When to stain new deck?

[Vette10R]

I just pulled off all my deck boards, railings, stairs and rebuilt with new green treated wood from menards. I've heard I can stain and seal right away and heard I need to wait 6 months.

What have you guys done and what were your results? Also what's the best stain/sealer to use, we are going with a darker color on the deck boards and railing boards then lighter spindles.

 

[MarlynOC]

Wait 3-6 months then clean with deck brightener(oxalic acid solution) then let dry to 12% with moisture meter. Ready to seal. What product did you plan to use?

 

[Vette10R]

No idea what product to use. Probably whatever menards or home depot has on sale?

 

[MarlynOC]

Recommended Ready Seal or Armstrong Clark Oil based.

 

[road_king]

Wait min 3 months. Cabot products have worked best for me.

 

[DieselNut88]

I waited 3 months. I stained with cabot austrailian tung oil from Menards. It has held up well for 4 years so far.

 

[Perroflojo]

Do measure the moisture level, a good dry level would adsorb the stain much deeper and better.

 

[ford33]

It's not time but deck wood moisture content that matters. Check the allowable moisture content of the wood for the product you intent to use. Then buy an inexpensive wood moisture meter and check your deck wood. Horizontal surfaces will have different moisture content than vertical surfaces. The sunny side of the deck will have lower moisture content than the shady side. So take measurements at different locations. Applying stain to a "wet" deck is a waste of time.

You will still need to clean the deck with a wood cleaner and brightener before applying the stain. It will take 24 to 48 hours for the wood to dry after cleaning.

I like using Olympic oil based stains but they are difficult to find now due to VOC regulations. Check with Sikkens oil based products which are made by PPG. They make professional targeted coating products. It costs more but will likely last longer. I am not a fan of water based stains for decks.

 

[Leeboy20]

Semi transparent oil base stain ... sherwin has a good one called Superdeck

 

[Vette10R]

https://www.harborfreight.com/digital-mini-moisture-meter-67143.html


I might pick this up and watch the moisture, hopefully this one is good enough?

The wife wants a darker stain but the wood I put down has some really cool grain so I want that to pop.

 

[ford33]

The harbor freight meter should give you good approximation of the moisture content at the surface of the deck wood.

Check the deck wood at various places including shady vertical surfaces. The wood should have a moisture content of between 9 - 15% when you stain. The lower the reading the better.

The moisture meter will provide a number which represents the level in percent of water present in the wood based on weight where tested. Know that stored wood will attain a moisture equilibrium with the surrounding air. There are charts that show the relationship of air's relative humidity and the related wood equilibrium value. For example, wood stored for a time at 50% relative air humidity at 70F will result in a wood moisture content of 9% on your meter. For reference the moisture content of real wood in your home furniture will be between 7 - 12 %. You want to stain the deck when the wood moisture content is 9-15%.

Wood surface temperature, not air temperature, should be no higher than 90F.

If using an oil based stain determine whether a second coat is allowed. Call the manufacturer. I made the mistake of applying a second coat of Olympic semi-transparent oil based stain to a few post caps I had built to repair some missing ones. The first coat dried in 24 hours. The second coat took nearly 2 weeks! The second coat could not be absorbed into the wood and just sat on top of the first coat until the oil oxidized. Don't make that mistake on your deck boards.

Good luck.

 

[K'ledgeBldr]

CCA always required some drying time.

ACQ (which is the current PT available) is generally pretty dry; little or no drying time needed. But, as others have mentioned follow the instructions of the stain/sealer manufacturer as to the optimal moisture content for applying. Measure with a moisture meter.