[Sticky] Deck Staining Help

Power washed this deck with a cleaning product, wondering if i should do anything else before staining.  Upstate NY, not sure how old, not sure of wood type, I don't think it has ever been stained or sealed, not totally sure though.

Thanks

You did not remove all the gray oxidation. Redo the prep but use a deck cleaner while pressure washing. Finish with a wood brightener: https://www.deckstainhelp.com/restore-a-deck-cleaner-system-review/

Then you can stain: https://www.deckstainhelp.com/the-5-best-deck-stain-reviews-and-ratings/

I live in Minnesota and I’ll actually be staining a wood swingset that is in full sun. We’ve stained our deck with Behr Deckover before and it was awful and we had to remove it all and re-do.

Our swingset is manufactured by Rainbow (Cedar and Redwood) and has already had a second coat put on it that hasn’t been updated in 6+ years. It is peeling in places and fully gone in others. The bottom of posts have rotted, otherwise in good condition. I’m thinking we’d need to use oil based stain as I don’t know what was used last time, but wondering what brand would be best.

Having to re-do our deck a couple times and still not happy with our choice, want to bring it to some unbiased experts for some advice (not the sales people).

Thank you.

You have a solid stain on the play set so you will need a solid stain again. Not oil-based as they do not make solid stains in oil-based anymore. Pressure wash for prep. Spot sand after any loose or peeling stain. Apply a solid stain over your current stain that is intact and not peeling.

https://www.deckstainhelp.com/what-are-the-best-solid-color-deck-stains/

• 1. Northeast Ohio, lots of snow

• 2. Partial Shade to Full Sun

• 3. Deck was here when moved in, at least 20 years old

• 4. White Mildew 

• 5. Previous Stain PPG Revitalize

The deck was in rough shape and I don't think it had ever been treated. I used the PPG Revitalize 2 or 3 years ago (was unaware of the problems it had). I have not had problems with the peeling to this point, just a few spots chipped. I took the paint and touched it up with a small paint brush. Contractors were doing work inside the house and somehow chipped part of the boards over the winter, so now a few boards are peeling. I scraped and sanded those boards and applied new product. We get a thick layer of pollen and there is some fading or white mildew (that i can not wash off). 

I wanted to know if I could apply another layer of the Revitalize to freshen up the look and further seal in the wood? Thank you!!

Probably but best to ask them directly as we do not use their product.

Hello! I live in Chicago, Illinois and am looking for a black stain to use on my front porch/stairs. I can't seem to find any options in the top rated brands - any suggestions? I was going to use Cabot low-voc oil stain in black but after reading reviews on here rethinking that. Thanks for your help.

1. Chicago, IL 

2. Partial shade to full sun (small space but one side is shaded by tree)

3. Pressure treated wood - was built a year ago and now ready to stain.

No one has a black deck stain. Closest would be very dark brown such as TWP 1504 Black Walnut or Armstrong Clark in Black Walnut. We would not use Cabot. Make sure to prep with a deck cleaner and a wood brightener.

Thanks in advance!

We're in Wisconsin. Deck is decade(s) old(?), as we just moved in 3 years ago. It's in partial shade.

We stained it - unknown wood-type - 2 years ago with Behr Deck Plus Solid Color Waterproofing (which I see got a terrible review here). It came up just short of the "5 year" claim for us, too.

It's colored to a dark brown - Shagbark - as Behr SB5-6 or SW 3001 (which was on before) - and we'd like to keep that approximate color.

Attached are photos, 2 when wet (it had just rained) and then 2 after drying, which is much more indicative of its state. Obviously, really poor quality. Please advise re: all recommended prep steps needed. We would like to do this right this time (likely didn't 2 years ago). We can't afford to replace the whole deck, so have to deal with the state of the wood as it is. Also, how long does it need to be dry prior to application (I can likely look elsewhere on the site for that, though).

Thanks again!!!

@jackj59 No pictures.

Huh, so odd... I'll try again with the photos. I ctrl-v's this time, and definitely see them. Thanks!

Fwiw, we've got railings and a pergola, too (the only mildew we've noticed has been on it), and we're thinking of using our current leftover Behr to go over that (they've maintained their same dark color, whereas the floor is faded to grey). We won't have a perfect color match, but I'm thinking that won't be a big deal. If anyone has any thoughts on what would look best in terms of color given a dark brown pergola/railings, feel free to share, though obviously, this isn't a decorating forum, lol. Particularly since I'm thinking we'll have to strip, do a lot of prep, of the floor, and would rather not do that for the uprights. So figure I'd share a photo of that, along with one more of the floor, in case it helps.

Try Restore a Deck Solid Stains:

https://www.deckstainhelp.com/restore-a-deck-solid-color-stain-review/

Prep by stripping and or sanding off the loose stain. You can coat over the intact stain.

Thanks, I'd continued my reading and also came across the Genesis Revive product (which this site has a positive 3rd party review of). Either way, clearly I need to do heavy prep and a restorative product. 

Any thoughts on how the two products compare? And on using a primer or not? Thanks again!

You do not prime ever with a solid stain but if you use the Gulf Synthetics Deck Revive, you will need their Permabond primer. Both are very good. Difference is appearance and what you want to achieve. The DR looks more like a very thick coating with grit to it while the RAD solid stain looks like an opaque stain that is smooth.