.  So I definitely don't want to use a solid stain and curious why I need to brighten the entire deck including the upper portion where no stripper was used.  Also based on the above details, still wondering if I should go water based like Restore -a-Deck or oil based like Armstrong Clark.  I also want to go the method that would hopefully eliminate going through this entire process again in a few years.  If one type of stain is easier to clean and reapply, than that is probably the type I want to use.  Thanks

A wood brightener will open the wood grain after sanding so the stain soaks in better. It will also even out the overall color.

Both of those stains brands are good. Not one would be better for your deck.

I live in South Carolina.  I applied Messmer IPE UV stain to a tigerwood floor.  There were a lot of areas that did not dry and were sticker.  According to the manufacture these are areas where the stain did not penetrate the wood.  They suggested cleaning the areas with mineral spirits.  Which we did. Now we have grey areas along with dull areas through out the area.  What should we do now to get to a finished floor?

Strip it all down and start over. Use the Restore A Deck Stripper/Brightener Kits.

I live in So.Cal.& have a redwood covered deck,  stained the deck last year with Superdeck semi-transparent stain.  I used the RAD stripping & cleaning method. After a year the stain looks great not wearing, but the dirt seems to just sit on it, not even a broom sweep gets it off.  Was wondering if it's time to clean & brighten, then stain to keep it looking clean, or is there another solution?  Thanks for your time.