I've done lots of internet research and asked several wood guys about stains. Seems the store bought brands are mostly junk. From my research, TWP brand seems to be about the most recommended brand. Anyone else have some advice? I have 900 square feet of deck. So I don't want to be doing this every year. I have probably 40 hours of pressure washing this deck to get it clean again. Had some ugly green paint on it before. Now it looks like natural wood again! I really impressed my self with the way it came out.
Deck stains.....
- Thread starter mrrooG8
- Start date
Garage Flooring
ALLIANCE MEMBER
I grew up working in my grandfathers lumberyard. Its been a couple years
so I can't give you all the tech specs, but there is one brand I would use on my own deck and only one brand http://www.penofin.com/BIGSHOT
Well-known member
I always use Sikkens. Pressure wash is not ideal. Sand it down. You can use a bigger floor sander to cut down time.
lazer50
Well-known member
I used sherwin williams deck scape and am very happy. But from what ive read in the past and recently t w p has high reviews.im sure lasting results will depend on preparation and whats recommended by whom ever you chose.i have a custom built deck that i wanted to renew and catch up with other improvements.i have a commercial pressure washer that took all the old stain and crud off to bring back the natural look.i let dry pending weather and pre treated. Then i sprayed the stain i chose thru one of my paint sprayers equipped with a dual purpose gun and 35 ft hoses.the masking was a pain but it turned out real nice.this will be 3rd year and it still looks fresh but i regularly wash deck off.and my reasoning for using sherwin williams was i use their asphalt striping paint for my co.and the household products as well.so if you go with t w p id say its a smart choice just follow the recommended guidelines.
CombatNinja
Well-known member
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- Aug 24, 2013
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The only way you are going to get away with not treating your deck yearly is by prepping it correctly, using a solid color stain and keeping the sun off it. Any transparent or semi-transparent stain will not hold up to the climate in Michigan for multiple years. My climate is harsh for wood here in the Southeast and I use an oil-based semi-transparent and I just scuff sand and apply it yearly. It goes on easily and is so much less work than letting it go for 3 years and undoing the damage. A deck is a labor of love. Either maintain it correctly and it will last 20 years or neglect it and replace it every 7.
gtabasso
Well-known member
crankshaftdan II
Well-known member
I second this product as I have about 700 sq ft and I just recently sanded and re-stained with the rubol-solid color water base over original rubol OIL based which is outlawed by EPA regs. I'm located in the north woods and we have lots of snow-rain-pine trees w/needles and pine tar as well as reg. wear & tear foot traffic. You can re-touch every year or wait as previously mentioned four or more and do a complete makeover then???
My neighbors have the polyvinyl stuff and the mildew has to be blasted off everyear or it looks terrible w/black blotches. It's a lose lose situation and the sun takes it toll as well.
Sikkens is available on line store out of Livonia Mich.-think it was about $50.00 a gallon with the shipping and tinting cost--Just my 2 cents worth!
Well I ordered 5 gallons of the TWP 1500 series in cedar tone after a couple friends said they use it on their jobs. And these guys build quality custom built homes here in SW MI. So hopefully I made the right choice. It's a semi transparent oil based stain. Which the local Sherwin Williams also said to use. They recommended their stuff but I was told by several contractor friends to stay away from it. And I trust these guys as good friends. So we will see how it goes on and lasts... Thanks for every ones input. What brands of paint/stains to use are kinda like what brand of oil I should use. Everyone has a different opinion.
kwschumm
Well-known member
What type of wood? I used Sikkens DEK products on an IPE deck and it peeled off after a year. Prep was done properly, it was sanded to knock the mill glaze off first. It turns out that NOTHING can penetrate IPE so don't bother trying. Ended up pressure washing it all off and letting it go au naturale. Sure, IPE won't burn and bugs won't eat it, but now it is the ugly silver gray that I wanted to avoid. Never again with wood decks.
Its a pine deck. It's the original from 1988 when the house was built. No rot anywhere and wood is in good shape. It had some paint innit at some point which is all gone now. Looks like new wood almost.
Sent from a engineering facility...
Sent from a engineering facility...
BIGSHOT
Well-known member
This is my Sikkens Dek finish in Cedar.
This is my second home with Sikkens and it never disapoint.
This is my Sikkens Dek finish in Cedar.
This is my second home with Sikkens and it never disapoint.
Damn! That's good looking!
machsnell
Well-known member
I just ordered twp also. I got the samples of the twp100. Figured out the color and just ordered a few gallons. The samples sat out in the rain and beaded up like a champ.
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crankshaftdan II
Well-known member
I second this product as I have about 700 sq ft and I just recently sanded and re-stained with the rubol-solid color water base over original rubol OIL based which is outlawed by EPA regs. I'm located in the north woods and we have lots of snow-rain-pine trees w/needles and pine tar as well as reg. wear & tear foot traffic. You can re-touch every year or wait as previously mentioned four or more and do a complete makeover then???
My neighbors have the polyvinyl stuff and the mildew has to be blasted off everyear or it looks terrible w/black blotches. It's a lose lose situation and the sun takes it toll as well.
Sikkens is available on line store out of Livonia Mich.-think it was about $50.00 a gallon with the shipping and tinting cost--Just my 2 cents worth!
I neglected to say that my wood deck is the green pressure treated type-which was the best cost wise for me when installed. It is now about 12 years and most generally speaking has held up pretty well. It was #1 grade with solid knots and was yellow southern pine. I let it set for 3 years with regular traffic, pine cones, tar, leaves, needles etc.--cleaned it off with pressure washer-let dry for a week in hot July-double coated with oil based at the time(Week between coats) so in nine years it has now been done for the second time-first time oil and 2nd time water based. I did have some shrinkage and cupping of a few pieces-however any product is going to expand and contract in weather conditions(sun, rain, snow, moisture) and it not foolproof. You can spend as much $$$$ as you can afford and there will always be glitches. Like others mentioned it's like what type of oil is best for my auto???/ everyone has a different opinion with the type of stain/paint and type of materials!!!!
Angelfire
Well-known member
The reality on horizontal surfaces is you're likely to have to at least refresh them every year or 3 depending on where you are. I have a cabin at 8600' ASL and spoke with just about every stain mfg out there....every one of them said I'd have to re-stain yearly because the UV and climate just won't allow anything to survive longer. They are right....so every year I give it a wash with sodium percarbonate and then soak with citric acid to neutralize. Let dry, then I apply Armstrong Clark semi transparent on it. Easy to use and holds up until the next year when I do it all again. I have penofin on the house and while it has held up well, it's now just about black because of the rosewood oil in it....it can also be a bear to strip so once you start using it, you kind of have to keep using it. That being said, on a deck, it would probably be gone well before the time it goes black so is probably not an issue. The site: www.thegrimescene.com is a wealth of information from people who re-finish decks for a living. Oh, and if I wasn't already using the ArmClark stuff, I would definitely be looking hard at the TWP line.
Unfortunately I left the country for 3 years and the deck is now in bits so having to look at a full strip, brighten, stain, etc.....Love being up there but would rather be sitting on the deck drinking an IPA vs. working on it!
Cheers.
Unfortunately I left the country for 3 years and the deck is now in bits so having to look at a full strip, brighten, stain, etc.....Love being up there but would rather be sitting on the deck drinking an IPA vs. working on it!
Cheers.
Could someone point me in the right direction when in comes to stripping off the current stain on my deck? I believe it's made from pressure treated lumber.
Just for the heck of it, I tried my 2,000 psi Sun Joe electric pressure washer with the 15 degree nozzle. While it worked, it required me to get only a few inches away from the wood and took too much time working in small areas to get decent results.
Is there a product available at Lowe's or Home Depot that does a great job of removing current stain? Anything out there that I can apply, let it dwell for 15 minutes, scrub, and pressure wash off to reveal bare lumber?
Edit: The current stain on my deck is a solid color
Just for the heck of it, I tried my 2,000 psi Sun Joe electric pressure washer with the 15 degree nozzle. While it worked, it required me to get only a few inches away from the wood and took too much time working in small areas to get decent results.
Is there a product available at Lowe's or Home Depot that does a great job of removing current stain? Anything out there that I can apply, let it dwell for 15 minutes, scrub, and pressure wash off to reveal bare lumber?
Edit: The current stain on my deck is a solid color
Last edited:
Angelfire
Well-known member
I haven't tried any strippers from the big box stores. I'm preparing to strip my cabin and deck and have been spending most of my research on the likes of Strip-it from Permachink, HD80 which many of the pros seem to use, and a few others. I have samples in the mail so when I get a chance to get up there and try them out, I can report back. A lot of what will work depends on what's on there to begin with. Some stains are more difficult to remove and hence, probably need the HD80 treatment while others will come off with gentler strippers. If you're tied to the big box stores, my suggestion would be to go buy the smallest size container and give it a try (can try the manuf. website to see if they offer samples...many do).
Cheers.
I'm a fan of TWP and used it on my last deck. Follow the prep instructions for best results. Pressure washing isn't the best method for prepping the wood. You'll be staining again in a year or two due to poor and irregular absorption. Saw it with my own eyes as my neighbor took the pressure wash route and was unhappy compared to mine.
It's been a few years since I used it, but I think the recommended prep was TSP or similar to open the wood
It's been a few years since I used it, but I think the recommended prep was TSP or similar to open the wood
jgregt
Member
I stained my deck (Southern yellow pine) this summer with TWP 100 series, Pecan color. I used their two part restore-a-deck treatment to prep it. (deck had never need stained.) I'm happy with the results.
TWP has a Q&A section where someone from the company answers questions. I found it very informative. The most difficult part of the process was deciding what color to go with.
TWP has a Q&A section where someone from the company answers questions. I found it very informative. The most difficult part of the process was deciding what color to go with.
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hillbilly slim
Well-known member
Have used all kinds. Penofin is a great one! One time rebuilt a small patio deck for a friends mother and she wanted me to use what she had(Behr door varnish). I was skeptical and warned it could be slippery when wet. The look was amazing and 8yrs later looked just the same as day one applied!! Not saying that was proper but still...