This post was updated on February 23, 2024
The Worst Deck Stains in 2024?
We here at DeckStainHelp.com are proud to be the internet’s number one reference for all things wood deck restoration-related. If you have had a negative experience with deck stains, you have come to the right place to warn people. We are always looking for ways to engage with our readers, so we appreciate your input and questions by leaving a comment below.
Deck Stain Failures
Have you had a bad experience with a decking stain?
Our most popular article, “What is the Best Deck Stain” has become the #1 article for consumers on the Internet for deck stain questions and answers. We have decided to create an article based on negative consumer feedback and experiences with decking stains.
We are looking for bad experiences with a particular brand of decking stain.
Please include:
1. Brand of Deck Stain
2. Type of Deck Stain (i.e. Solid, Semi-Transparent, Transparent, Semi-Solid)
3. Location and date applied
4. How long did it take for the stain to fail and how did it fail? (Peeling, Turned Black, Mold, Etc)
5. A brief description of your overall negative experience.
Note: This is mostly for fun and to allow you to vent your frustration!
Deck Stain Help & Questions
Stain Reviews & Comparisons
Redoing our wall cabin with behr from Home Depot heard it’s a good stain and cost is great what u think thanks
Sorry but no, Behr makes very poor wood stains. You will have many issues with peeling and mildew.
Have a log home from Appalachian log structures I have used Permachink ultra 7 and I am currently stripping it off and looking to change it is so expensive what would you recommend to use that might be better? Thank you sir.
I heard behr oil was really good for log homes. That’s what I’m going with very very reasonable price and the colors are amazing.
Sorry but no, Behr makes very poor wood stains. You will have many issues with peeling and mildew.
Is Perma-Chink Lifeline Ultra 7 worth the price to stain and protect white pine in a screened in porch?
No, much better brands our there.
Which brands are better?
Any of these brands would be better: https://www.deckstainhelp.com/the-5-best-deck-stain-reviews-and-ratings/
Which stain is better a valspar stain or a sickkens prolux
Neither are any good. Both have issues with penetrating and peeling.
We bought woodsman deck stain at our local true value and had a color mix. Deck was prepared properly..The stain started peeling after 3 months !!!!!! its isnt even a year and this is what it looks like! horrible deck stain
Can you use a waterbase stain over a oil base stain to seal and get rid of mold build up?
No.
What do you like as a reliable stain/sealant for a new Cedar fence in California’s Central Valley – very hot summers and mild mostly dry winters?
TWP 1500 Series or Armstrong Clark stains.
Thank you!
Is steina any good?
Never heard of it.
It used to be called ready seal
Ready Seal is still around and did not change its name. We are not fans of Ready Seal: https://www.deckstainhelp.com/ready-seal-wood-and-deck-stain-reviews/
Ok last one, what about penofin? Thanks for your help.
Turns black on decks. Lots of issues.
If you are asking about Passeport Élite’s STEINA penetrating oil
I have been using it for last 3 years. I was using Home Depot products and so many peeling and rot and stuff, I had to re-do the wood. Again with Home Depot planks/boards (budget)
Pré-pandemic, price for 2.79L Steina was $69 CDN, Now 2023 it is $92 CDN. tyoo expensive for me but works goods, I was doing 2 applications (spring and late fall) the first 3 season (North East Montreal Canada area). Good results, Works good, Easy Application, Looks good. Does does not last more then a season. Still I prefer it to having to take everything off (onetime I even rented a floor sanding machine) Simply re-apply. Sadly, now price are way over my budget
We were going to use SWP Dock & Deck on our deck but there’s a shortage right now and our painter wants to use UGL. Does anyone know how good of a product it is?
We would not use either brands.
Some of these photos absolutely show that some people were simply putting new stain over top of another older product , without proper prep that caused total failure of your chosen coating. If your not going to spend the proper amount of time prepping the wood , it will not matter what brand you use because it WILL FAIL WITHOUT PROPER PREPPING OF THE WOOD. Everyone always is quick to promise and swear how good of a job that they did prepping and the truth is 90% are simply lying . They did not do the prep properly they got anxious and in a hurry , not wanting to spend all of the time that is required.
Certainly some stains are junk IE Thompson & Olympic to name a few. In my experience , some of the lesser known smaller manufacturing companies are making great products. I personally used the Behr deckover product. (The stuff that resembles truck bed liner) . Its been on 4 years with ZERO ZERO ZERO PROBLEMS.
The stain product called “storm protector ” is also a good one. Its easy to blame the product insted of taking the blame for your own doing. OWN WHAT YOU DO.
is beat-tone oil based deck stain any good
Never used it.
That is supposed to read Beauty-Tone (Darn that auto correct). It is a stain put out by Home Hardware and is supposed to be oil based. I have my doubts, as there is a restriction here in Canada with certain VOC levels; this one is 250g/L. I am tired of paying good money only to have stain last one year. I hope this is not the case, but I am skeptical.
Lol BeautiTone
I have had very good luck with Beauti-Tone Woodshield Best, even when applied over a faded previous stain (of maybe the same product, from maybe 10+ years ago), on an exterior of a cedar Pana-Abode garage.
I’ve had extremely good results on a cedar deck chair that I had sanded down and then stained.
In both cases, read the directions, w.r.t. the prep, re-stain and cure times. Deck prep is the absolute worst, as you need to be concerned with dirt, mould,, etc…..
And as you’ve probably seen/heard, condition and prep needed are huge factors.
As a note, though…. When I was at my local Home Hardware, they did recommend as their best product for a new outdoor cedar planter that I had made, some American stain, which cost around 80 (CAD) for a 4l. I couldn’t bring myself to pay more for the stain/sealant than the wood cost… I settled for a clear Woodshield Best, as the sealant–still not cheap, but it does look good and it survived its first rainstorm well.
Andrew
I am looking for a weather protector from my new cedar boxes, located in Ontario Canada. The boxes have no soil in them, nor come in contact with the ground. They essentially hold stones. I have had good experience with Sikkens when the wood is vertical which these boxes are. I just want to protect the boxes for the summer elements (boxes will not be exposed to snow / cold weather). Should I just use a Thompson’s Water Seal?
Thompsons is useless. You need a pigmented stain.
Is there a specific brand you would recommend? Lee valley has water based pigment stains. I have not experience with these types of stains. Thanks.
TWP 200 Series or Armstrong Clark.
Do you have reviews for Beauti Tone Wood Shield Best Oil Deck and Siding stain
We do not.
I have used it and find it very good, last 2 to 3 years and does not chip
Brand of Deck Stain- Easycare woodsman
2. Type of Deck Stain (i.e. Solid, Semi-Transparent, Transparent, Semi-Solid)-suppose to be oil formula semi transparent
3. Location and date applied-October 2020
4. How long did it take for the stain to fail and how did it fail? (Peeling, Turned Black, Mold, Etc)-4 months,peeling bad
5. A brief description of your overall negative experience. our deck had never been treated with anything and it was only 3 years old….We pressure washed the whole thing and let dry…..applied the paint….busted our butts working on this as its a big deck….it started peeling after only a few months and looks horrible….i would not reccomend this stain to anyone!
Can you provide a review on Rymar Premium Cedar Stone Stain for a deck?
We have not personally reviewed it. Mixed comments on this site from consumers.
Hi, I have a 3 year old deck out of pressure treated brown. Is Behr transparent stain/sealer good? How about Saman exterior or Olympic? I would prefer an acrylic, transparent. Thanks!
Behr is one of the worst stains: https://www.deckstainhelp.com/behr-deck-stain-review/
Olympic is not much better: https://www.deckstainhelp.com/olympic-elite-wood-stain-review/
For a quality acrylic semi-transparent stain, try Defy Extreme or Restore A Deck Stains.
Thanks for the advice. I cant see where to buy Defy or Restore A Deck in Canada (Quebec) aside from online. Any suggestions?
Have you ever tried Saman deck stain?
No decent stains we know of are sold locally in Canada. Never heard of Saman. If you mean Sansin, then w have people complain of it peeling.
Beauti Tone vs Behr semi transparent stain for green pressurized deck
Neither. Both are poor stains. Try TWP 200 Series or Armstrong Clark for Canada.
I’m going to be building a new fence with rough surface Eastern White Cedar. I’m in New Brunswick, Canada, where there is a lot of humidity and temperature range. I want a semi-transparent stain that will give the cedar a light brown colour. I can’t afford the shipping costs to get the TWP or other American products here and can’t cross the border to get it, or I would!! I believe you can stain rough cedar right away and I plan to stain all four sides before installing. I have read so many reviews and I can’t figure out the best product to use in my case. Any suggestions for products sold in Canada?
Sorry but no quality products that we know of are sold in Canada. We do not live there and it seems most of them are poor big box brands.
Try Superdeck or Messmer’s stain. They offer a wide range of colours and quality product. To achieve optimal performance with them, a clear top coat would be ideal to offer the most resistance to humidity. Both brands have and have had latex options, but i’d recommend the oil based products.
Have you any rating on California storm oil stain. Just used it on a pressure treated side deck.i haven’t found any reviews regarding this product.
We have not tested it.
As a contractor and previous paint store owner,
I Have been using storm stain and California paint products for over 30 years. Their product lines
Are some of the best. Highly engineered !!
What is this rated? Why does most of my deck bead the water but some of it doesn’t?
It is not a very good stain: https://www.deckstainhelp.com/pittsburgh-paramount-exterior-wood-stain-review/
Thank you so much . So what would be your best advice so next time I have to seal it ? The wood is cedar tone wood from menards.
What would you recommend to use next time then? The wood is cedar tone from menards. Pressure treated cedar tone.
Strip it off and use one of thee products.
https://www.deckstainhelp.com/the-5-best-deck-stain-reviews-and-ratings/
Ever used a wood preservative instead of a stain? Example ArmorAll mocha brown which contains zinc naphthenate and is primarily used to seal end cuts. How do you think this would hold up in Canada?
it will not provide proper UV protection or water repellency. They even state yo not use it as a finish coat.
HOW IS Beauti-tone best solid stain rated? Most of the products rated here are not available in Canada?
Sorry, but we have never used it or even heard about it from other posters on this site.
Sorry,I should have included the name Weather-Sheild Best as well as Beauti-tone. It is widely sold in Canada by Home Hardware. It comes in acrylic and oil based. I cannot get the other top brands recommended by this site, even online.
I have used the weather shield before and have had pretty good results I live in Osoyoos and its very hot here in the summer and it handles the heat and sun well we do not get a lot of rain and it’s not very humid here so don’t know how it handles that Also I should mention the I’m a professional painter So I have a good knowledge of paints and stains. One thing I always say is if you are buying top of the line products you usually get a very good product.
I am a professional painter and have used Weather-Sheild Best in 100% acrylic sold at Home Hardware stores in Canada. Used semi-gloss on a covered deck with great results and also used it on exposed wooden steps that look great 7 months later after a very wet fall and winter plus shoveling snow off them. Must apply 2 thin coats and follow re-coat and drying times instructions. Haven’t used any oil based, because
The PPG Ultra Advanced stain and sealant is the absolute best for fences. I used the Honey Gold on my fence 2 years ago and it looks as good now as the day it was finished. This product was purchased in the USA, cannot find it in Ontario. Too bad.
Question, canadian resident here purchased stain locally, can says its oil based on front however having doubts as the surface scratches easily as if there is a film on surface. Can anyone confirm whether oil based easily scratches from moving deck furniture?
Depends on the brand and type of stain you used?
Unexpected rain came two hours after alllication of Pittsburgh stain and sealant. What will happen?
Hard to say until the rain stops and it dries off the wood. Look at it then and assess if any damage.