This post was updated on February 28, 2024
Will Deck Stains Work Inside?
No, they cannot be used indoors. Exterior wood and deck stains are designed for outside use only. The chemical makeup is much different than an interior stain like Varathane or Minwax wood stains. Exterior wood and deck stains contain additional ingredients not found in interior stains, such as trans oxide and acrylic pigments, water repellent properties, and mildewcides. Exterior deck stains will not penetrate as deep into the wood grain as interior stains and cannot be top-coated with polyurethanes or varnishes. Adding a top coat over an exterior wood or deck stain will result in peeling.
More Info on Indoor Deck Stain
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For more info, see our Deck Stain Facts section with over 150 simple Q&A articles that answer all the questions that you have regarding deck staining, cleaning, and prep.
Hello: I am looking for some type of aerospace oil based transparent stain that I can apply to a new set of stairs (red oak) and that will last for 100 years or more. Does such a thing exist?
No. 😂
We used exterior semi-transparent deck stain on an interior wood floor, not realizing that the strong fumes would be dangerous to health and would persist. It’s been a month and the fumes have not dissipated. The area is now unusable. What is the best fix? I read that painting over with a clear sealer or paint is not recommended, because they won’t so not adhere to a deck stain and will result in peeling. What shoudl we fix this? Can we just sand it off? Or do we need to use a chemical stripper first to more thoroughly remove it?
Since it is indoors we would power sand it all off.