How To Remove the Ink Stamps from New Decking?  4.8/5 (33)

This post was updated on February 29, 2024

Remove Ink Stamps from New Decking?

Those who are familiar with the deck staining process are aware of how important it is to properly prep your deck before staining for beautiful results. In this article, we discuss how to get rid of pesky ink stamps from new decking before prepping and staining your wood surfaces in 2024. We always appreciate your input, so feel free to leave a comment below with pictures of your deck stain projects.


Deck_Ink_StampPressure-treated decking when new has a tendency to have very annoying ink stamps on the wood when processed at the mill. Lumber is stamped at the mill according to its grade. An American Lumber Standard Committee (ALSC) grade mark and an American Wood-Preservers’ Association (AWPA) tag certify the lumber’s quality. These stamps are very troublesome for owners to remove prior to applying a decking stain that is either transparent or semi-transparent as the ink will show through the stain.

We have found this to be the most effective way of Decking Ink Stamp Removal:

Sand First then let Wood Weather Naturally

Since most decking stain manufacturers want you to let new wood season and weather before staining it is advisable to do these steps:

  1. Right after the installation of new wood, you should lightly sand all stamps off with 80 grit paper. Take care to sand with the grain of the wood.
  2. Let wood weather for 2-4 months or as suggested by the stain manufacturer.
  3. Clean and Brighten all decking after the weathering for the stain prep and even out the appearance
  4. Apply stain. Please read this about New Decking stain

The reason for sanding first then weathering is to make sure the stain will apply evenly. If you were to sand the ink sports right before staining then there will be a very strong chance that the stain will take lighter in the sanded areas, resulting in a very uneven appearance of the deck stain.

Staining a New Deck Tips Video – DeckStainHelp.com

If you have any questions on this topic, Please Ask Below


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author avatar
Scott Paul ~ Restoring Wood & Decks Since 1993
#As an article and comment contributor to the site, Scott has been around the pressure washing industry since attending college. In 1993 he started his first company called Oakland Pressure Wash specializing in exterior pressure washing and deck staining. That company evolved into OPW L.L.C. shortly thereafter concentrating more on exterior wood and deck restoration. Scott and his Deck Cleaning Michigan company have restored over 10,000 decks in the Metro Detroit area since the early years. He has become an authority in the deck restoration industry and has contributed to numerous wood restoration forums and informative sites. All the products he suggests through this site are sold through online sites and in retail stores, allowing the consumer to choose their own means of purchase. Scott’s eCommerce sites do sell many top brands he endorses and if you appreciate any of the help he has offered then feel free to purchase from one of them.

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Ivan
Ivan
10 months ago

Hi. Great site, tips, and tricks! I have a deck that; I just replaced all the boards with pressure-treated pine. I had to sand a couple of places due to some marks from my pencil and so forth. Now some areas are yellowish, some are lighter (seems to be the second batch of lumber I purchased) and the areas in which I lightly sanded are more white. What should I do? Sand all of it, wait? I have all the rails off now if I need to sand or should I just wait? Thank you for your help!

Mark
Mark
3 years ago

I replaced my deck with cedar tone boards in summer of 2020 but didn’t sand ink stamps off. I’m planning to stain soon but once I sand wood how long hould I wait to stain?

Linda Kooistra
Linda Kooistra
3 years ago

How do I get ink stamps off tongue and groove pine that is not going to be exposed to weather as it is used inside a horse barn. The plan is to use semi transparent stain on it. I know this is not a deck question but wonder if you have ever dealt with this issue. There is a lot of tongue and groove and a lot of stamp marks-like several thousand square feet and every board has one to three stamps on it!

Noah
Noah
3 years ago

Before I sand the rest of the ink, does it look like I’m doing it correctly so far? Light pressure along the length of the board? Thank you.

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Noah
Noah
3 years ago

Hi again, I’ve read all the comments but want to be 100% certain I’m doing the right thing so my deck doesn’t stay discolored. Most of the boards have been weathering since June/July and the ink has faded some but not completely. If I sand the ink spots with 80grit Diablo sand paper, using a mouse sander, in the direction of the length of the boards, I should end up with white spots that will disappear once the boards weather over the fall and winter? I can use enough pressure to remove all of the ink? Aiming to stain with TWP 101 Cedar Natural or another semi natural look in early March in Georgia. I get nervous at the thought of having to wait until then to see the white marks disappear, or worse that I’ve done something wrong trying to remove the ink. As always, thank you.

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Noah
Noah
3 years ago

Thanks, is there any truth to the idea of sanding while the wood is damp to remove the ink with less pressure from the electric sander? Or does it matter?

Mark D Walker
Mark D Walker
3 years ago

How to remove stamp on non-treated wood?

Kyle T.
Kyle T.
3 years ago

I found your site after being in the same situation as a few others on here. We had let our new deck weather over the winter and then realized the wood stamps weren’t going away and sanded them off and now it’s two obviously different colors. Is there a quicker solution than letting it weather for 3 months to even out? I’m just concerned those spots are going to look out of place all summer. If we power washed it all before staining, would that be safe and even it all out to one color and consistency before staining? I’ve included pictures of what it looks like wet and dry. Thanks in advance for any advice you can give!

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Kyle T.
Kyle T.
3 years ago

Stupid question. Is it going to hurt the weathering process at all to have a table and chairs and other deck furniture on top of it this summer since they might not get as much sun? Thanks for the quick reply!

Noah
Noah
3 years ago
Reply to  Kyle T.

How did it turn out? I’m in the same situation, and curious as to whether I should let it weather till Spring and hope the stamps are gone by then on their own, or sand the several months old wood now and hope the light spots are gone by time to prep and stain in Spring. They have faded some but are still visible.

Susan Ward
Susan Ward
3 years ago

We just sanded off the stamps on a pressure treated deck installed 6 wks ago. The sanded spots are quite light in comparison to the rest of the wood. My husband used 80 grit but he had to use an electric hand sander to get them off. I’m just looking for some information as to how this will even out in color with the rest of the deck. Is it going to age quicker in the sanded areas because the wood grain was exposed and then result in an even wood tone overall? Just wondering how these “light spots” will catch up with the rest?

Sue
Sue
3 years ago

Part of my deck is under cover and part is open air. It will not be weathering evenly. The covered portion will likely not weather at all. It’s been “weathering” for 4 months with no visible change (though it is drying out) I sanded an ink spot thinking I could stain afterward but it left an obvious mark. Ay suggestions?

Jacqi M
Jacqi M
4 years ago

My husband just installed new deck boards on a pre-existing base. Great job!! However, we are trying to deal with the manufacturer’s markings. My question is, it is now mid-September. Should we wait until after the winter months to stain (going to use semi-transparent stain)? Deck gets a good bit of weather (rain, snow, heat…). Wasn’t certain how long it should sit. Pressure treated – a good bit kiln dried. Thank you very much!!

John W
John W
4 years ago

Why do deck installers place decking boards with the stamp side up. Why not install board with the non stamped side up? Maybe a logical reason? Thanks.

John W
John W
4 years ago

Will any solvents like acetone help. Is sanding the best way to remove? Thanks.

John W
John W
4 years ago

Thanks again.

William Cote
William Cote
4 years ago
Reply to  John W

Bark side out to prevent cupping on deck surface.

Cheryl Flick
Cheryl Flick
4 years ago

We bought green treated lumber to build a deck. Some of the boards have a touquise color to them. How can remove it?

Ben
Ben
4 years ago

how to remove bleach from pressure treated wood

Ben Simms
Ben Simms
4 years ago

I spilled bleach on my new deck and it stained it white. How can I get it back to the pressure treated colour

Jennifer
Jennifer
5 years ago

If stain has already been applied over the ink stamps on a deck, will the ink always be on there or will it eventually come off with weather and wear and tear? How long would that take to wear off?

Jennifer Seale
Jennifer Seale
5 years ago

Thank you for all your help.

Shawn Hines
Shawn Hines
5 years ago

We acquired a brand new built deck (6 months) with treated pine when we bought our house this spring. We were waiting for the wood to weather before staining it and I just sanded off the ink stamps. Unfortunately, I reviewed your site (which is amazing information) after I sanded the stamps with 150 grit sandpaper. I read we need to wait to stain the deck to let the newly sanded spots to weather so they are more uniform. Two questions, should I go over all the sanded spots with 80 grit and how long should we let the newly spots weather before we stain. We live in NC so we still have a few months (currently august) of nice weather left. We are leaning towards the Armstrong stain after reviewing your site. We were going with Behr before that. Thank goodness I found this site!

Shawn Hines
Shawn Hines
5 years ago

Thanks for the quick response. Will post pics when done. Looking at October time frame now.

Warren Courtney
Warren Courtney
5 years ago

What do you use to clean and brighten a new weathered cedar decking

Rebecca L Boone
Rebecca L Boone
5 years ago

We installed WeatherSheild wood decking with ceder tone. It has stamped marks on it. How do I remove the stamped marks without removing the cedar tone?

Jeannie Solis
Jeannie Solis
5 years ago

I built a cover deck about 6 weeks ago. Sanded for prep. It’s been 6 weeks now. And I still can not get these stamps off. Any other suggestions. This project was big. But getting it prepped for staining and trying to get these stamps off has been a nightmare.

Andrew Gullett
Andrew Gullett
6 years ago

Hi,
I just installed deck boards by EcoLife. The boards are air dried after treatment. Should this type of wood have a weathering period before staining? Also, there are perpendicular marks on the boards from the spacers used during the manufactures drying process. I used a scrap piece and sanded, cleaned and used a brightener. I used a semi solid stain but I could still see the spacer marks. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

mike
mike
6 years ago

I installed a new deck last fall and did not remove the stains then. I just sanded them off now and have lighter spots where I sanded Is there anything I can do to make them blend in/

Kathi B
Kathi B
6 years ago

Some marks from patio chairs (black) have stained a newly built pressure treated wood deck. What is the best way to remove these stains (from chair legs) before sealing deck

Kathi B
Kathi B
6 years ago

Not rust…..spray paint (black primer) that was put on patio set

Melinda
Melinda
8 years ago

A blue crayon melted on our new pressure treated wood deck. We scraped up the solids, but now need to remove the soaked in color. How can I remove the stain? Thanks!

john
john
8 years ago

Did you try gasoline?

Louis
Louis
8 years ago
Reply to  Melinda

PT wood often has annoying wax pencil 'sorting' marks (as well as the manufacturers ink stamps). Since I've built quite a few decks for some picky customers, including myself, I've experimented with just about every solution out there, with spotty results. For starters, if water can penetrate the wood (i.e. wood not sealed well) leave a wet towel on the wax area 10-15 minutes. If water only beads on wood, skip this step. Heat an iron to medium high heat, cover the wax with the clean cotton towel or old tee shirt and apply the iron for 3 or 4 minutes. Wet or dry, steam or heat will melt the wax and the cloth will absorb it. I repeat the process until no more wax transfers to the cloth. I was hoping that by leaving the iron on the wood for longer periods with higher heat it might replicate the mill coating effect (blade friction/heat cause sap/etc. to rinse to the surface) and remove more wax, but just repeating the process was just as effective. Anyhow, I let the wood cool then sand with a pad sander starting with 80 grit and progress to a 220 grit. Using chemicals to break down wax can cause it to penetrate more deeply into the wood, and result in a worse stain than you started with, often not visible till it dried out. A few failed conclusions were xylol, borax, vinegar, mineral spirits, white gas, and HD degreasers (which do break down wax). Now if you're looking to eliminate those ink stamps, good luck!

Steve Adams
Steve Adams
8 years ago

Having built my own decks, and also hiring contractors for larger projects, I had not ever run into caring for older decks and pressure-treated pine. This article, as well as others on this site, have been extremely helpful. Preserving and maximizing the appearance of my home is easier than I thought. Thank you.

Steve
Steve
8 years ago

Sikkens is terrible

Mickey
Mickey
8 years ago
Reply to  Steve

No its not. The rubbol solid deck stain which is an alkali/oil hybrid is incredibly durable and looks great on a deck.

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