[Sticky] Deck Staining Help

Is there still old Cabot left on the deck?

In response to your question of whether there was still Cabot stain on the porch.

There is Cabot stain around the edges of the porch but not on most of it - not on the heavily trafficked areas.

I would look at TWP Stains.

We live in the San Francisco Bay area (Novato, CA). We used TWP 1500 Clear to seal our brand-new, sanded redwood deck. We finished around 6:00pm and it started raining around 3am. We can see puddles on the deck today, not many beads. The sun is out now. Was there enough time for this to penetrate or do we need to redo?
Thank you very much.

Hard to say but most likely it is okay. TWP Clear offers no UV protection. You need a tint/color for that. Might want to clean and prep the deck in the Spring for another coat of TWP in one of their colors.

Quote from administrator on December 29, 2011, 11:58
When asking questions on Deck Staining please include:

• 1. State you live in

• 2. Full Shade, Partial Shade, or Full Sun

• 3. Type of Wood

• 4. Mold or Mildew Issues

• 5. Main Issues with Previous Stains

southern NJ, near Philadelphia
partial shade
new western red cedar
no major issues with previous 14 y/o cedar deck. Used Cabot transparent cedar oil stain on it now and then.
Deck installed two weeks ago, part of it is a high traffic ingress/egress area. Winter is coming but we are looking at a stretch of dry weather with temps to 60. I'd like to get a coat of oil based transparent cedar on it now IF weather cooperates. If not, I'll wait 'til spring, but I'd rather not. Thoughts on staining now and translucent product to use? I will go with Cabot oil transparent cedar again unless that is a poor decision. Thanks.

Best to let the new wood weather the prep and stain in Spring. If you are happy with the Cabot and it works for you then I would not switch. If you would like to switch then I would look at TWP 1500.

Can you recommend a VERY dark oil-based stain for an existing deck, probably 10-12 years old?

I would look at TWP 1504 Black Walnut, TWP 1503 Dark Oak, and Armstrong Clark Oxford Brown.

Thanks!!

Quote from administrator on December 29, 2011, 11:58
When asking questions on Deck Staining please include:

• 1. State you live in

• 2. Full Shade, Partial Shade, or Full Sun

• 3. Type of Wood

• 4. Mold or Mildew Issues

• 5. Main Issues with Previous Stains

I put Cabot solid opaque stain on new wood dock in May in South Florida, full sun. Wood was pressure treated. Wood was allowed to dry properly before staining. No rain fell before or after. Now wood is dried out. Cabot tells me because I didn't stain all sides of the wood they'll only refund cost of stain ($241.56) But how can you stain 4 sides of wood planks prior to installation?

Please advise whether this is reasonable and if others have had similar problems.

That is not realistic and not needed. Staining all 4 sides would not have mattered. New wood is a pain to work with. Customers assume that since it is new that it is ready to be stained when in reality it is far from ready. The problem is that new wood is not absorbent. The surface has a mill glaze and the pores will not allow the stain to penetrate deeply. You compounded this issue by apply a solid (opaque) stain which is essentially a thin paint. It never had a realistic chance to absorb properly.

When staining new wood you should:

1. Let the wood weather anywhere from 2-12 months depending on the stain brand and type of stain.
2. Prep the wood with a deck cleaner and a deck brightener to open the wood grain and remove the mill glaze after the weathering period.
3. Apply in most cases only 1 coat of stain.
4. Assume that the stain will not last nearly as long the first time stained as it will last with future applications.

This is not just an issue with Cabot but with almost all stains. When we stain new decks we use the thinnest viscosity transparent stains that still lasts 2 years or longer.

Live in Mesa, AZ, a suburb of Phoenix. Deck is exposed to full sun. Wood is redwood. No mold or mildew issues. Peeling is a big problem. Sanded off Behr Premium Transparent Deck, Fence & Siding Weatherproofing Wood Finish (Natural No. 500). Real garbage!! Need help choosing new product. Thinking oil based if possible. Please help. Thanks-Jack

Oil stain will penetrate better resulting in less chance of peeling. I would look at the TWP stains or the Armstrong Clark Stain.

Thanks for the help. I am going to order the TWP 1500 Series Stain or Armstrong Clark stain today. Jack