This post was updated on February 24, 2024
What is Best Stain for Old Wood Deck
We appreciate you visiting Deckstainhelp.com as we continue to be your go-to source for the latest in deck restoration news and trending topics through 2024 If you are looking for honest deck stain ratings, look no further. Below, we mention some tips for restoring an old neglected wood deck. Feel free to leave a comment below with any pictures you may have.
Best Stain for an Older Wood Decking
Wood decks can be a beautiful addition to any property but when neglected they can also become an eyesore. When a deck goes too long without being maintained sun and water damage occur. The wood loses its natural oils and becomes very dry and porous. Cracking, splitting, warping, and graying are all signs of an old deck that has not been protected against weathering.
Here are the steps needed to make your old tired deck look new again:
Repair First
Do a thorough look over for any rotten boards and replace them. Check for loose boards and railings and tighten these up as well with decking screws. Check the foundation for any structural damage.
Clean and Brighten Deck
It is not impossible to bring old wood back to life. A little care and maintenance can revive the most neglected decks. If the deck is still in a good structural condition the grayed wood can be cleaned using a wood deck cleaner.
Use a scrub brush or pressure washer with the deck cleaner to remove unwanted mold, mildew, dirt, and graying. The transformation of washing an old deck back to clean again can be amazing. After using a wood cleaner it is important to use a wood brightener. While the wood is still wet, apply a wood brightener to the surface to enhance the wood’s beauty and open the wood pores for better stain penetration.
Apply Penetrating Stain w/Non-Drying Conditioning Oils
Once the deck dries choose the best stain for an old deck. Because old wood decks are extremely dried out, a wood stain the conditions the wood is essential. We use stains like Armstrong Clark for an old deck. This type of wood stain contains non-drying penetrating oils that help rejuvenate the wood cells. These conditioning oils stay deep in the wood to replace the wood’s lost natural oils.
The stain also contains drying oils that separate from the conditioning oils. These drying oils remain on the exposed surface to cure locking in the conditioning oils and providing a layer of protection against weathering. This conditioning of the wood’s cellular structure and weather protection are the keys to reviving an older wood deck.
Maintain Every 2 Years
Repeat the cleaning and staining of the wood every 2 years to keep up the look and extend the life.
Many deck owners think an old deck may have to be torn down and a new one built to replace it. This is not always the case. Old decks can be cleaned up and coated with stains specifically designed to rejuvenate old wood. It may just be possible to bring your old wood deck back to life and get many more years of use out of it.
Questions? Please Ask Below
Deck Stain Help & Questions
Stain Reviews & Comparisons
I have a pressure treated deck 30 years old.
I power washed and sanded it and it’s ready for a deck stain.
I have read reviews for multiple different brands and there is negative reviews on all of them.
I am levitating towards the super deck water base semi solid because I like the color (cedar bark) .
Any input would be greatly appreciated.
If you want a solid stain, look at these top brands, not Super Deck:
https://www.deckstainhelp.com/what-are-the-best-solid-color-deck-stains/
Thank you for the encouraging words! Is there a penetrating stain that also protects against both water and uv rays?
https://www.deckstainhelp.com/best-semi-transparent-deck-stain-reviews/
Re: redwood deck restore in CO: forgot to mention that I used diluted orange degreaser to clean. Wet first, sprayed on orange cleaner, then pressure washed.
Restoring a 30+ yr old deck and 20 yr old railing/spindles, all redwood. In Colorado, part sun, part shade. So far just pressure washed – photos attached show before & after side by side, and railing + deck after. Deck still shows some wear, railing is better. What do you recommend for next steps and finishing coat(s)?
Finish prep of all wood with the Restore A Deck Cleaner and Brightener kits. Stain with Restore A Deck Stain or Armstrong Clark Stains.
Hi Scott, I live on the west coast of Canada (lots of rain) and my vinyl-coated deck is 20 years old. My question has to do with under the deck. Although not directly exposed to rain, the dampness over the years has cause the wood to grey and become very weathered. What is the best stain to apply under the deck to extend its life. The joists are and plywood are still in decent shape.
Make sure to clean and brighen wood first. Stain with TWP 200 Series or Restore A Deck Stains.
We don’t have those brands in my Canadian city. We do have Minwax, Olympic, Behr, Varathane, Penofin and Watco. Any of these a good runner-up to your recommendation? {I prefer not to order online.} Thanks Scott.
No, they are poor deck stains. Varathanr and Minwax are interior products and cannot be used on decks.
I am a handyman by trade. Sometimes I do charity work as well. In my case, There is somone with a very limited budget whom I would like to help out. It is old pressure treated 2×6. A bit weathered with some moss, and that, but in otherwise good condition. She wants an oil based stain, and something light in color… What is the cheapest of the best that is affordable to do this? Thanks
Try TWP 100 or 1500 Series.
Thanks! She had a little to spend, so we got the modified oil hybrid Cabot brand, semi solid bc it was readily available at the local Ace hardware stores. Great product, but a little more expensive than something from home depot…
Hopefully, it works out for her as it is not the best brand or product.
my deck is 20 years I maintain it every two years I painted it two years ago with regular paint what should I put on it now to maintain it because the pain is coming off
You can only use a paint over a paint, never a deck stain. It is not suggested to ever paint a deck as it peels. If you want to fix this, you would have to sand it all off.
I have an 18 yr old pressure treated deck that I just sanded down to bare wood. I’m looking for a semi transparent stain. I’m looking for a product that I don’t have to take down to bare wood when it comes to re-applying in a couple years. What do you recommend?
Try Restore A Deck semi-transparent stains.
https://www.deckstainhelp.com/restore-a-deck-wood-stain-review/
or Armstrong Clark Stains: https://www.deckstainhelp.com/armstrong-clark-wood-deck-stain-review/
We have a 20-year old deck, half of which gets a lot of sun and half of which is mostly in the shade. The deck planks and handrails on the sunny side are showing some cracks, and the parts in the shade tend to get mildew. Deck was last stained in 2020 using Behr semi-transpartent stain and sealant penetrating oil (color 4629, chocolate). Am looking to re-stain this summer. Would like to use a stain that will protect the wood better than the Behr (in terms of water repelling and retaining color) and ideally not require the use of a stripper when reapplying moving forward. Am considering using Restore-A-Deck cleaner and brightener, followed by an Armstrong-Clark semi-transparent stain. Would I also need to use a stripper to remove the existing Behr penetrating oil stain? And do you think we’d be better off going with a semi-solid or even a solid stain, given the cracks? (If we use a solid stain, we’ll probably go with Restore-A-Deck solid in brown oak.) Thanks in advance for your advice and thanks for this forum. This information enables much more informed decision-making and subsequent headache avoidance.
You have to remove the Behr first if switching brands of semi-transparent. Post some pics for help with this.
Weird. I went through the motions of attaching a picture to my post. Let’s try again…
Nothing. Your pics are probably too large in size.
I reduced the resolution by 50%; I see it below the text field so presumably this resized picture will come through. Fingers crossed…
Use the Restore A Deck Stripper/Brightener kits but will both additives for the stripper: https://www.deckstainhelp.com/restore-a-deck-stain-stripper-booster-thickening-gel-review/
Got it – thanks! We’re considering a semi-transparent Armstrong-Clark or TWP 1500 stain. Do you think we’d be better off using a semi-solid or even a solid stain, given the cracks?
No, you can use a sem-transparent stain.
Thanks again. Much appreciated!
I have an old deck. I last used Behr solid waterproofing stain and sealer. It looked great until after this third winter it started peeling. Ive power washed. Most of the deck is ok. Should I use the same product again?
No, try one of these solid stains. The Restore A Deck Solid is the best.
https://www.deckstainhelp.com/what-are-the-best-solid-color-deck-stains/
I’ve looked and looked on your site for the 2 questions I asked 7 or 8 weeks ago, but can’t find them. Please tell me again what is the lowest pressure I can use to pressure wash the cleaner and brightener off my deck? Thank you again.
1200-1500.
Have a 17-year-old pressured treated pine deck on a freshwater lake in Florida. Full sun and humidity year-round. Was treated with Olympic Maximum clear oil-based sealer 2 years ago. We wanted to go with a semi-transparent or solid stain. What’s the best products/process to restore? Does it need to be stripped, or just pressure washed and cleaned?
Strip and brighten for prep. Try the Restore A Deck Stripper/Brightener Kits. Stain with one of these brands: https://www.deckstainhelp.com/best-semi-transparent-deck-stain-reviews/
Thank you for the quick reply. The wood is very dry and it doesn’t appear there is any of the previous sealer left. Do we still need to strip it?
There is definitely stain in your pictures on the wood so yes, you must strip it off.
Thanks – what sealing product do you think will give us the longest life with least maintenance on a Florida lake with full sun? Semi transparent, solid, or a deck sealer?
TWP Stains or Armstrong Clark in semi-transparent or semi-solid colors.
Thank you. I appreciate the advice
Good review you gave me just what i was looking for with out all the bull
Photo for review.
Pressure wash for prep and use a solid stain for the rails: https://www.deckstainhelp.com/what-are-the-best-solid-color-deck-stains/
I have a 15 year old trex deck with wooden spindles. Spindles stained once about 13 years ago. Now some peeling and cracking in the larger pieces. What should I do?
We have an old pressure-treated deck that has never been painted or stained that we can tell (bought the house 2 years ago). Pressure washed about 20 years’ worth of gunk off the entire thing and getting ready to apply semi-transparent stain (light grey). Having never done this before and reading your recommendations, it seems using a deck brightener would be best next step before staining. Do I need to use a cleaner (before brightening)?
Is there a reputable semi-transparent deck stain product you recommend that doesn’t require an online purchase? I’d prefer to buy in-person. Crazy, I know.
Thank you for this website! Very helpful!
All stains we suggest can be bought at stores, you can just ask the manufacturer as to where to buy and available locally. Clean and brighten for prep.
We have a lot of cracks and some splintering, will the deck stain act as a glue for future splintering, we of course would need to sand the really rough spots but wondered if the product you reccomend would help us fo minimal sanding or do we need to go with a deck coating product thats thick and more like a paint? Id rather have a more natural look than what the thicker products produce, but don’t want future splintering. Deck was very neglected when we purchased.
Deck stains will not prevent splintering unless a very thick resurface coating like this. https://www.deckstainhelp.com/gulf-synthetics-deck-revive-review-2015/
Thanks for the quick response and recomendation
Our deck is approximately 20 years old. But still in good shape ever year it seems we have to stain it again.We live in southern Ontario and once winter is over the deck looks like it had never been done
We have been putting Thompson honey gold stain on it every summer.
What would you recommend this year.that would last longer.
You will have to fully remove the Thompsons first. Once done, use the Armstrong Clark Stains or TWP 200 Series.
Can semi transparent stain be used on a worn deck?
As long as you prep correctly and remove all previous coatings, etc.
Photos
Hi our deck is around 15 years old however we added an extension 3 years ago and the deck was painted. This year we decided to sand it down and instead stain the deck, however we found some rotten planks which we replaced. We stained the rails semi solid chestnut color, originally wanting to have the floor lighter but we can’t decide on a color because my house siding is white. Could u recommend a good stain color type and brand. I appreciate the help thank you very much for your time.
Look at Armstrong Clark: https://www.deckstainhelp.com/tag/armstrong-clark-deck-stains/
I live in Iowa, partial sun (trees), rain, leaves, and snow, winter cold (-10) to summer (90), deck 20 yrs old, used TWP every 3 yrs (just soap & water with scrub brush), was getting to where new application wasn’t looking good, boards are in good shape (not splintered etc), last yr Menards was having a sale with a Cabot company paint expert to answer questions,he sold me on Cabot Australian Timber with a bleach cleaner. I did that and the deck looks terrible, about 80% of the stain took and the other 20% looks terrible.
What do you suggest, I am 78 yrs old and getting tired of doing it.
thanks
I may have given you the wrong e-mail to my above question
Strip and brighten all wood for prep: https://www.deckstainhelp.com/restore-a-deck-injectable-deck-stain-stripper-review/
Restain with the TWP or try Restore A Deck Stains.
Armstrong Clark is offered in 3 different versions: Trans parents, Semi-Transparent, and Semi-Solid Colors. How do I chose which version. I stained my deck about two years ago.
That’s a matter of your color preference but most use the semi-transparent or semi-solid.
What is considered a “old deck”? We built our deck 2 years ago (third summer with it). We just assumed it shouldnt be stained or sealed because it was pressure treated lumber. Our deck is causing splinters for our kids and definately needs a huge breathe of fresh air. What do we do???
Clean and brighten for prep and use one of these stain brands: https://www.deckstainhelp.com/the-5-best-deck-stain-reviews-and-ratings/
Help please. I used Thompson timber oil teak. I wanted Armstrong-Clark but as we live in Ontario canada I didn’t want to order as only available in the US and was concerned it would be stuck in customs for weeks due to covid 19. I stained half the deck in Sunday. It looked great, rich in colour. Monday it rained and yesterday heavy storm. Now it looks patchy, horrible and I hate the colour. What do you think of this product, will it be hard to strip, should I sand the patchy bits and restain.
Post a picture.
Photos as requested
You should remove all and start over. Strip off what you can and then sand if needed to remove all. Make sure to brighten all wood when done.
We just received an very old cedar kids playhouse and want to fix it up. We sanded it and would like to use something to stain it and protect it from the elements. Any suggestions?
Try Armstrong Clark Stain.