Update 2018 for Acrylic Water Based Deck Stain Issues
If you have any deck staining questions, feel free to leave us a comment below.
Why Acrylic Water Based Deck Stains Do Not Work Very Well
A major factor in maintaining a deck is keeping the wood protected. A good weather resistant deck stain should be applied to the wood every couple of years to protect it from weather damage. A quality deck stain will not only protect your deck from the weather, it will enhance its beauty and keep it looking good for years to come.
Finding a quality deck stain can be tedious work. With so many wood stains on the market choosing the right one can seem impossible. The key to a good deck stain is getting it to last. There are many types of stains. Some are film forming and stay on top of the wood surface while others penetrate the wood pores. The penetrating formulas seem to win out when it comes to beauty and protection.
Recently, the market has seen a flood of acrylic water-based deck stains claiming to outlast other stains. Some of the products claim to last 6 years on decks and up to 8 years on fences and siding. It is definitely a statement that gets your attention. Most semi-transparent stains get 2-3 years of life before needing a recoat.
However, after extensive testing, it has been found that these acrylic water-based stains do not quite live up to their guarantee. As a matter of fact, a lot of them do not outlast other stains and it is common to see them fail within the first year of being applied. So why do these stains not work like they claim they do?
Test after test it was found the majority of acrylic water-based deck stains such as Behr Premium Deck Stain and Sherwin Williams Deckscapes do not penetrate the wood as claimed. These products seemed to dry on top of the surface more like paint. In addition, it dries very quickly. So quickly in fact that it can be very difficult to apply and shows overlap marks if care is not taken.
The overall look of a deck stained with an acrylic water-based deck stain is very uneven and blotchy. It takes on a look of a semi-solid meaning much of the wood grain is hidden by the thick pigment of the product. Instead of enhancing the wood’s natural beauty it more or less masks the wood grain.
The acrylic deck stains are also very difficult to maintain. Because the product fails so severely and new coat will not adhere well to an existing coat. The stain has to be completely removed before a new coat can be applied. The areas of stain that do not fail like on the vertical spindles and such are extremely hard to strip off. A very harsh concentrated mix of deck stain stripper has to be used and many times is only somewhat successful at removing the acrylic water-based stain.
After testing and feedback from professional contractors, it has been determined that the majority of acrylic water-based deck stains do not live up to their guarantees and most of what they claim is simply a marketing gimmick to sell more product to unsuspecting consumers.
Please Ask Any Questions Below
Is there a stripper that might remove a fair bit of solid Behr stain from our large deck. Half of it peeled off and the other have has not budged with the Behr stripper. It is a large older pressure treated deck and so we would like to try to remove as much of the stain as possible before trying to sand it. Would we have to use a hand sander when we get to that point?? We purchased Armstrong Clark penetrating stain on your advice. Love your site!!!!
No. You will need to sand the solid stain to remove. Rent power sanders if needed.
My HOA has designated BEHR #SC-129. as the approved deck stain. I talked to the HOA president and she said that we could likely get approved for BEHR #ST-129. Given the review here of acrylic deck stain and the poor reviews this deck stain gets, I would like to propose another type of stain that will look the EXACT same color but have better wear properties. The deck that I am having stained is brand new as of last September and this will be the first time it will be stained.
What do you recommend?
Try Flood Solid color deck stains. Should be able to color match since they are both solid color stains.
Is Flood an oil, water, or acrylic based product? I would like to try to get the HOA to agree to a semi-transparent version. Do they offer that as well as the solid color?
What prep should be done before applying the stain?
Comes water-based for the solid stain. They make a good solid stain but not a very good semi-transparent stain.
As for prep, that depends on what condition the wood is in and if stained previosuly or not?
The wood was newly installed last September and is typical pressure treated lumber commonly used for decks. Nothing has been applied to the wood since it was installed. I just want to be sure to start the deck out in the best way possible to reduce future maintenance issues.
Deck cleaner followed by a wood brightener for the prep.
Any recommendations for a semi-transparent stain that can be matched to the Behr Chocalate color?
Sorry, no idea.
I need the simplest way to redo a existing staine wooden deck. I applied a oil based paint but after 5 days its not complety dry. Please help!
You cannot fix this simply. If it does not dry, you will need to sand it all off.
Will the acrylic deck stain adhere over a clear deck stain that needs to be refinished? I sanded the clear stain down to get rid of the surface stain, but the acrylic still peeled within a few months.
The issue is probably with the acrylic brand that you choose, not the prep. Some brands peel no matter what.
trying to figure out best stain for pressure treated wood I just installed
See here about new wood: https://www.deckstainhelp.com/staining-a-new-deck/
Two years ago I bought into the hype and covered my 3 new sets of outdoor wood stairs with Behr Premium Solid Color Weather Proofing Wood Stain – a 100% acrylic stain. It looks awful and definitely needs to be redone, but I'm not sure what is the best thing to do to fix it. I truly don't want to have to strip it all off and start over. Do you have any other suggestions? Can I clean and cover with something different?
You can clean and reapply but it will continue to peel. You cannot fix the issue by adding something on top. It also is not strippable. You will have to sand it all off.
Does this apply to Defy Extreme as well? You seem to have it highly rated.
No as the Defy Extreme is a different formula altogether than other water based deck stains.