Staining and protecting your Deck

There are many products on the market offered for staining and protecting your deck. I would like to take the time to share with you some options available and how to apply them.

1st, there are several options for staining and protecting your deck. There are basically four types of products to put on your deck. The first type of product is a clear sealer that comes in oil or latex. This is the easiest most simple way to protect your deck from the elements and keep the wood looking natural. Most of the time you should use oil on the first application to get good penetration into the wood for long term durability. Most of these protection products will last up to three years, but I usually recommend that you re-coat about every 16-20 months to maintain the beauty. After the first application of an oil based product, you can use acrylic based products. The benefits of acrylic based products are that they are soap and water clean-up and no special brushes or applicators needed.  The next type of product is a semi-transparent or semi-opaque. Once again these products are offered both in oil and latex. If you use oil you need to buy a china bristle brush and mineral spirits to clean up. The selling point of semi-transparent stains is that they cover the wood and offer more protection over time, but still allow the beauty of the wood to shine through. Usually, you should try a few samples of colors on your wood first because the color of the wood will affect the color of the product you are applying in clears or semi-transparent. Many new pressure treated woods are green and will make some colors cast differently than they look on yellow pine or red wood. If at all possible, take a piece of your wood to the paint store and let them put samples on your wood to get the best color match available. If not, there are many ready mix colors you can take and try yourself and return the store if the color doesn't meet your needs. Also, you might want to check with the lumber yard to see what the cure time is on your wood to make sure it is can be stained and that the pressure treatment solution is not going to react to your stain application. Once again, a vanity coat about every 18 to 22 months if want to keep the wood's beauty and protection. It is like changing the oil in your car, every 3,000 miles is recommended. You can drive it longer, but risk damaging your engine. It is the same with your deck, you must maintain it to keep it from rotting or looking worn out. The both clears and semi-transparent can be applied with a garden sprayer, but should be back rolled or brushed to insure even application. The next product available. If you want to paint your deck, it is a better choice to use a solid color stain. A solid color stain will cover the deck like paint and is a better choice than latex paint because once water builds up under the paint it will lift and peel off. The stain will penetrate and last longer. This product can be brushed or rolled on like paint and on new wood it should be primed with a good primer to insure proper adhesion to the substrate. Another product on the market, for people who want a furniture finish or a polyurethane look. Their is a oil-based product that is a more urethane and gives hardwoods and trek decks a finished look and long lasting beauty.

2nd, all of the stain in the world won't be effective with out proper preparation. The first thing is to make sure the deck is clean and free of mold and mildew. There are several products available to meet your individual needs. Tri-Sodium-Phosphate or TSP is a good cleaning agent that will make your deck ready to stain if you have no mold or mildew problems. If you have mold and mildew problems, you can get mildewcide products that you mix with bleach to make the mold dormant to stain over. If you have an ongoing problem, try not to use oil based products because oil is a natural breeding ground for mold. Also, you can buy a mildewcide additive for the stains to help keep mold from coming back. All in all, to make your deck look good the biggest thing you can do is keep it clean and free of debris, then maintain it's beauty with a fresh coat of stain about every 18 months or as needed. If you have an questions, make sure you speak to your paint store professional.