Semi-Transparent Oil-Stain - When to Reapply? - Deck Stain Stripping Questions and Answers

RE: Semi-Transparent Oil-Stain - When to Reapply?

Scott Paul ~ Restoring Wood & Decks Since 1993 — Sat, 06 Oct 2018 18:25:52 +0000

No, it does not evaporate.

RE: Semi-Transparent Oil-Stain - When to Reapply?

TomNJ — Sat, 06 Oct 2018 13:56:00 +0000

Thanks for the response. Will do for now. I suspect will may have to sand it off... or...replace the wood next year.

Curious though. At this point, is the pigment affording any protection? I know oil-based stain sinks into the wood. Under the pigment I would have to believe. Does the oil in the wood actually evaporate from underneath?

RE: Semi-Transparent Oil-Stain - When to Reapply?

Scott Paul ~ Restoring Wood & Decks Since 1993 — Fri, 05 Oct 2018 15:19:52 +0000

If it looks good and is holding color without peeling just leave it alone for now.

Semi-Transparent Oil-Stain - When to Reapply?

TomNJ — Fri, 05 Oct 2018 14:02:09 +0000

Hi All.
In a nutshell, we have a 30 year old deck that structurely sound. The wood is not great, but the Benjamin Moore ArborCoat Oil-based Semi-Transparent stain we applied over 4 years ago looked - and still looks - very good. (I've read about the many nightmares with this stain.) We did apply it to a very dry deck and actually put it on a bit thick. No peeling at all. We just pressure-washed it and I was stunned to see there is no peeling and the pigmentation is still very even across all surfaces. My question...

1) If the pigment that is coating the wood surfaces is still intact and looking good...do I really need to redo the deck at this time?

2) How can I tell if it needs to be stripped off and redone completely? I hear the "water beading test" is not the true measure of degradation? What is the proper test with oil-based stains?

3) I hear ArborCoat is hard to remove. I applied BM's "Remove" stain stripper and found when I scrubbed the wood the stain did not come off...but...when I pressure washed it the stain pigment came of really well. Any thoughts on this?

4) Considering the deck wood is ancient with a lot of raised grain isn't oil-based stain a better choice? Seems like anything that would actually penetrate the wood at this point would be best, no?

Thank you very much for any advice that you can provide.

Tom