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Deck Stain Questions and Answers
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Topic starter
21/04/2012 1:55 am
Hello & Thank you in advance for taking the time to read my post! This is a very helpful forum - I'm pretty sure of myself on DIY projects but with the investment in time ahead of me and wanting a nice looking deck in the end I just want to run my thoughts by the experts.
Our pressure treated deck & pergola are 5 years old. We live in southern Ohio and the deck faces south which gets full sun from late morning through late afternoon. The deck & pergola were finished with Wolman F&P Toner (natural color) 4 years ago and the color on the floor started to fade before the first summer was over. The pergola held it's color rather well though. Both are ready for a new finish. The deck is weathered grey slightly and is getting the "green fungus" in several spots on the floor. The integrity of the wood is solid and in good condition. I plan on cleaning the deck & pergola with Cabot's wood cleaner or wood brightener in combination with a pressure washer with a fan tip and sanding as necessary to smooth the floor. I will wait until the deck dries out for 3-4 days before I stain. I would like to use Cabot's ATO in a dark color on the floor and contemplating using a solid white stain on the pergola. On the floor we will apply the stain with a deck pump sprayer and back brush as we go doing two boards at a time from one end of the deck to the other (not in direct sun). I plan on brushing the pergola.
I was given gift cards to the big blue box store which I want to use so my choices are Cabot's or Olympic. I'm leaning towards Cabot based on what I have read online.
My questions are:
1) Is my preperation plan a good one or am I missing a step?
2) Is Cabot ATO (Jarrah Brown or Mahogany Flame) a good choice for the floor? Will it hold up to foot traffic, deck furnture and maintain it's color for 2-3 years before requiring a recoat?
3) Will staining the pergola with Cabot's solid white stain hold up and weather well? I've seen white pergolas on decks with a dark floor and it just looks nice. Not sure if it would be a seasonal cleaning nightmare for me but it sure would help reflect the suns rays to help keep things cooler.
Thanks again!
21/04/2012 10:44 am
1. You would need both a cleaner and a brightener to prep. Not one or the other.
2. I highly doubt the Cabot ATO will last 2-3 years on your floor. Unfortunately you are limiting yourself to Lowes and what they carry. 2-3 years on a horizontals is at the high end for the best stains and you are limiting yourself to better then average stains. Still much better then Home Depot.
3. Many people like the two toned effect of the solid stains on verticals and transparent stains on horizontals. Solid stains will perform substantially better on the verticals over the floor areas. I think you will be good with this.
We would love to see some pictures when done!
Topic starter
27/04/2012 3:58 pm
Thank you for your advice I feel much better now and will send pictures for sure!
One question that I have to ask is what stain would you recommend for the deck floor considering it receives full sun most of the day? I seen the Defy Extreme Stain review on your site and then went to the Defy website and it looks like it maintains it's color well over 3 years. Just curious in the event that we forego using our gift card. We were going with a darker tone than we really like (like the Cabot ATO Jarrah Brown)so that the floor would still have color in year 3 unlike the current stain that faded before the first summer was over. We'd like to be in the mid tone brown color spectrum ideally.
Also, reading your review on Restore-A-Deck I think we should use that rather tahn the Cabots cleaning products. I'm assuming that would work with whatever stain I use to stain the deck & effecxtively remove the F&P finish.
Take care!
27/04/2012 7:47 pm
Top of our favorite stains are:
TWP Stains
Defy Extreme
Both are excellent at retaining color. The darker the color the longer it takes to fade. In our honest opinion it is difficult to get a stain to last 3 years on a floor surface. Verticals yes but horizontals, probably not. 2 years is normal for a high quality stain before it will start to deteriorate.
This being said, you are much better off with a stain that fades evenly and is easy to reapply when needed. Cabot will not last two years in most scenarios and can be average at reapplication/preparation.
Oil based stains will penetrate better then water based stains. This equals easier maintenance. The exception are Defy stains. They penetrate just as well as most oil based stains.
Here is a picture of Defy Extreme Cedartone:
20/09/2016 2:42 am
I'm in a similar situation but different location (Atlanta). We used Cabot Preservative Wood Finish in a brown about 4 years ago. There are some green spots in shaded places. The steps are stripped clean in a few spots from the dogs. But I can't complain for 4 years. I'm having trouble choosing a products this time around. I was leaning toward a solid stain. Armstrong folks suggest that solids show scuff marks more and a semi-transparent would be better. I'm also interested in defy but so nervous about peeling.
We keep an outdoor rug over the dogs path on the deck.
Lots of rain, lots of shade, but several hours a day of hot GA sun.
Suggestion?
Thanks,
Joe
20/09/2016 9:21 pm
Thanks for the input!
21/09/2016 11:48 am
If we decided to do semi-solid(wife likes the look), would the AC possibly peel or would it not because it's oil based?
Also, Would the Defy last longer than the AC?
Thanks,
Joe
22/09/2016 1:36 am
If mold / mildew /algae is an issue for us (mainly algae), would you recommend the TWP100 or Defy over the AC, or not enough of a difference to change based on that?
Thanks for your valuable input!
Joe
26/09/2016 5:53 pm
Thanks. Would the Defy also be the best choice for our fence ( I'm not sure it it's cedar or not - typical picket)? Most of it is in the shade all day long in Atlanta.
