This post was updated on May 9, 2025
Best Wood Stain for New Pressure Treated Pine
Pressure-Treated Pine
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 2025. Below, we talk about the Best Stain for New Pressure Treated Pine. Feel free to leave a comment below with any pictures you may have.
Best Water-Based Deck Stain for New Wood | The Easiest Applying Deck Stain for New Wood | Best Oil-Based Deck Stain for New Wood |
Months to Weather New Wood: 3 months for both semi-transparent and solid stain colors. | Months to Weather New Wood: 2-3 months for transparent and semi-transparent colors. 12 months for semi-solid. | Months to Weather New Wood: 4 - 12 months for all TWP Series and Colors. |
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Whether you have had an old deck replaced or simply had a new deck added on, there are certainly a lot of benefits. Wood decks increase a home’s curb appeal and value. They add extra outdoor living space and are the witness of many come to family gatherings and get-togethers. A new deck’s strength and sheer durability make you feel like it will last forever. But as some homeowners soon find out, that newness can wear off and that once beautiful deck becomes a neglected eyesore.
But there is hope and to keep your new deck looking new and lasting for many years to come, you merely have to take care of it. Weather and elements like moisture and fading UV rays are a new deck’s biggest enemy. So the goal of keeping a deck looking good is to provide it with some protection.
Best Stain for Pressure Treated Wood
Some deck owners are under the false impression that “pressure-treated” means the wood has already been treated from the weather. The truth is that the chemical treatment added to pine is to deter bugs and insects from eating the wood. There is no water repellency or sun blocking treatment in the wood whatsoever. So let’s be clear, new pressure treated decks still need to be treated with a water-repellant wood stain.
Staining a new deck is much different than staining an old deck. Older wood is drier and very porous. It will absorb almost any type of wood stain and be adequately protected. New pressure-treated pine, on the other hand, has higher moisture content and therefore is much denser making deck stain penetration more difficult.
You want to allow a newer deck to age because initially, the moisture content is entirely too high. Trapping moisture in the wood by staining it too soon is not good. Once the deck has dried for 3-6 months and has a moisture content of 12% or less, it is ready for stain.
Even new decks need to be cleaned. During the aging process, some dirt and contaminants will embed into the wood. There may also be some mill glaze present that could keep a new deck stain from penetrating. Wash the new pinewood deck with a good deck cleaner and allow it to dry.
When looking for the best stain on new pressure-treated decks choose a formula that is specifically designed to penetrate the dense surface such as Armstrong Clark Stains. The new pressure treated deck stain needs to penetrate well to be effective. A stain that lacks in performance will remain on the surface and will be prone to peeling.
New wood can stay looking new with little care and regular maintenance. Clean the wood as needed and apply a quality pressure treated deck stain that can penetrate the new dense wood. This will guarantee increased effectiveness and outstanding protection for your new deck.
Staining a New Deck Tips Video – DeckStainHelp.com
Post a Question Below
We live in the northeast and have an existing deck with pressure treated yellow pine. Replacing about a dozen boards due to cracking/rotting with new pressure treated boards I know the new boards need to be seasoned before painting, but am having difficulty in determining the best paint, primer, procedure, etc. for the older boards. Appreciate your thoughts.
Hi Jeff,
You do not use primer or paints on decking. You need a wood and deck stain. They come in different types of opacity so it depends on what you where looking for.
https://www.deckstainhelp.com/deck-stains/
8 month old pressure treaded pergolo best stain to use. Thanks
Look at TWP 1500 Series or Restore-A-Deck Wood Stain.
Hello Scott,
I have hand rail that was installed about 2 weeks ago.
This is treated pine 4×4 ground contact general use wood and other types I do not know since my contractor bought it at home depot. So whatever is at home depot. I have. Probably treated wood.
I am at the mercy of the contractor for finishing the job, which includes staining or painting.
He said to wait a few weeks to allow the wood to dry more. (this is all new to me)
He also filled in some holes with stainable woodfiller in some areas, because he was rough with the driver and over sank and splintered a lot of different segments.
So I have woodfiller on top that needs to be sanded in several spots
He is supposed to come back this week to apply my chosen stain or paint and if I don’t get this person to finish now, I probably won’t be able to get this finished at all as he won’t come back.
What is the best way to deal with this at this stage so that I don’t shoot myself on the foot and make this worse?
I am sure he will want to come and sand down the woodfiller with a power sander, clean dust with a rag and then stain or paint one coat and be done and gone.
I already paid him. I have attached a picture.
Need to know what to have him do so this project is finished the best way possible with what I am having to deal with.
Thank you for your comments.
You need to wait a few months, not weeks. Prep before staining.
https://www.deckstainhelp.com/how-long-should-you-wait-to-stain-a-new-deck/
thank you for replying Scott.
Should I ask him to just sand down the wood filler or remove it completely maybe?
What about the split wood and splintered wood from driving the screws, is there a way to fix these? Maybe smooth down the poking splintered areas by sanding or using a scalpel?
Thing is this contractor will never come back after this, so I might as well get him to do something so that I can later prep more easily and stain.
I would really appreciate a few words on what to tell him to sand and how or how to try to make the rail look better for when he comes.
They are always in a hurry and do as they please. :( have a great day
Remove the filler as it will not “stain” to blend. No issues with split wood, that is normal. Just leave it as is.
I stained my deck with cider mill stain.
Applied it with a foam pad. All crevices were covered. It looked great until it rained on it.
Not it is blotchy and sticky. It is a water based stain. Where water ponded on deck has left spots….it’s as though the rain diluted the stain.
The tackiness of deck also revealed itself after the rain.
The deck looked great prior to rain.
What to do ?
Most likley you will need to remove and start over with a better stain that fully cures without issues. Post some pics and what brand did you use?
Should I have sealed deck after staining it ?
You cannot apply a sealer over a deck stain. It will peel.
We have a new, screened Trex deck with pressure treated pine columns and knotty pine ceiling. Will be gathering our prep materials and stain over the next few months while allowing wood to dry out. Advice on application tools and techniques (especially for ceiling) will be greatly appreciated. Also, since ceiling pieces are so much thinner than columns (they’re 6×6) should we stain them sooner? Thank you!
See this about new wood: https://www.deckstainhelp.com/how-long-should-you-wait-to-stain-a-new-deck/
Cover the Trex well when staining. Use stain pads or brushes when applying.
Hi
I am wondering is a oil base stain better for longevity ? Also what do you think compares to sikkens stain ?
Thanks Brenda
Sikkens is not made anymore in the US and PPG ProLux the replacement is not very good.