We live in upstate New York and installed a cedar deck  2 years ago. We  waited 6 months and used the Gemini Restore a deck and then stained using TWP 1500., as we had used that on the front deck of our house and loved it. We did not take into consideration that this new deck was exposed to sun almost all day.Southeast exposure as opposed to the front deck that had NW exposure and partial cover.   The deck is cedar, no mold issues  but has faded  and some spots  almost to gray.

From reading your articles etc, I believe we need to get the RAD Stripper?? Then a brightener, which would you suggest and also what stain should we now apply.

Thank you

Yes, this is an easy fix with the RAD Stripper/Brightener kit for the prepping. Now that the wood is 2 years old, it will be much more absorbent this application. The TWP will work better because of this and have less wearing.

Thanks for the info.Good to know we are on the right track.  Just to be sure..are you saying we can use the same  stain TWP 1500 even though this deck has SE exposure?? Do we need to use a UV protection...I ask becasue we prepped it correctly , using the Gemini

  Restore a deck ,as advised by the help desk and as you can see it looks pretty bad. We were thinking we need to use a stain that will offer more UV protection??.  Thanks for your help!!

The TWP 1500 is fine and has UV protection as long as it is tinted and not the Clear version.  TWP suggests one coat the first time staining and another coat withing 12 months of the first coat. After that every 2-3 years. 

Hello -

Thank you for the excellent site! I would be putting on some Behr if I didn't find your diligent work.

Here's my situation:

State: VA, Morning Sun, Wood unknown (Hasn't been touched for the last 3 years. I am assuming the deck is over 20 years old). Both Mold and mildew (see photos below).

Some boards are cracking and rooting, so I plan to replace them. (Between 5-10 board). My questions are:

1. Should I use a cleaner or a stripper? Will stripping the current stain help blend the new boards?

2. With the current dark stain, can the stripper help remove it completely and replace with a light stain?

3. With the limited number of boards being replaced do I need to wait for them to weather (if so, how long) or is there a way to stain them immediately? If I need to wait, do I need to use the cleaner again prior to staining?

4. Would you recommend RAD or DEFY for cleaner or stripper? I'm also currently considering Defy or TWP 1500 for stain - any preference?

Thanks again!

1. The old stain should be removed but not sure if a stripper will remove it. It looks almost like a solid stain. Do you know the brand and type of stain?

2. Depends on answer to #1

3. You can stain the few new boards but you will have to apply another coat to the new boards in 9-12 months. Use a cleaner on them for the prep.

4. Depends on it the old stain can be stripped or not. You may need to sand it all off.

Thanks! If the stain doesn't come off, then is Deck Revive the best option? Or is Armstrong Clark Semi-Solid also an option

Forgot to mention - no idea on the previous stain since its been there before I got the house.

You cannot add AC on top of this. The only thing you could do is a solid stain or the Deck Revive if it does not strip off.

Got it - Thank you!

I'm looking for some advice on my deck.

One year ago, I spent alot of time on this site, and a few others.  I learned alot, but also found myself overwhelmed with information and, at some point, threw my hands up in the air and just bought Olympic Elite stain from Lowes.  

By way of background, we built our deck in summer of 2015.  We live in Shawnee, KS (Kansas City area).   April 2016, we applied the Olympic Elite, semi-transparent/semi solid stain.  We have been pretty disappointed in the performance of this stain.  First of all, we noticed prominent "lapping".  Perhaps this is due to application error, but we used rollers to apply the stain to two boards at a time and back brushed consistently.  

After application, we had several areas that stay "wet"...forever. Almost like the stain pooled or dripped, or was way over applied in certain areas and it didn't look like it was ever dry.  This happened in patches all over the deck.  Not sure if its the stain or the application, but my feeling is that it's probably a bit of both.

One year later, my deck does not look nice and next weekend I'm looking to stain it again.  

My deck is a double decker, the top gets good sunlight, and the lower lever is obviously shaded.  Here's some pictures of some of the problem areas and also how it looks one year after application.

What do I need to do next?  Besides washing it, would you recommend any other sort of prep prior to application of a new stain?

You have to remove the Olympic before using anything else that is semi-transparent. Was the Olympic the water based version or oil based?

Posted by: Deck Stain Help

 

You have to remove the Olympic before using anything else that is semi-transparent. Was the Olympic the water based version or oil based?

   

 It is oil based.

If oil based it should be removable with a deck stain stripper and pressure washing. You may need to strip twice to get it all off as the Olympic looks fairly thick. Neutralize with a Wood Brightener after.

I live in South Carolina, new pressure treated pine, screen porch so mostly shade.

What are some other options/equivalents for Minwax Jacobean and Dark Walnut in other brands?