Just finished a deck last October and I’m looking for a quality deck stain to seal the beast.
I may use opaque stain, but probably semi-transparent.
Can you recommend a really quality stain? I’m interested in a mahogany color.
Me, too; finished in Sept. Did you use pressure-treated wood? Supposedly you’re supposed to wait a year or until it’s kind of grayed a bit.
I’m after more of an oak or lighter shade. Any suggestions on application, etc. would be appreciated.
I would recommend going to the library and checking out the October 2002 issue of Consumers Reports. Though I don’t agree with everything they rate highly, their methodology in testing decks is far more comprehensive than that done by anyone else.
That being said, I had stained my decks in a prior home about three times over 9 years and was not too satisfied with any product. Cabot seems to be the most expensive and highly touted. . .I tried their high tech stain that had some newer resins etc. and feel like the hype was unfounded.
I think deck stain performance depends in part on your climate. I live in the soggy NW and cedar decks are very popular, but take a beating. For the past 3 years we have been in another house and I decided to let the stuff go grey. I’ll probably pressure wash it in a couple of years.
It depends on what you need. If a nice reddish brown is what you’re after, lay on about an eighth of an inch of iron filings. Water it every day for two weeks, and BINGO! If you want a blue or burgundy shade, dance on a layer of blueberries or grapes for 90 minutes, then rinse. If you need a semen stain, well, write to Mr. Flynt for a list of contractors.
I’ve heard baaaad things about pressure washing decks. Unless you know exactly how much pressure to use, you can use too much and damage the wood fiber causing splinters to rise up. This advice was from a Home Depot employee as we were standing next to the pressure washers in the stain section, but I’ve read it elsewhere as well.
Don’t use solid stains on deck floors. The high traffic will cause the stain to age quickly and peel.
The previous owners of our house used a navy gray solid stain (think paint basically) on the deck, and it looked OK until it started to peel last year. Using a stain stripping chemical and an acid brush (stiff bristle broom) I tried to strip off the gray so I could put on a semi-transparent. Nope, the gray stuck in every little dent and crack and would look terrible if I put anything but solid stain over it again. So I did, and it’s showing it’s age already.
Hope this helps.
I’m such a perv.
I thought this Thread Title was " Dick Stains."
Ask at the paint store or lumberyard for suggestions.
I’d use a tung oil/linseed oil based stain for any wood that will see a lot of traffic. Stay away from Thompson’s and other paraffin-based stains. They seal moisture in which will promote mildew. I have used decking that was treated with Thompson’s at the factory and it seems to be holding up well, but I’ll use a tung oil stain whenever I have to redo it.
I find that if you have stains on your deck, you should start using the bed because you can just wash the sheets.