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Staining a deck?

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DaveStall said:
Ah, existing deck. I was thinking more of a new deck. When we repaired the deck on my parent's summer place we simply cut out any boards that seemed beyond repair. If the decking is rough from old stain peeling up then you might want to sand / powerwash that stuff off. If the wood is splintering from old age you would probably be better served putting new boards down. Some cracking and splitting is fine though and will happen if there is a lot of sunlight involved.
Click to expand...

It hasn't reached the peeling stage - yet, but I have the feeling it will be there soon if I don't do something. The stain is almost completely gone, and the boards are warping slightly. If I was to guess, I'd say it had been about 3 years since the last stain was applied, perhaps longer, but it's hard to say since the weather really pounds that portion of the deck.
 
An easy way out of touching up an older deck with a old stain is simply to flip the boards, hopefully it is fairly new and they used screws. Not as easy if they are nailed down. the underside of the boards are usually in much better shape.

Decks can be maintenance nightmares, but if you're deck has an overhang and is completely covered, it slows down wear and tear dramatically. I wouldn't bother building a deck without building an overhang knowing what I know now.
 
fstime said:
An easy way out of touching up an older deck with a old stain is simply to flip the boards, hopefully it is fairly new and they used screws. Not as easy if they are nailed down. the underside of the boards are usually in much better shape.

Decks can be maintenance nightmares, but if you're deck has an overhang and is completely covered, it slows down wear and tear dramatically. I wouldn't bother building a deck without building an overhang knowing what I know now.
Click to expand...

With my deck, the part underneath the overhang is still in ok shape; the part that's exposed completely is pretty roughed up. Furthermore they used nails, so looks like I'll have to screw in those loose boards and then go for the double layer.
 
Hmmmm, weird. I used to have a solid color on the deck at my old house. Never had any issues with it peeling off. It simply faded and lost its water repellant ability over a number of years.

My personal experience: I'd avoid Thompson's Also, for the deck, you'll want a roller & broom handle for the roller - makes it a lot easier.
 
Thanks again for the further advice.

Again, I don't think powerwashing is going to be very viable here. We have very low water pressure.

I also think it's probably unnecessary -- this is a new deck that has barely even been used. It's over a year old but we've only walked on it a few times and most of it is pristine. There are a couple of areas that have gotten dirty that I can likely just scrub clean and let dry.

I'm going to find our local Benjamin Moore dealer and see what they have to say. I'll probably just do this with a brush as the deck itself is not huge, there's a fair bit of detail work (railings, lattice work) and it just seems like a brush will do a more thorough job.
 
Charles Kozierok said:
Thanks again for the further advice.

Again, I don't think powerwashing is going to be very viable here. We have very low water pressure.

I also think it's probably unnecessary -- this is a new deck that has barely even been used. It's over a year old but we've only walked on it a few times and most of it is pristine. There are a couple of areas that have gotten dirty that I can likely just scrub clean and let dry.

I'm going to find our local Benjamin Moore dealer and see what they have to say. I'll probably just do this with a brush as the deck itself is not huge, there's a fair bit of detail work (railings, lattice work) and it just seems like a brush will do a more thorough job.
Click to expand...

well, powerwashers don't use a lot of water or pressure on incoming line. They get um, boosted? to the higher pressure via electric/gas/diesel motor. So it's an option.

Oh, and nothing to add for the deck. All my woodworking knowledge has to do with internal furniture.
 
Okay. I guess I can bring the power washer up there and see what happens.

I just am honestly not sure it's necessary with a brand new deck that's barely been used.
 
Charles Kozierok said:
Okay. I guess I can bring the power washer up there and see what happens.

I just am honestly not sure it's necessary with a brand new deck that's barely been used.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't bother power washing it myself, but lots of people like that method. A bucket of oxygen bleach and water, a scrub brush on a pole and some elbow grease are all you need to get any mildew or dirt cleaned off of your deck. I do it that way every year on my 100% exposed deck (I actually use a garden sprayer for the cleaner) and it comes out just fine. Since your deck is fairly clean it shouldn't take too much cleaning.
 
Thanks.

There isn't any mildew on the deck and barely any dirt. Only a couple of bad spots where some birds apparently decided to perch.

"Oxygen bleach" is that OxiClean stuff, right?
 
Charles Kozierok said:
Thanks.

There isn't any mildew on the deck and barely any dirt. Only a couple of bad spots where some birds apparently decided to perch.

"Oxygen bleach" is that OxiClean stuff, right?
Click to expand...

Yep. They also sell it in the deck care aisle of your local big box store (usually called "Deck Brite" or something similar) but I'm pretty sure it is essentially the same thing. I prefer to use oxygen bleach over other cleaners because it won't harm any nearby plant life.
 
Be careful putting any chemicals or cleaners on the deck prior to staining it.

The goal is to get a nice clean surface and NOTHING will do a better job than a powerwasher.

Shouldn't be too big of a deal regardless which road you take. But whatever you do give it plenty of dry time and sweep before you stain.
 
Just re-did our deck in the CO mountains (8500) this past July

Well pump would not apply the pressure needed.

Ran a 250' hose from a near by creek using a suction pump and fed the (rented) pressure washer from it.
Got all the grime off it and then hit it with a redwood stain that was color matched at ACE.
Pressure washer was set to the widest spray pattern

The deck itself had been sealed before I purchased the place.
 
EagleKeeper said:
Just re-did our deck in the CO mountains (8500) this past July

Well pump would not apply the pressure needed.

Ran a 250 hose from a near by creek and loaded the (rented) pressure washer from it.
Got all the grime off it and then hit it with a redwood stain that was color matched at ACE.
Pressure washer was set to the widest spray pattern

The deck itself had been sealed before I purchased the place.
Click to expand...

Did you use the "deck cleaner" stuff before pressure washing?
 
Juddog said:
EagleKeeper said:
Just re-did our deck in the CO mountains (8500) this past July

Well pump would not apply the pressure needed.

Ran a 250' hose from a near by creek using a suction pump and fed the (rented) pressure washer from it.
Got all the grime off it and then hit it with a redwood stain that was color matched at ACE.
Pressure washer was set to the widest spray pattern

The deck itself had been sealed before I purchased the place.
Click to expand...

Did you use the "deck cleaner" stuff before pressure washing?
Click to expand...

Nope - did not know about such.

Soap detergent in a bucket to help get the gunk off. Nothing commercial.
 
So yesterday I visited my local Benjamin Moore dealer. I left with more questions than I had when I arrived. The guy didn't really seem to know his stuff, kept trying to talk me out of an oil-based stain saying that they would all be off the market in a few years and I wouln't be able to find more. And then I noticed that he wasn't even trying to sell me Benjamin Moore product.

Went to the Sherwin Williams and had better luck. Guy seemed knowledgeable, and based on what I told him recommended a semi-transparent oil-based stain much as several people have in this thread. And the kicker, the stain is cheaper than what the other guy was showing me and it's on sale 30% off this week.

I'm also looking into maybe using the stuff that my contractor used when he stained the panels enclosing the deck. Originally I was not too high on this stuff because it didn't seem to have penetrated very far and I thought maybe it wasn't good product. But it actually turns out to be a rather high-end "green" product called Penofin Verde.

Anyone know anything about it? I like that it's environmentally responsible, especially where we are, but that often means giving up performance, and I am not sure it can stand up to being used for a deck. It's also rather pricey.

Thanks again.
 
Charles Kozierok said:
So yesterday I visited my local Benjamin Moore dealer. I left with more questions than I had when I arrived. The guy didn't really seem to know his stuff, kept trying to talk me out of an oil-based stain saying that they would all be off the market in a few years and I wouln't be able to find more. And then I noticed that he wasn't even trying to sell me Benjamin Moore product.

Went to the Sherwin Williams and had better luck. Guy seemed knowledgeable, and based on what I told him recommended a semi-transparent oil-based stain much as several people have in this thread. And the kicker, the stain is cheaper than what the other guy was showing me and it's on sale 30% off this week.

I'm also looking into maybe using the stuff that my contractor used when he stained the panels enclosing the deck. Originally I was not too high on this stuff because it didn't seem to have penetrated very far and I thought maybe it wasn't good product. But it actually turns out to be a rather high-end "green" product called Penofin Verde.

Anyone know anything about it? I like that it's environmentally responsible, especially where we are, but that often means giving up performance, and I am not sure it can stand up to being used for a deck. It's also rather pricey.

Thanks again.
Click to expand...

Nice - if there is a sale this week I might head over and pick up some myself. What brand did you go with for the semi-transparent oil-based stain?
 
Stained/painted ours with Behr Premium Deckover. $35 a gallon. Looks very nice. Almost composite like. Dried up really quick.
 
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Juddog said:
Nice - if there is a sale this week I might head over and pick up some myself. What brand did you go with for the semi-transparent oil-based stain?
Click to expand...

Waiting to talk to my former contractor and to find more information about the Penofin Verde, which is what he used for the deck enclosure. If it makes sense to use that on a deck, I might go with it. But I can't find much info on it, so I want to ask him why he selected that.
 
Vdubchaos said:
CR has a LONG history of accepting donations that influence their "studies".

ANY of these "review" companies that accept donations makes their opinion worthless (TO ME ANYWAYS).

Same applies to JD Power.

Companies spend MILLIONS on influencing these rating agencies.
Click to expand...

Hogwash. CR and JD Power can't even be compared in the same sentence. I've found time and time again, that the people that hate on CR the most are the ones who just disagree with their recommendations. They're not perfect, but they're the single most reliable independent evaluator out there.

From June 2012, they have ratings for solid, semi transparent, and clear sealers. Solids were rated as follows: Behr, Wolman Durastain, Sears Weatherbeater, SW Woodscapes. Semitransparents: Behr Premium, SW Deckscapes, Flood TWF, Sikkens Cetol CRD.

I would trust a direct comparison of paint samples on the same wood undergoing the same aging conditions, rather than trying to wade through a mish mash of Internet reviews from random people in different climates with different decks and different prep/application techniques.
 
My biggest problem with Consumer Reports is how often the reviews from their own readers don't line up with their recommendations. I can't make much sense of that.
 
So I ended up going with a Sherwin-Williams semi-transparent. Last weekend I went up, spent many hours laboriously sanding and cleaning the deck (by hand) and then today went up to start doing the staining.

It's been very hard to find a time that fits with all the various restrictions.. not too cold, not too hot, no rain expected, don't do it in direct sun, etc.

It was fairly cool today and I did do a bit of it in sun but mostly I was able to meet the 'requirements'.

Unfortunately it took me far longer than I expected to do all of the detail work (stairs, handlebars, posts, etc.) and I never got to the main deck. We might get a bit of rain tomorrow night so I may have to wait until Monday to do it.

I also think the stain isn't penetrating very well into my newish PT wood. It does seem like some is getting in there, but also seems a bit like some is sitting "on top" of the wood. There are some uneven areas and brush marks which I didn't expect would happen with stain. The color is also a little different, maybe because the PT wood is yellowish.

I'm not sure there's really anything I could have done differently, maybe this is just how it is with new PT. Maybe I put it on too thick. I just hope it doesn't peel off or anything nasty like that.
 
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Sun damage is worse than water damage in the first few years. If you seal it, don't use the paraffin based sealers unless you plan on resealing it twice a year. Petroleum based sealers are best and should last 2-3 years.
 
Every home repair job takes twice as long as anticipated.

But the end pleasure of a well done job is priceless
 
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