I recently redid my 22-year-old poorly maintained deck by stripping and brightening with RAD products and then applying Defy Extreme Wood Stain. One of the frustrations I had before finally selecting a stripper/cleaner and then stain was finding before and after pictures for the products. Even after deciding on Defy Extreme I could find very few pictures of the colors on actual decks. Below are some pictures that I hope are helpful to others.
I like the results, especially since my deck is so old and was not maintained well. We'll see how the Defy holds up over the next couple years. A couple clarifications on the pictures - the handrails and headrail are not stained b/c they had to be replaced and they are new pressure treated wood. I will stain them early next spring. The lattice work in the final picture is composite lattice. My old lattice had rotted and I had planned on using new wood lattice but the composite, though more expensive, complemented the Cedar Tone stain quite nicely and it never has to be cleaned/stained.
I have also posted some before and after pics for Restore A Deck products elsewhere on this website under the cleaning forums.
Looks really good!
In a deck such as this one, do you have to stain the underside as well? I'm thinking more for protecting the wood...
Or like the back side of your stairs, did you have to stain those?
You do not need to stain the undersides.
I have read Defy is very hard to apply. It dries very fast making it extremely difficult to get an even finish. I like the water based idea since we are in the Seattle area and have a mildew/mold issue. Any comments or suggestions? We are applying to a 700 sf deck and 300 feet of fencing.
Defy is not "very" hard to apply. All water based stains will dry quicker then oil based stains. Defy is actually easier to apply then most of the water based stains.