We use exterior stain pads instead of brushes. Works better.

They still are not "stock" colors and will need to be mixed from a base. Oil-based is better though than the acrylics when mixing.

Since you sanded, just one coat this year.

Thank you! If using RAD stain, would we need 1or 2 coats?

Many thanks for your reply! We were not thinking about getting a custom mix; perhaps my original post was unclear on that. We've been looking at Flo...

You can leave it bare after the sanding for a month or two as long as your final prep consists of a good deck cleaner and light pressure washing. The ...

You should always follow the advice of the stain manufacturer you choose as to if you can prestain or if you can stain all sides of the wood. Most bra...

Bought a house a year ago and now we're trying to resurrect the oldish 600 sq ft deck with a failed solid coating. Sanding it all off - aarrggh. Getti...

Yes, clean and brighten for the final prep. This helps the stain to soak in better. Depends on the brand, not the type of stain as to which are better...

Look at Gulf Synthetics:

Depends on the brand and type you used of stain but normally 24 hours is fine.