The deck might be finished by next weekend. Bob Vila says to wait 30 days before finishing. I had read somewhere else (can’t remember where) that it should be several months to give the wood time to dry out. I can’t find any other sources with this kind of recommendation. The only other thing I “know” is to try to time it so it won’t rain for at least a couple of days after application. This is going to be more than a one-day application because I want to finish the railings and everything, not just the deck boards, so that gets more challenging. I’m planning to use a semi-transparent stain, as the best compromise between durability of the finish, and being able to still see some of the wood grain.
So how long is best to wait, and is there an ideal amount of moisture in this kind of wood for finishing?
Where are you located? Here in SE Michigan its getting too damp and cold to stain a deck. That and the leaves are falling like rain.
You should let wood dry out for 30 days so that it will soak in the stain. Its been sitting in a stack since cut and retains moisture. And then allow for 3-5 days with temps above 55 to let the stain dry. So you would need a 5 week window to do it by the “book”.
I would recommend spraying over brush. Tape off for over spray and go. This gets the stain into the little nooks that a brush may miss.
Sorry, I should have included that. I’m in San Francisco. Typically we have a fairly short rainy season, which this year could start next week or not until January, and which can end any time after March. The rest of the year tends to be dry, although there are showers from time to time. Recent years have had a lot less fog, which when it does show up makes things very damp.
So it looks like I would have to wait until the rainy season is well over to be sure of having enough dry spell to get the job done. If it’s six or seven months from now, I presume I’ll have to prep the wood to remove the effects of that much weathering, before finishing.
As for spraying, I don’t own a sprayer so I’ll have to rent one I guess. Airless? How narrow can I focus the nozzle, for the rail balusters (which will be plain and square)?
If November is fairly dry I’d go ahead and stain it after Thanksgiving as long as the weather is warm. Rain itself doesn’t soak deep into the wood unless it just lays in the water , its the moisture of the green wood that needs to be cured. Much like firewood. If you wait until spring wash it down with a mold remover before staining.
You can buy a sprayer for about $60, the trick is cleaning them out properly for the next time you need it.
The reason pressure treated lumber is often sloppy wet during construction is because the treatment process causes it to be so, not because the wood is “green”. This excess moisture is the reason concerning allowance of ample time for the wood to stabilize (dry) after construction to a lower percent water content before applying finishes.
Fortunately, your deck is redwood that hasn’t been pressure treated, in fact it has probably (check with your construction guys) been kiln dried to a moisture content lower than green, so the above mentioned stabilization time for pressure treated wood should not be an issue for you. In all likelihood, your wood will stabilize at a higher moisture content after construction, not lower.
So go ahead and apply your stain as soon as the weather allows, per the manufacturer’s instructions.
If you opt to spray your finish, you will get overspray on everything nearby, especially with cheap-o sprayers, so take the time to mask off areas you don’t want splooged with stain. I’d hazard a guess that for the dimensions you are dealing with, you could knock this project out in a day with a roller and brush.
We don’t get much real redwood here in Michigan so I’d go with this.
I’ve sprayed and used a roller and brush and got much better coverage with a sprayer. Yes you do need to mask off but I’ve been happier with the spray job than the brush job since it got stain into harder to reach spots. So first time I’d go with spray.
So it seems to me to be better to rent a pretty decent sprayer rather than buying a cheap one, even if it doesn’t save money, I get a better job done, and I don’t have a sprayer hanging around afterwards that I have to find room for.