This post was updated on April 4, 2025
Hi, I am Scott Paul, a leading exterior restoration contractor and business owner with over 30 years of experience in exterior wood decking. My Cabot Solid Color Deck Stain review is based on my history as a wood restoration contractor and actual hands-on testing, all designed to present you with the top deck stain choices. See here for more info about me.
Cabot Solid Color Wood and Deck Stain Review 2025
Cabot Solid Color Deck Stain Review
Cabot Solid Color Wood and Deck Stain: Initial Review
This is our initial review of the Cabot Solid Color Wood and Deck Stain, and we plan to update it over time as more feedback becomes available. Cabot Solid Stains have been a staple in the market for over 20 years and were once considered one of the top brands.
However, since Valspar acquired Cabot, we’ve observed a noticeable decline in the overall quality of their deck stains across the board.
Share Your Experience
We value your input and would love to hear how Cabot Solid Color Deck Stains have performed for you. Feel free to leave a comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to share pictures of your completed projects to help others make an informed decision.
Cabot Solid Color Deck Stain Review
Summary: Cabot® Solid Color Decking Stains are extremely durable exterior stains for use on all wood decking, outdoor furniture, and fencing, as well as cement patios and walkways. Series #1800, a 100% acrylic finish, is water-repellent and fade-resistant. Oil Series #1600 and #7600 contain all-natural pigment with 100% alkyd resin. Solid Color Stains provide excellent adhesion to new, previously stained, or painted surfaces in a clean, sound condition.
Solid-color decking Stains are ideal for use on most types of lumber, including redwood, cypress, pine, and fir, as well as pressure-treated wood.
How I Rated Cabot® Solid Color Decking Stain
My Cabot® Solid Color Decking Stains review contains a 6-step process and the final average score. Each step is on a scale of 1-10.
- The appearance of Cabot® Solid Color Decking Stains after Application
- Peeling or Wearing
- Cost Per Square Foot
- Preventing Mold and Mildew
- How Easy was the Application
- Ease of Reapplication
- Cabot® Solid Color Decking Stains Final Score
6-Step Review of Cabot Solid Color Wood Stain
1. Appearance After Initial Stain Application: 8
The two coats of Cabot Solid Deck Stain applied to our deck wood covered the wood evenly and did not show any wood grain, which is expected with a solid stain.
2. Wear/Tear and Peeling: 4
At the 2-year mark, the flooring wore and peeled significantly.
Cabot Solid Stain Peeling – from CabotStain.com
3. Cost Per Square Foot: 7
We applied two coats to our 500 sq. feet of verticals, including all railings and steps. Three gallons were used at a cost of $50 per gallon.
4. Preventing Mold/Mildew/Algae: 10
Similar to other water-based solid color deck stains, the Cabot Solid Stain showed no signs of any mildew.
5. Ease of Application: 7
We applied two coats of the Cabot Solid solid color stain with a roller and brush to the wood, waiting about 30 minutes between coats. The coverage was not as good as other solid-color deck stains.
6. Difficulty of Reapplication: 4
Sanding and stripping will be needed for reapplication.
Overall Score Cabot Solid Color Stain at 2 Year Period: 6.66
Cabot Solid Color Deck Stain Review: Then vs. Now
When we began restoring decks in the mid-1990s, the Cabot Solid Stain was widely regarded as the best on the market. Unfortunately, since Cabot started selling through big-box stores, there have been numerous formula changes, and with those changes, a noticeable decline in quality.
Declining Performance
- Past Excellence: The original formula was known for its durability and rich, consistent finish.
- Current Issues: Changes to the formula have resulted in a product that no longer performs at the same level. This has been reflected in the poor reviews on Cabot’s own site for their Solid Stains.
Our Recommendation
Based on our experience and customer feedback, we do not recommend the Cabot Solid Color Deck Stain. If you’re considering this product, we suggest looking at alternative solid stains with proven performance and reliability.
Have you used Cabot Solid Stain recently? Share your experience in the comments below—we’d love to hear how it worked for you.
Looking For a Better Solid Color Stain?
Cabot Solid Stain Product Information
Cost: $49.99 per Gallon
Stain Type: Solid Color (Opaque) Wood Stain – Water Based
Available Custom-Mixed Solid Colors: Custom tinted to any color.
Application Temperature: 45-95 F
Coats Required: 2 Coats
Coverage Per Gallon: 150-350 sq. ft
Application Tools: Airless Sprayer, Brush, Roller
Dry Time: 2-4 Hours
Cleanup: Water
VOC Compliant: 50 VOC Compliant in all States
Manufacturer: Cabot
Test Deck Stats
Deck Wood Type: Pressure Treated Pine
Deck Square Footage: 500 Square feet
UV Exposure: Full Sun
How Many Years Tested: 2 Years
Stain Color Used: Gray
*All products tested and results are from our experience. We offer no guarantee of similar results. Consider that results may differ due to different wood types, exposure to UV radiation, and natural weathering.
The Best Solid Color Deck Stain Video – DeckStainHelp.com
Questions on Cabot Solid Color Deck Stains? Ask Below!
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I’m very unhappy with Cabot Solid deck & fence stain. We had our deck done last year, applied using a brush by a professional painter. It went on to existing stain after careful preparation and a thorough sanding. This spring it looked as though it hadn’t been done in years. Peeling off in big patches & faded, it looks terrible. Never again will I use Cabot products.
Horrible product, complete scam. Stay away from this product
We agree.
typical corporate scumbags ruin a good product and turn it into garbage in the name of profit. Time to find a new product line this stuff is now trash. Had great success for years using cabots but now Valspar low grade paint manufacturer now owns this name brand has litterally destroyed a great product line to fill CEOs pockets and the paint had failed in 6 months with major prep prior to installation so sad 😭
We agree.
I contacted Cabot and was told that because this stain is not designed to soak into the wood, you need to give the surface a rough sanding before applying
Did you have a question we can help with?
What brush is best to paint stair tread wood
Any quality brush will work with exterior solid stains.
I need to find Cabot Gold exterior wood stain , color, fireside cherry please i have to finish my home cant find it any were, why? Do you carry it?
Sorry, we are not a store that sells Cabot stain. We are a review and help site.
This product should not be on the market as an outdoor stain. Only a few months after the paint job was finished, our deck looked worse than before the painting. See pics. Using this product has cost a lot of money as we now have to hire someone to remove the product and redo the paint job. The wood was prepped and painted by an experienced painter, so that can’t be used as an excuse. This is very costly to undo! I certainly would never buy Cabot products again.. I would like to give a negative number for the ratings, but not possible!
Cabot solid stain acrylic is a good on vertical applications like railings. I do not recommend it for flat horizontal surfaces.
26 years of sealing my deck without any problems. Always used thompsons but was told last year not to buy thompson because they supposedly had a bad product in 2022. Recommended cabot. I had built a new deck, waited patiently for it to be ready to receive stain. Deck pressure wash, rough spots sanded & sealer applied in 2 coats. Within days it began to come up. 1 year later huge areas have worn thin or simply washes off. This is about 1000 sq feet of decking & cabot is an exoensive product. Directions were followed carefully & I have been sealing my deck as I said for 26 years. Would not ever recommend this product to anyone. $100’s of dollars just washing off into! my yard
Applied Cabot solid color oil base stain to deck. Three hours later a light rain and temperature dropped below 50 f. Areas of the deck look good but some large areas have a flat dull appearance. Can anything be done to blend them in to the better looking areas. Dru
Recoat all of it for an even appearance.
i’m done with cabots. It was recommended to me by a carpenter and i’ve used it for siding, porches, decks and picnic tables. Thankfully it’s holding on the siding. The deck, the porch, the picnic table, not so much. it seems I have to touch it up yearly. For being a 10 year stain, cabots should be ashamed of themselves. i will seek out an alternative.
Very upset bought Cabot Solid Stain from Menards.
After the winter weather top rail of my deck is peeling.
I worked at Ace Hardware for 30 years Stain should never peel.
That’s why you stain instead of paint.
This is the worst stain I have ever used. After cleaning, scraping and preparing deck, I watched it wash away after being down for 24 hours when rain storm hit.
Second coat. Same thing. This stuff is awful and taking back to Lowe’s with pictures for refund
I just used some Cabot Solid Color Oil Deck Stain
on some treated lumber . It had a lengthy drying time
compared to some acrylic latex deck stain
that I used for the rest of the project .
It did NOT seem to penetrate into the wood
and scuffs very easily .It also looks like crap !
It was CA$20 more a “gallon” than the acrylic latex ,
and in my opinion it wrecked the part of the project
that I had used it on . Am very disappointed .
Greedy corporate bastards are wrecking our society .
Best stain for an older deck! 100 degrees for two months and still looks great!
Buy this product at Lowe’s— otherwise the pigments at smaller retailers who carry Valspar will be different-
My “Fieldstone” ended up a very pinkish Taupe—just awful—
Am donating the 2nd gallon and requested reimbursement for the one I used—
Wish I had had this advice myself!!!
Bubble and peeled after 1 year.
It was easy to to put on and looked good but cc did not last. Solid grey Cabot.
Very disappointed. Bought 3 gallons and
Complained to Menard. They gave us a 1 gallon.
Going to try trex but have read negative things calm about it warping.
I used Cabot acrylic solid color deck stain. Application was decent, but now that the weather is warming up and I notice that my deck is peeling and chipping all over. I went through the exhausting process of pressure washing my entire deck and allowing it enough time to dry prior to application. I finished this project September of 2019 it’s now 8 months later and looks like crap. Not happy, Amy suggestions
Applied V`s semi transparent liberally with brush on nEW western red cedar planking deck two years ago after letting wood season in place for a year with nothing on it. Results as follows:
The half of large deck that has roof cover but otherwise open – no issues, still looks good and no peeling or flaking etc. The half that was exposed to weather – different story. I have had to re-stain TWICE and expect will have to re-do every year.
I used Cabot acrylic solid color deck stain. Application was decent, but now that the weather is warming up and I notice that my deck is peeling and chipping all over. I went through the exhausting process of pressure washing my entire deck and allowing it enough time to dry prior to application. I finished this project August of 2019 it’s now 7 months later and looks like crap. Not happy, wouldn’t recommend to use again.
Not impressed with Cabot Solid Stain. It is advertised for decks and heavy traffic. I do not see how they get away with saying this. The reviews clearly show it does not hold up. I left my new deck weather for 2 years. I applied the solid stain, in a few months it showed signs of wear. A year later and it looked terrible. Now I have a mess to take care of. For what it is, it is way overpriced. I do not like making a negative post. This one was necessary.
I painted my deck with Cabot solid stain…..looked amazing….for 6 monthes. 2 yrs now and it is just shameful!
Definitely not scuff resistant! After a couple of weeks the stain wore off completely where my gazebo curtains (which are very light) touched the deck. After 2 years there are many areas on the deck where the stain has worn off. Also, I was very meticulous about prepping the deck before applying the Cabot Solid Colour Acrylic Deck Stain. Looks like I will try Behr this summer.
Behr is not good. Try one of these brands of solid stains:
https://www.deckstainhelp.com/what-are-the-best-solid-color-deck-stains/
Just used Valspar on my deck!!!!Did absolutely nothing….Will never waste my money on that cleaner again…I used Olympian and it took all the stains and mildew off,,,,
What about Cabot Australian oil and it’s ratings?
See this: https://www.deckstainhelp.com/cabot-australian-timber-oil-review-2016/