Deck Stain Stripping vs. Deck Cleaning
Knowing the difference between deck stain stripping and deck cleaning can be vital to your deck maintenance or restoration project. It’s important first to understand why cleaning a wood surface is necessary.
Besides the obvious of overall appearance and curb appeal, a wood deck should be cleaned and sealed every couple of years to prevent structural damage. Water and moisture wreak havoc on wood inviting mold and mildew which can lead to wood rot. The sun’s U.V. rays also damage wood fibers and turn them an unsightly gray. In colder climates freeze/thaw occurrences can warp, crack, and split boards ruining a deck in no time.
By cleaning the wood and protecting it with a quality wood stain, you are locking out moisture, blocking sun rays, and protecting the deck from the environment. This ensures a better overall appearance and a longer lasting wood structure.
Now that we have determined why cleaning a wood deck is necessary let’s uncover the differences between deck stain stripping and deck cleaning. Before applying any sealer to the wood it has to be cleaned properly. You need to use a deck cleaner to remove all the unwanted soils such as dirt, mold, mildew, and graying. This will guarantee a clean surface for the new deck stain.
The deck cleaner is mixed up as needed and normally applied with a pump sprayer. It should be allowed to dwell on the surface for several minutes to break up the unwanted soils. This is then followed up with a stiff brush scrubbing or light to moderate pressure washing to remove the contaminants. The deck is then rinsed and a deck brightener is applied to restore the pH of the wood and brighten the wood grain.
Failing Deck Stain
When an old failing wood stain or sealer is present a deck cleaner is usually not aggressive enough to remove it. In this case using a deck stripper instead of a deck cleaner will not only remove unwanted soils but also unwanted stain or sealer remnants. Deck strippers are a more aggressive caustic than a deck cleaner. They emulsify and soften most deck stains so they can be washed away with all the other contaminants. The deck stripping process is the same as deck cleaning with the applying, dwelling, and pressure washing. The only difference is the product used and like mentioned, that is determined by what is existing on the deck prior to cleaning. A deck brighter should also be applied following deck stripping.
Basically the difference between deck stain stripping and deck cleaning is whether or not there is an old deck stain present or you are just removing dirt, grime, graying, etc. Determine what is on the surface of your deck and use either the deck stain stripping or deck cleaning process, followed by deck brightening to prep the wood prior to staining.
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221 Comments on "Clean or Strip the Deck Stain?"
I used a “7 years” rubber-type stain that started to peel right away. I’m a woman with limited strength. I need to take off all stain. Should I go with a) large sander or b) stain stripper and power washer. I have a large deck and dock and lots of steps. My little sander did not really do much stripping on the steps.
Hello, a stripper will not remove this. There is unfortunately not an easy way to fix. Power sanding or replace the wood.
Hi there.
I have a deck with a failing semi-transparent stain, much of which came off when I power washed it (the verticals are fine). Can I sand off the failing semi-transparent stain (but leave it where it’s holding) and recoat everything with a solid stain? If so, should it be oil or latex? Does it need priming? Do I clean or brighten it after sanding?
Or…what procedure would you recommend?
Thanks!!
If you are going with a solid stain you do not need to remove all of the old stain. Just leave the intact stain. No need to brighten the wood. Priming is not usually suggested for a solid color deck stain.
Hi everyone,
I need your guidance. This deck has been built in 2010 and I recently purchased this home in 2015. The old owners left a few supplies. The stain being used is Sikkens SIK440XX.
1) Do I have to re-stain the entire double deck or just sections where peeling is occurring? The old owner said he just lightly hand sanded peeling sections and stained that section.
2) Do I have to wash/clean the wood?
3) Do I have to use a stain remover?
5) Do I have the sand?
6) Do I have to stain the deck twice or once will be sufficient?
7) What about under the deck?
Thank you!
The previous owner used the wrong type od Sikkens. The correct type for decks is the Sikkens SRD, not the filming Cetol version. Problem is that this type peels. Adding more will make it peel even more. You should sand it all off and start over.
One is matte while the other is satin. The deck is a mix of Cedar also. Why is it the wrong type? If possible, can you also answer the other questions as this would guide me big time.
MATTE: Cetol SRD RE is a one-coat, translucent exterior wood finish created for use on a wide variety of surfaces. This easy-to-use finish has excellent UV protection and allows for beautiful wood clarity.
VS
SATIN: Cetol DEK Finish is a high-performance, translucent satin finish for exterior decks. This alkyd high solids formulation offers optimum protection, ultimate durability and a beautiful furniture-like finish with the simplicity of a one-product, two-coat application. Offers optimal protection on pressure-treated wood, cedar, redwood, pine, hardwood and lumber.
Thanks
The Cetol DEK is a filming product that peels, making removal and future reapplication much harder. For decks, you want a full penetrating stain.
You should strip, sand and remove the current coating. Brighten all after. As for the stain application, it depends on the brand you end up choosing going forward.
I was told to use both deck cleaner and deck stripper. Should I use both? And If so which one first? My deck is in bad shape and defiantly needs stripping.
No need to use a cleaner if you are using a stripper. You will need to brighten after.
We just bought a house with an indoor pool. The pool house walls and ceilings are paneled in tongue and groove (cedar?) wood boards or siding. The wood appears to be pretty natural – no sealants, no treatments, basically just boards. Because of the high humidity over the years (the pool house is probably about 30-38 years old), there is some noticeable staining to the boards – some mold, some water streaks, potentially some resin streaks as the boards seem to be cedar, nothing super super dark but certainly noticeable, along with some uneven coloration from one area to another. We would like to seal the wood against further damage as well as hopefully cover up some of the stains. Our handyman seems to think a deck sealer-type product would be best over like a wood siding paint or stain because of the at times high humidity (it can be as low as 20%, can get as high as 90% occasionally but usually hovers between 40%-70% – we live in Denver so the pool house humidity is likely mitigated somewhat by how dry it is in our region). At it’s worst, there have been a couple occasions where there has been condensation running down the walls, although that problem has become very rare, if not completely fixed, after we got a pool cover so now it’s mostly just humid without active condensation. Anyway, should I just stick with a deck cleaner as opposed to stripper, because there doesn’t seem to be old stain on it? I kind of feel like I should go with stripper, then bleach just based on the relatively heavy staining and also because I would like to lighten the wood, to whatever extent that is possible so that the wood doesn’t go super dark when we stain it. Ideally, I would like to keep it in the blond wood to new cedar color range as opposed to any darker stains. Also, I guess I should ask if deck sealer is really the best product for this application to begin with. As I said, handyman seems to think deck sealer is the way to go, although it they obviously must have houses with wood siding in areas with high humidity or areas where it rains a lot so maybe a paint for wood siding is a possibility. Any advice you could give would be very appreciated.
Interior wood is not prepped and or sealed the same as exterior wood decking or houses. Unfortunately, we do not have any experience with an interior like this. Sorry.
Just bought a house, I have a wooden deck that was partially repaired with treated wood only and the original deck is green paint. I know I need to clean the whole deck and wanted to finish it with a green stain instead of paint.
Should I plan on stripping also or just clean, brighten and stain?
Hello, you cannot stain over a paint. Stripping will not remove paint. You will need to sand it all off if you want to remove. Other option is to use a paint again.
Thank you..
We moved into our house two and a half years ago, and our deck was obviously recently stained before we bought the place with a nice dark color. The Behr cans of stain were left in the garage, so I know what brand not to use again because after less than two years, even though a it’s somewhat shaded but high traffic deck, the wood on the floor, stairs, top railing is whitish and cracking along the grain. The verticals on the railings are still quite dark though. Underneath the deck (it’s about 6 feet high) There is visible green moss or something growing. There is just a dirt ground underneath, though I plan to grade it and put gravel on the ground because water often puddles there when it rains, but the air conditioning condenser and dryer vent are under there too. My 1st question is, will power washing with a injected stripper take the stain off the verticals and make everything uniform OR will power washing it damage the already cracked wood? If I sand it, do I need any kind of wood cleaning detergent or stripper and brightener, or just blow it off and use a brightener, and do I need to fill the cracks with anything? (I obviously don’t know what I’m doing here.) My last question is, what do I do about the green underside– do I need to treat it with something too or just wash it?
Behr is not easy to remove or strip. Do not inject. Pump spray on and pressure wash off. Repeat until removed. It may take a few times to get it off. Sanding is your other option. Do not use a filler on exterior wood, it does not work. Just wash the green with a deck cleaner. Brighten all after the prep.
One other thing, even though I’m not all that happy with the Behr, would it save any work if I used the same exact stuff?
Yes, it would be this time, but eventually, it will get worse and you will have to remove it. It will be harder when there are multiple layers.
Ok, I was wrong about the brand. Sorry. It is db Superdeck transparent stain if that makes any difference. So this makes me sound like a cad, but we’re trying to sell the house and only have three weeks to do everything so less work sounds good when I’m not the one who will have to live with it later. However, I’d like to do the right thing, but I need to know what I’m looking it as far as a difference in time and energy spent between the two options. What would the process be for removing it with a pressure washer or by sanding vs. using the same stuff?
P.S. Here’s a picture of the deck. I don’t know if you can see the cracks in the wood or not. I should also probably mention it has some paint on it from a naughty 3 year old who found an unattended roller while I was doing another project. would a pressure wash take care of that?
Use a stain stripper and pressure washer to remove the Super Deck. It will come off. Use a stain like TWP when done. Do nothing to the cracks. It is normal to have cracks in exterior wood.
Okay. Awesome. I will do that.
Thank you for your help! I appreciate it.
I have a solid color stain on my deck and it peeled the first year. Any suggestion?
Will I just have to reapply every year?
Sand it off and start over with a penetrating stain so future applications are easier.
Hi, I have the deck that been stained with Cabot wood-toned stain two years ago. It is fading out so I would like to re-stain it with exactly the same Cabot wood-toned stain. Do I need to strip the old stain or simple powerwash will be enough?
Thank you.
You should be good with cleaning and reapplying the same stain.
Thank you! Just to clarify – does ‘cleaning’ here means simple powerwash or I should use dome deck cleaner before power wash?
Use a deck cleaner and pressure washing.
Thanks a lot!
Simple answer to a simple question. Just exactly what I wanted.
Hi, my son-in-law’s deck is in poor shape. I plan to clean, strip, power wash and brighten it, using the appropriate products. However, the surrounding verticals and latticework are in fairly good shape. They are stained, but brand unknown. It has a western exposure.
I plan to use a dark, semi-transparent stain on the deck. Could I also apply this to the verticals and latticework without stripping them down to the bare wood?
No, not without removing the old coating you cannot. The new semi-transaprent stain will not be able to soak into the wood properly.
So I have been using a clear deck stain for inside furniture and cabinet projects to make wood water resistant. I recently did a kitchen cabinet project and finished the cabinets with a water based paint as a stain, I put the clear deck stain on as a sealer, but it did not seal the paint. Bc it is breathable, the paint wipes off. Can I put a poly on top of the deck stain to seal the two?
Probaly not. Best to ask the manufacturer of the sealer that you used to see if possible. In our experince, you will make the problem worse by adding more.
Does all the old stain need to be stripped before applying a new stain? The stain stripper did not remove the stain, so do we need to sand away the old stain before applying the new stain?
Thanks!
Yes it is best to remove all.
My deck has 5+ year old water-based solid stain on it (not sure of brand). I want to apply a darker color solid stain, which will probably be a different brand. Can I just clean it very good or does it need stripped and brightened?
If reapply another solid stain just clean and remove and stain that is peeling. You do not have to strip down to the bare wood.
Two questions.
1. The acids in deck stripper made my hair brush limp and worthless after one application.
Should I use a synthetic bristle brush or sponge to apply the deck stripper.? Which? I do not want to use a sprayer.
2.The deck stripper makes my wood deck "furry". I dont know how to describe it, but after an application and scrub with stiff bristle brush, the fibers seem to come apart and create an undesirable furry look to the wood.(I cannot sand it all). What am I doing wrong?
1. We only apply with a pump sprayer.
2. See this: https://www.deckstainhelp.com/wood-fuzzies-furring-on-deck/
I have oil based stain that needs stripping. its is spotty and moldy. My lateral rails are not wood but colored metal (black. I assume painted aluminum). Will deck stripper or deck brightener damage the metal finish? If so, how should I protect them?
My guess to DIY re-staining goes as follows
1 use pressure washer to clean deck with soapy water.
2. apply deck stripper. as directed on label.
3 remove oil stain with pressure washer
4 apply deck brightener
5 clear off deck brightener with pressure washer.
6 wait to dry for 3 days or so
7 re-stain.
is this accurate? suggestions?
Typically the prepping products do not damage the metal spindles, but since there are so many different brands of spindles, it is best to do a test spot first.
Your steps are correct.
Hi there,
We have a fence made of pressure treated wood that is 5 years old. It has never been stained or painted. We are looking at staining it this year. Is there any prep work that needs to be done to the fence prior to staining? Thanks
Yes you should use a deck cleaner and pressure washing for the first step and then brighten after.
I'm cleaning and restaininga deck for a friend. Using a power washer to clean the deck first. Do I need to remove all the previous stain before I apply the new stuff? We're using the same brand and colour as before,a light gray semi – transparent Behr Water proof stain/ sealer.
In most cases when using the exact same brand and color, you do not have to remove all the previous stain. Best to defer to Behr\’s directions on this.
Stripping and brightening a 1 year old deck due to ugly color. If I strip and brighten, is it ok to stain a few weeks later or should staining be performed sooner?
Thank you
Best to stain within 1 week of prep. No more than two. Waiting too long between prep and stain could require you to prep again.
We live in Michigan and have a large, older deck that had a redwood semi-transparent or solid stain and a couple of years ago, a lighter solid stain was put on after cleaning and powerwashing. In trying to remove the stain now to redo the deck, we have tried several different deck stain strippers, a wood stripper, and sanding (orbital, drum, and palm). We still have small areas with stain streaks or patches of stain, mainly around the house but also on boards that have more convexity or concavity. Will this interfere with an elastomeric coating adhering? Do we need to use a cleaner before we brighten? Thank you for your help.
Without knowing the coating you are using, it is hard to say. I would follow their directions for the prep and if they say all previous coatings need to be removed or not.
What can we use that won't kill our scrubs near the deck
Restore a Deck products.
I want to restain the floor of my deck because the stain is worn out in the traffic areas. It was stained with Cabot semi-solid stain 3 years ago. If I am using the same color of Cabot semi-solid stain do I need to strip the old stain or can I just clean and restain the deck?
If using the same product and color, you should be able to clean and recoat and the product should adhere. Issue is if you do not strip and you have a surface that has in some areas bare spots and some not, it may apply unevenly and dry blotchy looking.
I have a two tone semi transparent stain on my 5 yr old deck (cedar top rails / metal vertical rails/ pine floor).
A chemical deck cleaner or stripper was used (I am not sure which) to clean and prepare the deck for re-staining.
The deck has mold
It did not work. the mold is still mostly there, and 90% of the stain is still there. Just blotches of stain are gone showing exposed wood resembling paint splatter. They can be seen as white bare wood spots on an otherwise slightly moldy deck.
I tried to just sand to top rail but most of the stain did not come off, neither did all the mold. I tried to put a new layer of stain on the white bare spots but they still show through as well.
How should I approach this deck now so the mold and uneven spots are gone? Strip? clean?
HELP
I think you need to sand this off as it sounds like the stripper did not work. Not all deck stain bands can be stripped so sanding is required.
I have a deck with semi-transparent stain on it. I have sanded all of the horizontal surfaces to bare wood and am leaving the verticals intact as they still bead water. Do I need to use a cleaner or can I go straight to the brightener for the bare wood. Also will the cleaner and/or brightener harm the good stain that I am leaving in place? I am not switching brands or formulation at this time, either.
Clean and brighten would be best. Should not harm the stain on the verticals unless it is peeling.
My parents have a 20 year old house with a beautiful exposed deck which hasn't been treated. The paint has worn and the wood feels like it could give in. Is it too late to save?
Hard to say without knowing if it is rotting or not?
We have a 400 sq ft cedar deck and I'm tired of having to strip the old stain every two years, especially since I haven't found a stripper that works very well. Over the years I have tried a variety of semi-transparent stains and most didn't last much more than a year. I went with Behr premium weather proofing stain three years ago and it held up fairly well when applied as directed with two light coats. However, after stripping and sanding to bare wood then, it didn't seam to really penetrate the wood well and remained tacky for days. It had more of an opaque look and didn't bring out the natural grain well. I feel that re-coating with the same product will not adhere. I have now stripped with the Behr product and pressure washed half the deck. It has been a nightmare to get much of the old stain out, especially for a 70 year old body. So I guess I need to get a better stripper (preferably from a local store) and then a lot of sanding again. My question: Is there a good penetrating stain that I can just clean and re-coat every couple years without stripping?
Yes, look at Armstrong Clark or TWP.
My deck is on the north side of my house and needs cleaning and re-stained. In the summer the majority of the deck is in full sun most of the day while parts of the deck receive no sun. It was stained with a semi-transparent Olympic stain 3 years ago. To prep the deck, one contractor says they only power wash with water and use no cleaners. They use semi-solid Cabot stain. Would this be adequate prep for the new stain? Should the deck be stripped? Would there be consequences if only water is used to prep the deck?
Contractor is wrong. Always best to use proper cleaner or stain strippers. By not prepping correctly, you can create issue with not penetrating or adhering. We would strip and brighten.
My deck was solid stained 5 years ago. It is very high traffic and now has many bare wood spots. Do I need to remove all previous stain before reapplying same brand solid stain? It has been cleaned and sanded lightly already. Also, how do you remove areas of tree sap that have oozed out of the wood on top of old stain.
No you do not need to remove all to reapply the same solid. Just remove what is loose or peeling and any dirt, etc. Sap does not come off very well. Try turpentine.
I just bought a new house with a 12×12 deck. Its graying, old and i am sure hasnt been maintained in quite some time. It looks like there may be parts that still have a little stain here and there showing. Should i strip or clean before i brighten, or both?
Use a stain stripper and then brighten to be safe. No need for a cleaner.
I have a 16year old deck. The floor is Cedar the rails are pressure treated. 4 years ago I used sikkens(hated it) on it. I now want to apply TWP 1500 dark oak. The deck floor is free of the previous sikkens however the horizontal railings still appear to be holding on to some of the old stain. Do I need to strip them? I may consider using a solid white stain on just my railings. And I will definitly use solid stain on my railings if you tell me I have to strip them. I am not sure if strippung is necessary to apply a solid white stain. I am looking for the easiest solution, of course. Thank you.
Yes you should strip and brighten if you want to use the TWP there. If using a solid stain, just clean to remove dirt, peeling stain etc.
Hi,I have a solid stained deck that I am working to repair for a neighbor and restain. The solid stain is peeling terribly. I have cleaned and power washed,but still very flaky. What type of stripper do you prefer and generally how many square feet will it cover. Also,there are roughly 150 spindles in need of the the same work. Any tips on treating these.
You will need to sand to effectively remove a solid stain. Stripper will not get it off completely.
We have a deck that was previously stained. We have now applied stripper twice but the old stain is not totally removed. Is sanding an option that would remove the remaining stain?
Yes you should sand the rest. Prep with a deck cleaner after the sanding and a wood brightener.
I have a 1 year old cedar deck. We let it age a bit last year before cleaning it and applying Wood Toned Deck Stain. We live in Northern Iowa and the deck faces East. This spring, the clear stain started coming off in what looked like feathers. Yes, different. So, I purchased Wood Stripper to get it all cleaned off. The direction state I should use a wood brightner. Can I go to the wood toned deck stain instead of using the wood brighter??
No you need to use the wood brightener to neutralize.
I have a large previously stained deck (cabot semitransparent cape cod grey) last stained several yrs ago. Am stripping the horizontal surfaces as stain is mostly thinned out and will likely apply another brand semitransparent. Rails are in better shape with a lot of the stain intact but needs to be redone. Can I apply a solid film forming stain over the existing semitransparent on the rails after cleaning or should all the stain be removed? The formula of the cabot changed since last appled (less VOC)–if I decide to do same brand and color stain, can I apply directly over existing rail stain? thanks
You can apply a solid stain over this semi-trans as long as you prep first with a good deck cleaner and pressure washing.
I have a deck that I stained two years ago with Messmers UV. Do I have to strip the finish or can I use the cleaner/brightener?
If switching brands then you will need to strip and brighten for prep.
I have a 1200 sq. ft. deck multi level, I need to strip and restain it but the railings and banisters are painted white.
Do think the striping will harm the painted surfaces.
Thanks for the fast response. Bill.
Most likely not unless the solid paint is peeling.
Hi. I have a very large old deck (25 years old) that has been stained over the years and then painted rather dark. We're so sick of the dark color and would love to strip it to be able to paint it a lighter color. Will the old wood hold up under the stripper or would the chemicals erode the wood further? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
The stain strippers will not remove a deck paint. They are designed to remove transparent and semi-transparent colors. Strippers do not harm wood or erode the cells.
hi, i have on my new deck chlorine marks , any good suggestion how can make them disappeared ?
thanks
You can not remove chlorine stains. Is the deck unstained or stained?
I rebuilt my deck last year and stained it with a clear stain from Flood. The deck is in the sun most of the time and is starting to grey. Will I have to strip the old stain before I apply a new darker stain like Olympic Maximum, or will a good cleaner and brightener be enough
Stripping should be done. Brighten after. Try a better stain like TWP or Defy extreme.
I have a one year old garapa and Ipe deck that was sealed after construction with Messmers UV- which showed a lot of fading and unevenness come this spring. I have just cleaned and brightened but still a lot of uneven areas and areas that are not as clean and clear as others (I.e. Those under pots or table that did not have as much exposure). The plan this year is to switch to Defy and wondered before a new sealing is done, would it be best to try to strip since it seems the clean/brighten was not enough? Is it safe to do this so soon after and what stripper do you recommend?? Thank you SO MUCH for your time and consideration!
Yes of you still have old stain, then strip and brighten after. Try Restore A Deck Stain Stripper. You can do this now.
I have a deck I stained last year and it's very caked on on some sides and some are not including the spindles but it's not coming off very well I haven't applied a stripper tho
Depends ont the stain you are removing if this will strip off or not. Deck stain strippers will not remove filming stains that act like solid color or paint. So you know the brand?
I used semi transparent stain on my deck two years ago. To prepare it for re staining, do I need to use a stripper or just a cleaner, followed by brightener? Some articles say the stripper is only required if the previous finish was opaque or greater. Also curious if you use a stripper, do you also have use the cleaner?
You strip if switching brands. Brighten after the stripping. No need to use a cleaner if using a stain stripper.
I sealed an ipe deck about 3 weeks ago and they are not happy with the sealer as it left water marks. They want it re sealed with a different product. What is the best way to do this.
Strip off the current sealer. Try the Restore A Deck Stripper. Try the Defy Hardwood Stain after removal.
Color me confused. The thread recommends stripping vs simply cleaning if you are switching brands but I'm not clear as to the basis of the advise. Is it simply a problem of color match? With brands undergoing periodic reformulation, especially in response to regulation, the semi-transparent stain I used years ago isn't same as the one sold today. So if the recommendation to strip vs clean goes beyond color matching, when can a new stain be applied to a cleaned but previously stained deck? Do I compare oil types (linseed vs synthetic), avoid oil on acrylic, acrylic on oil, etc?
Always strip if switching brands and types of stain. Meaning if your old stain went from oil based to water based then stripping is best. When in doubt, removing the old stain is your best option.
I am in the process of stripping my rooftop deck in Chicago, IL. We tried to powerwash, but unfortunately that didn't work. Now we're sanding the whole thing because we were told that the stripping chemicals would be too caustic to have on the roof. It's a huge deck about 1200 sq ft and obviously sanding is slow going. A couple of notes:
– We don't want to have to repeat this again in 2 years time if the deck starts peeling again.
– The previous owner used a BEHR PREMIUM® Transparent Weatherproofing All-In-One Wood Finish
Questions:
Can we switch to oil or another stain type? Or should we stay with the Behr? If we switch, what do you recommend?
We have 98% of the old stain removed, but there are some tough spots we can't seem to get. Is that a problem if we switch stains?
Thank you!!
If you get all of the old stain off then yes you can switch. Look at the Armstrong Clark in the semi-solid colors for this. Hard to say if 98% is enough or not. Make sure that water color you switch to, it is close to the current or darker so it blends decently.
I live in Wisconsin and its September. We have to strip two of our decks and clean one of them. Then stain all three.
1. Would this best be done in the spring when the summer is starting to get warm? Or is it okay now as fall is hitting?
2. Can we strip this year and wait to stain next year?
3. We want the wood to show through but they are pretty high traffic areas what type of stain would you recommend? Semi-transparent?
1. Either is fine. We actually do many decks in the Fall for customers.
2. If you strip now then you ill need to cleaner and brighten lightly in the Spring.
3. Penetrating semi-transparent stain.
So you CAN strip/clean the deck now and then wait until spring to stain it? The weather is getting cold here at night ( below 38) and I'm nervous about applying stain and it not drying well.
Yes
My deck = Worst nightmare ever!
Prior owner used Behr so I followed suit. Applied to perfection and of course Behr sucks so the deck is still tacky 2 months later. So I need to re-strip my main floor (Luckily hasn't done railing yet). I plan to rent a floor sander again as that worked well last time. So when I am redoing this I have several questions.
1. I have to switch brands. I refuse to use Behr. Can I switch brands? What should I do on the railings where I can't get off all the old stain?
2.I want to do a darker color than was used before. Will this look uneven on the railings if the prior stain is still there? Could I maybe use solid color on the railings to hide this and then do semi-transparent on deck floor?
Uggg, what a mess. Doing it once stunk, doing it twice is unimaginable. My deck is over 700 square feet with stairs and railings all around. Lots of detail work to paint.
Thanks for any help!
1. You have to remove all of the Behr if you want to switch brands to another semi-transparent stain.
2. Yes consider a two tone deck: https://www.deckstainhelp.com/advantages-to-having…
Use TWP Dark oak or similar for floor. Flood solid stains to cover the rails.
We stripped our deck at our lake house and have not been back to the property in 6 weeks… do we need to clean the deck again or can we go ahead and stain it?
Lightly clean to remove dirt, dust, etc.
Is it okay to use a deck stripper or deck washer after it has rained?
We are looking to re-stain our deck that hasn't been treated in two years and can see obvious wear and tear but it has rained for the past two days. They are calling for sunshine for the rest of the week and would like to get the stripping and cleaning out of the way before the sun comes out.
Your advice is much appreciated.
Yes no issues with this.
Thank you for your response. Much appreciated
I am confused about stain and sealer being used interchangeably. My deck was stained with an all in one Cabot stain/sealer in 2011 and the contractor was new and applied it very thick (possibly 2 coats). It was semi-transparent and had more of a solid color after 2 coats. Right now 4 years later the stain appears just fine, however I want to seal again to be sure it is protected as waterproofing may have worn off. Do I need to strip and seal if I can determine the original brand and color used. Or can I apply it over the original stain/sealer? Will it be too thick and tend to peel if I do that?
You will have to remove the current coatings if switching brands. You cannot apply a clear sealer over this. Too much stain and the stain will peel.
Thank you. Since I wrote this, I have determined the brand and exact color (in Cabot, semi-transparent.) So from what I have read on this forum, I would not have to strip since it is the same stain. I would clean mildew with a deck cleaner and stiff brush first then reapply the stain. Is this correct? Do I even have to do this if the original stain is in good condition? Does a stain lose its waterproofing over time even though the stain is in perfect condition. Again, it has been 4 years.
Yes that should work.