Armstrong Clark Wood Stain Review 4.5/5 (20)

Hi there! I have a yellow cedar deck and every semi transparent stain I have ever chosen always ends up looking bright orange in the sunlight (but fine in the shade). I have always used Sikkens (now Sico Proluxe). I am looking for a simple light or medium brown stain but don’t know how to avoid this orange undertone. Once again I have my deck cleaned, stripped of old stain, sanded and ready to go….and I don’t want to make the same mistake yet again! I am in British Columbia. Thanks in advance!

I have an idea but I don’t want to do anything wrong.. We bought our house 3 years ago and our deck is in ruff shape. Where do I start? Clean and brighten or stripping. Pressure wash, sand then stain? Thank you

I applied AC semi trans Natural oak on my cedar deck in July 2021. I am seeing quite a bit of wear/tear at our entrance already in February 2022 (6 months). Is there anything I can do to prevent this in the future? Or is this the reality of a semi trans stain on a softwood cedar deck?

We have a full log white cedar house that is about 30 yrs old. We have been using TWP on it for about 7 yrs now. For the most part it has worked great. We get 3 yrs on the deck (full sun in Michigan) and 4 to 5 yrs on the walls. The west wall get the most weather and full sun so that needs it every 4 yrs. Do you thnk AC would do better?

hi, have older deck that i tteated with cabot gold oil 3 years ago. i powerwashed it last year using a cleaner and in places a stripper as the person i hired had npot removed the previous dark stain.

it went thr this past year with nothing but i noticed a lot of mildew and black spots.
i then used paramonts deck cleaner but having read the lack of waterproofing decided to use cabot again so cleaned with theirs. I also stripped a few previously stained areas that had been missed.
Now I see mildew in the grain and sanding with a palm sander has not removed it. Its hard to know what to do at this poin t, but I thought to ask you before I try anything else.
I live in Iowa . Half my deck is full sun , the rest has some shading from the house.
I am exhausted from doing all this and still have unsighyly green and black mold stains…help!!

I just had my deck re-built. All except a couple of posts were replaced. The old posts have a solid stain. I would like to stain the rest of the deck. How long do I need to wait and what is the best way to treat the wood so that the stain lasts and what is the best stain to use?

We bought a house that has a nice front porch. The deck, railings, and spindles are pressure treated wood, unsealed and probably 10-15 years old. All the materials are in good shape, give or take a couple of areas that are easily replaced. Can we stain this older untreated PT wood?

hi, I built a IPE Deck last summer. I would like to seal it with clear sealer. 250 sq ft. please recommend a product.

My 5 yr.-old mahogany deck has had 2 applications of Arborcoat water-based semi-transparent stain applied (2 1/2 yrs. since the last application) and it’s now flaking is spots and needs to be re-stained. I am thinking of switching to use Armstrong’s Amber semi-transparent oil-based Hardwood deck stain, and ask what deck preparation is needed to apply the new semi-transparent oil-based stain over the old semi-transparent water-based stain? Is power-washing recommended, plus orbital sanding? Is any other solvent needed? I want to make sure the deck is “prepped” correctly for best results. Also, should I expect that I will have to re-stain every 2 years, or will your oil stain last longer than the water-based stain I was using? Thanks for any info.

This is the best stain product by far. We’ve used it on both our current and prior home. Each with two levels of decking over 1200 sf. We made sure the wood was correctly prepared, clean and dry. It’s important to thoroughly mix the stain before starting the day for even coating. We were very impressed with the quality of the product, from the application to the durability and look years after. Both our decks face south east. We live in Michigan.

Hello. I am new to deck repairs. We purchased a house 3-years ago but have not done any maintenance to it. We are finding some rotted deck boards that I’m replacing now. The deck is 8 ft. above ground, 16 ft. X 20 ft. made of PT pine. All deck boards are grey and splitting. I have done some research on oils, restoring, and sealing product. I’m sold on Armstrong Clark Semi-Trans stain because of the non-drying oils to help the wood.

We live in a wooded/wilderness area and try to use natural Products.

1. What type of cleaners can I safely use?

2. What do cleaners do to the wood?

3. I’ve never used stain, do I apply it like paint to cover all cracks and hide all view of wood?

4. My deck is old and very dry, how will I know if my deck needs to drink up a second coat and when should it be applied?

5. Since your stain has drying oils that stay on top of wood and non-drying oils that soak down into the wood, how can non-drying oils get through that top non-drying oils when I re-coat?

6. Can I stain posts and get the oils to soak in?

Thank you for your help.

Hi, I just moved into a new house about 2 months back and the deck (screened in porch) was installed around dec/jan time frame. It’s pine wood. I am wondering if AC transparent stain will be a wise option since we dont want to add color to the deck and like the natural color or lighter tone. The deck is covered so wondering if transparent will hold up well for some years. Other option seems like semi- transparent natural oak but it your pictures it looks very dark.

They rate Armstrong Clark and Twp 1500 top rated stains and I know you speak highly of both , but if you were doing your deck and had to use one and only one which one would it be?

They rate Armstrong Clark and Twp 1500 best stains and I know you speak highly of them both , but if you were doing your deck and had to use one and only one which one would you use??

Can a second coat of the Armstrong Semi solid stain be applied? First coat on a 18 year old deck was absorbed and some areas appear lighter than others. Deck was stripped down to bare wood before applying.

What is your best oil stain for a mahogany deck? I used Australia timber oil natural, and it turned my brand new deck brown. It looks horrible. Thanks David

Is a waterproof sealer required following the stain? Who sells this Armstrong Clark product?

I have a built a new western red cedar dock (to be installed over freshwater) and I am not sure if it is better to go with a “transparent” Armstrong Clark stain or a “semi-transparent” variant. The deck gets a decent amount of sun exposure, so I would prefer a good amount of UV protection, but without changing the natural red cedar color of the wood too much. Thoughts? Many thanks.

I am in the northeast with hard winters. My cedar deck is 20 years old. I have replaced bad dry rotted boards over the years. I haven’t been steady w oil treatment for the cedar. Should I wait till winter is over before pressure washing and staining w Armstrong? I wouldn’t stain till early spring at this time so I guess I should wait on the pressure wash too.

Hello!

I just bought two gallons of AC semi transparent cedar and I’m planning on applying tomorrow. I don’t have a sprayer so I can either roll it or use a brush. What is the recommended method of application?

Thanks! Love the site

How will the stain perform on old cedar wood

Hello. I have a 25+ year old redwood deck, that is in pretty good condition but needed to replace some boards. The installed replacement boards are of pressure treated wood rather than redwood (not my choice, but was what my husband was advised to do.) We have power washed the deck so far and plan to strip and brighten the deck before staining it. I have a couple of questions I am hoping you can advise on:
1. How should we best prep the deck? After reading reviews, we plan to use Restore a Deck drip and brightening.
2. With two different woods now on the deck, what stain do you recommend — semi-solid or solid?
3. Which best rated semi-solid and solid stains stains come with the most color options, particularly in dark gray (which seems to be harder to come by) and dark brown?
4. We found Benjamin Moore Arborcoat grey stains, either in semi-solid or solid, but I am concerned with using it, after seeing the low rating review. What would you keep in mind for this brand’s stains?
5. Do you have any other suggestions we should consider?
Thank you!

Not a good experience with Armstrong Clark. Cleaned and prepped a new pressure treated pine deck floor (aged 1 year) with Restore-a-Deck product to specifications, including 3 days to dry. Stained with Armstrong Clark Driftwood Grey with quality brushes . Deck is 15′ up with railings and fascia boards stained with Cabot Solid white. Had to do extensive taping and wiping with mineral spirits since stain is very watery and gets all over the fascia boards with this two tone approach. Instructions on AC stain product calls for bleach and dish soap cleaner, which upon further research does not need neutralizer (or brightener on new wood), and yet there is some follow on paragraph about using a neutralizer with unspecified cleaner. These facts can only be obtained by extensive search on Armstrong Clark. Furthermore, there is a buried document which states that acid based cleaners are not recommended for Driftwood Grey, which does not appear in any of their current documentation. Since we didn’t know this, we used the Restore-a-Deck and stained with Driftwood Grey, with the result that there is virtually no color: in the daylight it looks almost like raw boards. Armstrong Clark was ambiguous about what to do. They claimed we could put another coat (wet-on-dry) , or if we waited until next Spring (and generally for maintenance coats) that we did not need to do anything but a light wash with dish soap. This contradicts there own written recommendations in places, and also sites such as this, which don’t recommend wet-on-dry second coats and do recommend always cleaning and neutralizing/brightening before applying stain. There is so much contradictory information about how to clean and with what, whether to neutralize/brighten, whether to use wet-on-wet or wet-on-dry and how long one can wait between coats for the latter, whether additional coats will darken or only protect, and so on. Very unclear what to do now as the deck has no color whatsoever, we are two days past staining, and there is rain.

Hello – I have an at grade pressure treated fir deck, almost 10 years old. Part of it is under an overhang and the rest is very wet all winter (Pacific Northwest). I used Thompson’s water seal to poor results in the early years. Unhappy with the performance, I wanted to do a switch. I was told since Thompson’s contains a wax, to let the deck weather for a couple of years so it comes out of the wood, then sand (80 grit) and use an oil based better quality product instead. I’ve left it for three summers and I’m sanding it now. I want to use AC semi-transparent in oak. Once I’ve sanded, do I still need to strip and use a cleaner? And how long between sanding / prep and staining does there have to be in order to have good penetration with the AC product? Many thanks for your helpful site!

Hi,

We are building our deck with a treated cedar frame and railings, while using Trex for the decking. Im leaning towards using the Armstrong’s semi transparent stain for all the treated wood, aswell as using Vycor deck protector tape on top of all the joists. Would this be a combination that you would recommend? Are there any other brands of stains that you would preferably use on new wood? Should I use the tape, and if so, stain before I apply the tape?

Thanks,

Sean

Hello,
I have powersanded my PT pine deck to remove the Behr solid stain it had on it and have RAD cleaner & brightener ready to go. I also purchased Armstrong Clark rustic brown deck stain. Unfortunately, the weather report is saying there is ~50% of thunderstorms from 9am until 9pm Wednesday. Thursday is looking to be 84F and mostly sunny.
1. Can I use RAD cleaner & brightener on wet wood after the storms have passed on Wednesday?
2. If yes to #1, would the deck be ready to stain Thursday evening (~6pm) after drying all day (84F & mostly sunny)?
3. If yes to #2, can I put back my deck furniture / grill on Friday afternoon/evening? Will that be enough time for everything to absorb fully?

I have an old deck that I want to stain and am interested in AC. I pressure washed and then lightly sanded. Am I ready to use the semi solid stain or need to do more prep like the brightener? Thanks very much.

Hello,
I have a year old redwood deck that I sanded with 120 grit sandpaper and prepped with Armstrong Clark cleaning then brightening using a power washer. My first attempt at power washing got most but not get all the gray out so I then put more cleaner on and scrubbed with a stiff bristle brush and then brightened again. Oh so beautiful. I’ve now read that 60 or 80 grit sandpaper is preferred for deck prep. I’m staining with Armstrong Clark transparent stain cedar tone. Will the 120 grit sandpaper hurt things or am I good?
Thanks for your help,
David

Hi can the ac semi transparent stain in driftwood be tinted to make it a little darker. Thanks

My B Grade redwood deck is about 12 years old and I would like to sand and stain this spring. Your suggestions would be appreciated.

After you have prepped your deck for stain i.e., (using cleanser and brightner), I know you are supposed to wait at least 2 days to apply stain. My question is how long can your deck go without staining after you have prepped it?

Looking at the AC Semi-Solids. These are the only colors I can find that appear to be dark enough and closest Match to my other deck which has Olympic Maximum in a tinted Tobacco Color (dark brown with a hint of red tones).

BUT … I just saw on the AC site (armclark dot com) that for the Semi-Solids it says: NOT for wood less than 1 year old / NOT for sitting surfaces or furniture / NOT for playground equipment. What?

Ok Perhaps I understand “less than a year old” although my deck will be 3-5 months old when i stain it (new wood that I will prep), but what is up with Not for Sitting Surfaces or Furniture? So am I stuck with the Semi-Transparent colors?

Right now I have a sample of the AC ST Rustic Brown which in the pic looks close to where I need to be, but applied it is very transparent and more red than brown. Also, this product seems to go on and just sit on the wood and not soak in. I tested it on 10 year old lightly sanded but not washed deck plank. It pooled on the top and got spots. I am assuming Mill Glaze?

Also tried the RAD Dark Oak sample on the same board. It soaked in much much better upon application, but was basically the same color and the darkest color available from RAD

I also have a sample of TWP Dark Oak 100 series, but not holding out much hope on the color.

Where can I get a Dark Color? I guess the AC Semi-Solids are out for my use (deck with steps and chairs). AC says I can mix colors, but could I mix the Rustic Brown ST with a darker semi s0lid. or perhaps there very dark Black Walnut Transparent … or just use that alone, but it too may be too light?

Here are the samples I have so far. Pic #3, RAD on Left in Dark Walnut (bottom same) / Center AC Semi-Trans Rustic Brown (bottom same not dry) / Far Right Olympic Maximum Semi-Trans Tobacco (where I’m trying to be). I have an older deck in back and staining 2 newer decks in front. Trying to match them close but not perfectly. And I dont want to use the Olympic if I dont have to.

Pic #1 is where it is going. Pic #2 is the deck Im trying to match, but one is in the front of the house the other in the back so it does not have to be perfect.

Any ideas? If I do a 2 coats will it darken? Or will the same color darker a year later in a refresh?

Completing the construction of adding a new redwood railing ( top/bottom rail approx. 50 ft. total and two 4 -step stairs ). I desire to retain the natural color. Since construction began the wood has discolored slightly due to the weather. Upcoming forecast here in So. Cal is rain from Wednesday 3/20 – 22/2019. My research on the best solution for treating the redwood has rendered the following; No Varnish/Urethane or Oil based finish with the exception of Quality oil-based finishes, including those based upon linseed oil, containing mildewcides, and are appropriate for use on exterior redwood. With this information what would you recommend for recapturing and retain the natural hue of the wood?

Thank you!
Marvin

I applied the Armstrong Clark semi transparent stain in the color chestnut about 2 years ago. Part of my deck is covered all summer and that part has maintained the color rather well. But the other part of the deck is exposed to sun and has little stain left on them. I want to reapply the same color this year. Do I just have to use a cleaner and brightener then stain, or since there is such a variation of color on the boards should I do something else in addition to using a cleaner and brightener.

Hi, what’s the prep needed to apply a second coat of stain? We stained our newly built fence last summer and would want to apply a second coat this year for added protection.

I live in California, 1 hour north of San Francisco. I have a 650 sq. ft. redwood clear heart deck built in Oct. 2016. It was sanded and stained 2 weeks after completion with 1 coat of Super Deck transparent “Cedar 1901”. Seven months later, on May 30, 2017, it was washed 3 times with Super Deck exterior wood cleaner and stained with 1 coat of Super Deck transparent
“Cedar 1901”. Approximately 6 weeks later, on July 10, 2017, it was stained again for the 3rd time with Super Deck transparent “Cedar 1901”. No deck cleaner was used and no other preparation was done prior to this last staining on July 10, 2017.

I want to try using an Armstrong Clark semi-transparent stain, hoping for better color retention and I would like to be able to still see the wood grain. Since I could not stain the deck this summer, I will wait until next spring. Can you tell me the correct preparation to use before staining with Armstrong Clark? Also, should 1 or 2 coats of stain be applied?

I spoke recently with Armstrong Clark Customer Support about this semi-transparent stain. Part of my deck is shaded and is prone to get mold. They recommended a product called “Wet and Forget” which can be sprayed onto the deck and should help prevent mold. Do you know anything about this product and can you recommend it?

Thank you very much for your help!

We applied per the directions about 10 days ago Spray then rolled out. No puddles, etc. It’s slick. Help.

Had redwood Deck stained last year with a cheap transparent product, it has failed and I want to apply an oil based Mahogany from Armstrong and Clark, I am sanding the old stain and now the wood looks good to apply an oil stain, what about areas under the deck that are hard to reach, if I can get sand paper to it, will oil stain adhere to the wood

I stripped and belt sanded a nice old mahogany porch and purchased the AC transparent natural tone wanting the wood to show its true beauty. These are pictures when I applied to a couple of the steps on my porch. I must say for natural tone, this appears rather dark. To me that was ALOT of work to see these results hoping that natural tone would allow the wood to speak. Any suggestions?

could I use Armstrong Clark Wood Stain on a new deck that has been up for six weeks. I looked at the Timber wood oil and we wanted a darker color than what they had and winter is coming around the corner. So we were hoping we could use the Armstrong because of the color we wanted

Why does the mfg instructions forbid garden sprayer application if you found it to work well?
I am about to apply AC semi solid on new cedar and need guidance as to whether your method works or I need to follow the mfg instructions.

How does Chabot compare with the other stains on a new deck surface. Will it penetrate into the wood?

installing new red cedar kiln dried 5/4″ covered porch decking, want a natural finish , do i have to sand before applying.
it is a wraparound porch 100’x 10′ sounds like 5 gal should do

I have replaced a lot of boards on my deck last month. I have eight older ones that are in good condition. And added then for a different look. When should i clean and stain my deck here in Atlanta, Ga?

This is a great site! So much information; it’s also overwhelming for our older brains and our level of wood smarts. We’ve ordered a red cedar pergola kit from “Outdoor Living Today” and can either let it weather naturally or (preferred) put some type of stain on it prior to assembling it for protection from elements. Originally we were thinking of using a solid but the reviews we’ve seen on different sites indicate lots of issues with peeling etc. We live in the Chicago area. From what we’ve read, our understanding is that the TWP stains cannot be used on unweathered wood. What types of stain would you choose for a new red cedar structure. Thanks for this site and thanks in advance whether or not you have any recommendations. Don’t know if this is helpful at all, but I’m including the photo from the manufacture’s site.

Can you mix a transparent with a semi transparent. Would like the chest nut or pale oak a little lighter. Going on pressure washed boarding.

I reached out for deck stain options and you suggested Armstrong Clark as well as TWP 1500. I have not decided which product to use but since your suggestions and in prepping the deck I have had to replaced 14 12′ deck boards. Now I have created a problem. The boards are new treated pine and don’t match the older weathered boards. Now I’m not sure when I can clean, brighten, and apply the stain. Your additional help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Mike

I had a redwood deck and planter boxes constructed last Spring (2017). I used Behr Transparent Penetrating Oil Wood Finish on them. It was “Clear” as I wanted to keep the natural wood finish. It turned out awful, streaky, blotchy and the wood turned a yellow/golden color. I was told today that their product that they call “Clear” is not clear, but is designed to turn the wood to natural or without color. I am starting to sand it off, which is not as bad as I thought. Coming off pretty easy and for the most part back to the original redwood color. I don’t generally like the redwood stains as they look a little fake to me. I do like natural red cedar as well as the natural redwood. If I can find a color that I like in the AC line, will I be able to use it after I get done sanding and cleaning the wood, or should I sand, clean and leave until next Spring? I live in Reno, NV and the sun is very hot.
Thank You for your help with my questions

Can I put this over oil based stain?