This post was updated on January 24, 2025
Hi, I am Scott Paul, an exterior wood restoration contractor and business owner with over 30 years of experience in stripping and removing exterior wood and deck stains. My Deck Stripping tips are based on my history as a wood restoration contractor and actual hands-on testing. See here for more info about me.
How To Remove an Old Deck Stain
Restoring an older wood deck starts with proper preparation. Skipping this crucial step can cause your new deck stain to fail prematurely. Regardless of the brand or price of the stain, it won’t hold up if applied to a surface that hasn’t been thoroughly cleaned and prepped. When dealing with an old coating that needs removal, using a quality deck stain stripper is essential. This article highlights why a stain stripper is a key part of the restoration process and how it sets the stage for long-lasting results.
I always appreciate your input, so feel free to comment below with pictures of your deck stain projects.
One of the biggest mistakes DIY homeowners make in cleaning and preparing a wood deck for stain is not removing all remnants of old deck stain. Any failed deck stain left on the wood will prevent the new stain from properly penetrating the surface. The new deck stain will sit on the wood instead of diving into it. Deck stains do not adhere to each other well, so this causes the newer deck stain to begin flaking and peeling off the deck generally in a year or less.
Even if you can’t see any old deck stain but know there was some on the wood at one time, it’s vitally important to remove it. Splash some water on the wood and see if it absorbs into the wood or if it beads up and sits on top. Beading up would indicate some old failed stain on the wood that needs to be removed.
Scott’s Steps to Removing a Deck Stain
- Deck Stripping Materials
- Choose Proper Deck Stain Stripper
- Steps to Stripping a Deck
- Brighten the Wood
- Ask Me Deck Stripping Questions
1. Materials Needed for Deck Stain Removal
- Proper Deck Stain Stripper
- Gas-powered pressure washer
- Pump sprayer for applying
- Scrub brush to agitate
- Protective Equipment: Gloves and eyewear
- Plastic sheeting to protect plants and home
- Wood Brightener to neutralize when done
2. Choosing a Deck Stain Stripper
To remove old deck stains from the wood, you have to use a deck stripper. A quality deck stripper will break up and soften any old stain allowing it to be washed away. Below, I will break down the 3 most common deck finishes we see when stripping a deck.
Semi-Transparent Oil-Based Stains
Semi-transparent and transparent, oil-based clear coatings are easy deck coatings to strip and remove. They come off better with any high-quality decking stripper.
My Pro Tips: These coatings are penetrating and fully show the wood grain. They do not mask the grain or dry to film on top like a shiny varnish.
Semi-Transparent Acrylic Water Based Stains
For hard-to-remove stains such as water-based acrylic or silicone-based stains, several applications and longer dwell times may be necessary. Take note that many stain brands like Behr, Valspar, and Thompons lie about their opacity for their semi-transparent water-based stains; they, in fact, look and apply like an opaque solid stain. These stains should be treated like solid stains, not what is written on the can. If unsure, ask me below for tips with pictures.
Scott’s Pro Tip: See here if you need to remove a Difficult to Remove Deck or Wood Stain.
Solid Color Stain Stripping
Solid color deck stains are opaque coatings that fully or mostly mask the wood grain. Most deck strippers will not remove solid stains or paints, so if this is the case, you may have to sand the old stain or use a paint stripper to get back down to bare wood again.
Scott’s Pro Tip: How To Remove a Solid Color Stain
Deck Stain Stripping: Deck Stain Stripper Reviews
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3. My Steps to Stripping a Deck
Failing Wood Deck Stain
See below for my steps when we are stripping a customer’s deck
- Protect the house and any surrounding plants with plastic or poly tarps.
- Remove any patio furniture from the deck and surrounding areas.
- Prewet deck with water.
- Mix the stripper, if needed, in a bucket and transfer it to the pump sprayer if applicable.
- Apply the stripper to all flooring first. If a large deck, break it up into sections.
- Wait 5-45 minutes for the deck stripper to activate. You will know when it is working by using your scrub brush to agitate it, and the stain becomes loose from the wood. Keep the stripper from drying during this process.
- Pressure wash all deck flooring using a pendulum motion and about 8-12 inches from the wood. Rinse well when done.
- Repeat Steps 5-7 with vertical wood.
- Apply wood brightener when done. Rinse well with water 20 minutes after.
My Pro Tip: The dwell time depends on the type and brand of existing stain. For instance, most semi-transparent oil-based stains will be removed more easily than semi-transparent water-based wood stains.
4. Wood Brightener to Neutralize Stain Stripper
Once the deck has been washed with a stripper and the old deck stain is gone, it is necessary to brighten the wood using a wood brightener. The deck stripper will darken the wood and raise the pH level. Brightening the wood back to a natural state and lowering the pH to a more acidic level will restore the appearance and give the new deck stain the best chance of lasting as long as possible.
A properly cleaned and brightened deck should be allowed to dry for several days before a quality deck stain is applied. Taking these measures and using a deck stripper and deck brightener before staining will give you much better and longer-lasting results.
5. Questions on Stripping a Deck?
Are you still unsure of what deck stain you have on your wood and the proper deck stain stripper to use to remove it? I am here to help and guide you. Ask in the comments below, and you must include some pics so I can offer proper advice.
Quick Expert Recommendations and Insights
Here are some tips we recommend you follow to make deck stain removal a swift, painless process:
- Use a deck stripper if you are working with wood that has previously been stained. If you are working with a new wood surface or there is no stain on the deck, use a deck cleaner. If you are unsure about what to do, you can ask questions below.
- Remove all furniture from the area
- Wear protective clothing, gloves, and eyewear before going near the product. Mix or use the deck stain stripper according to the directions on the label. Test a small section of your deck before applying it to the whole area, as deck stain strippers vary in effectiveness. You may need a stronger formula if it doesn’t work on the tested area. See here if you need to remove a Difficult to Remove Deck or Wood Stain.
- Apply the deck stain stripper with a pump-up sprayer in sections of 100-300 square feet at a time. Saturate all the wood with one coat then wait 10-20 minutes. If the surface is slippery, that means the stain stripper is working to break the bonds effectively. If the surface is not slippery, apply another coat of the stain stripper and wait longer.
- Using either a brush or pressure washer, remove the old stain from the deck. Take precautions to wash with the grain wood whenever possible.
- Repeat this process until all of the old deck stain has been removed from the deck. Spot strip any sections where the stain didn’t come off the first time.
- Thoroughly rinse all wood and surrounding areas
- Apply a wood brightener to restore the pH balance before staining.
Pro Tip: The Best Stripper to remove a solid color deck stain is the RAD PaintStrip Solid Stain Stripping Gel.
FAQs
How to remove deck stain without chemicals?
The best way to remove deck stain without chemicals is to sand the deck. Where semi-transparent deck stains have faded power washing the deck and spot sanding areas of thicker stain is typically sufficient. When removing a semi-solid or solid deck stain the entire deck may require sanding, but be careful not to over-sand. Over-sanding the wood compromises its integrity and can lead to early deck failure.
Will deck stain come off concrete?
Applying a deck stain can be messy and sometimes you can spill or drip on your concrete or brick pavers that are under or around your deck. Once this happens, it is not easy to remove. We have found that using a deck stain stripper and pressure washing will remove much of the spilled stain but not always as concrete can be very porous. Another option is using a graffiti remover cleaner. You can find these at your local paint store. Popular brands at Goof Off or Mostenbocker’s Lift Off.
I just stripped off all the old stain from my cedar deck (Olympic stripper worked quite well…with some light scrubbing). Washed it vigorously with a garden hose, but now some spots have the fuzzies. Will a light sanding remove them? Is this done after I use the brightener? And is there any way to know that all the stripper and brightener has been washed away before applying stain?
Use a buffing pad on a buffing machine to remove the fuzzies. We have found this to be much more effective than sanding. Do this first and brighten after.
Sorry but never heard of it.
I saw that you guys gave Restore-A-Deck Stripper an excellent rating but for transparent, semi-transparent and semi-solid stains. I believe the previous owners used either a solid red stain or paint on my deck. About 75% of the paint has chipped off, and I want to finish it off and stain it right…including the railing and balusters. Will the Restore-A-Deck Stripper work for a solid stain/paint or how should I approach it? I'm thinking I will need to sand it anyway, so could I just and the remaining paint off?
We have never found a deck stripper that will remove a solid stain or paint well. It will help to remove some but you will always need to sand to get it all off.
Two days ago i stained my new pressure treated deck with Sansin exterior saturated Chesapeake Grey and it was darker than I anticipated and was not approved by my wife. She wants me to start over. Should I sand it or will Sansin's deck stripper do the trick?
Stripping would be better, Brighten when done.
Hello Chris, in most cases a quality Deck Stain Remover will do the trick especially if the product your removing is still not cured. Exquisite Painting Plus "always at your service."
I have stripped stain off my bran new deck because I applied two coats of stain to enrich the color, ( the label said to wait for 24 hrs before applying second coat). I assumed that the finish would be the same but it was glossy when it dried and very ugly. The darker cedar boards became almost black in a very blotchy fashion after stripping. The deck brightener did not work, so I was wondering what I could apply. Would sanding help? Thanks! Jane
Did you strip all of the stain off? Is the stripping not working? Is sot you will need to sand it all off. Brighten the wood when done.
I had the same thing when I stripped my cedar deck this week. A good power wash (even with just a garden hose) on the black spots should get rid of them.
i stained my deck with cabot semi-solid deck & siding stain and over winter it started peeling in places where it wasnt covered by the roof. what is my best solution so it wont peel again? what would be the steps i need to take care of this. i live in wisconsin. thanks donna
You will need to remove the cabot and start over with a penetrating stain that does not film on the surface. To remove you will need to strip and probably sand it off. Once completely removed, try TWP or the Armstrong Clark.
We stripped and brightened the deck floor but now have to do the rails–any tricks/tips for removing the stain there? it took a lot of time/scrubbing for floor so I'm concerned about possibly needing to scrub every side of each rail? Also, I'm assuming with the overspray I'll need to brighten the floor again? Thanks 🙂
Apply the stripper to the railings and use a pressure washer to get it off. Much easier than scrubbing. Rinse all wood well and brighten all wood.
I live in Houston and have a large red cedar porch and surrounding steps. First time, the painter applied Behr semi-transparent stain. That did not fare well, so the next painter sanded that and put on SW Porch and Patio Latex Enamel. Within a month bubbles began appearing on the surfaces exposed to direct sunlight, then peeling away down to the wood. I have decided to strip off both products and keep the wood the natural color with a transparent coating. I would like to know what products you recommend to strip that will not darken the wood and what brightener? They will also sand to remove any extra before applying the size stop coating. Any recommendations on preparation and coatings given the high temps and high humidity of Houston? Any Eco-friendly products also? Thanks. Bert
Bert, strippers will most likely not work on this so sanding should be the way to remove. Clean and brighten after the sanding. Use Defy Extreme for this. Eco friendly as well.
Ok so I listened to my wife and now we are paying the price. She had to have a Sherwin williams Deckscapes solid color deck stain. The deck is fairly protedted so it lasted ok I guess but i need to redo it and I guess i need to strip it. My wife wants a grey stain. Can I get the TWP products in a grey color? Can I give them the color codes from SW and can they just use that to match the color?
Brian, solid color stains do not strip very well. You can strip what you can than sand the rest off. Brighten wood when finished. TWP will only work for you if you are able to get all of the solid stain removed. You should also consider the Armstrong Clark in Driftwood Gray. You cannot match these stains. They are not paint based and cannot be tinted.
I had this pressure washing company come out and clean my fence and their wasn't any "fuzzies" left on the wood. I believe they used oxalic acid and sprayed some type of base to neutralize it. Also have a neighbor who uses sodium percarbonate but does't look as nice as my fence. Also have had success using chlorine (10% strength) mixed with half n half with cool water and pump sprayed on. It's very difficult to time it (can easily over do it) but similar results when it's timed just right.
Oxalic acid is not a cleaner but rather an ingredient in a wood brightener. You use a cleaner (base) first then brighten after.
Brett, I would lightly rinse the deck done to remove dirt a day or two before applying the stain. I doubt the mold has attached since it seem you have been very dry.
Hello. I purchased HD80 with brightener (the kit from Woodrich website). However, there wasn't enough to finish my deck. Will it hurt the wood if I don't do the brightener for another week after stripping part of it?
Ashley, it will probably be fine if you brighten in a week.
I'm using RAD stripper. Applied the stripper and power washed it yesterday, but it took longer than I expected and I ran out of light. I thought I had all of the residue cleaned off, but now that it's light again, I see that there is still quite a bit remaining. Should I just power wash it again or should I reapply the stripper first?
If old stain apply the stripper again.
I'm starting a deck that has Behr Premium semi-transparent cedar natural tone. I believe it to be about 2 to 3 years old. Anyway it is peeling and looks terrible. What should I best use to stip it? And if its hot out does it help to lightly wet the wood while the stripper is setting to keep it from drying out on the wood. Then what would be the best to brighten it? What are the best ways to apply them? How long do I have to wait to stain after this? And should I switch up to a better stain ?
New to this, try the HD80 stripper and pressure wash off, repeat as needed and sand any remaining. Yes keep the stripper wet during the process by misting water. Apply a brightener when done. Use pump sprayers for application. Wait about 48 hours and do not use Behr.
We have sanded off the solid stain on the horizontal boards of our deck. We will use a deck cleaner and brightener as suggested above be fore we restain. We are wondering about the nailheads which had an anti-rust coating that was surely removed with the sanding process. Do we need to do anything for those before we restain with the solid stain again?
S&S, nothing you can do that I know of. It would help to get some sort of coating on them so they do not rust. It would have to be compatible with the stain though.
Our current stain was a complete failure chipped and peeled after 8 months..
So we have decided to sand the deck boards off, after reading all the comments especially since we want to keep our railings unaffected! Our question is: after getting all stain off the boards to apply the new products do we need to use a brightener to restore PH since no stripper will be used!
The Beckers, after sanding it always helps to remove the sand dust and open the grain of the wood for the stain by using a deck cleaner and wood brightener.
I had someone come in and powerwash and stain my deck and fence. After he power washed, the fence looked rough and furry. Then he applied the stain. No my fence no longer has that smooth, texture it used to have. Can this be fixed even though it's already stained. Would sanding help and if so would I have to re-stain it after sanding?
Donna, you could sand but you will need to re-stain when done.
Jeff, best to apply with a pump sprayer than pressure wash off. It is substantially more difficult to scrub it off and all the crud will still need to be heavily rinsed when done.
Well, I have bought my house last November. It has large cedar timbers on the front, as well as 6"x6" posts bolted into the deck between the rails on the front as well as Cedar stairs. The previous home owner used Messemers TimberFlex on it and where the wood has naturally cracked there is mold and the finish is peeling off everywhere. SO i decided to strip the finish myself. I spent 5 hours this morning – while the sun was behind the house stripping the wood. The first four i left the stripper on for 20 min, and tried to scrub off and used a high pressure jet hose (recommended by teh home depot guy) to rinse. These ones only have about 50% of the stain removed. The second lot of 7 posts I left the stripper on for 45-75 min and scrubbed with much better results….80% off. I rinsed it all for 10 min until there wasn't any foam left.
Now the wood is all furryand the sun has come around so i can't do anymore…i haven't been able to clean it yet, will the wood be alright?
Next do i just clean the wood and then lightly sand? What do i use to sand it as i will be doing it by hand 🙁
Single Mom, I would lightly sand off the rest than re clean the wood and apply a wood brightener. Try a palm sander.
I have a cedar deck that is three years old here in the Pacific NW with our extended rainy season. Half of it is covered and half is exposed. I have been using Penofin Blue Label, cedar tint, on the deck and after coming across this website about a year ago, I started to realize the importance of cleaning and brightening, etc. I did not remove the mill glaze when i first stained the deck and I also didn't clean it properly until this last spring. Thank you for the education! Right now my deck has a marked difference in color between the covered and the exposed areas, with the exposed areas gradually getting darker through the rainy season. I don't think it is mold or mildew, but just a darker tint. I stripped, brightened and power washed it last spring and I still have this difference a year later. I am considering using a vibrating plate sander next spring to get down to fresh wood and 'start over' with the staining process. Do you have any recommendations on what I can do to minimize this difference between the covered and exposed areas on the deck moving forward? We have constant rain for almost 9 months of the year here, but the other three months are wonderful temperate weather and I want to be able to have my deck be an outdoor living space during the dry season, but I don't like the color difference! Thanks for the help.
Sam, I think the darkening in exposed areas is due to the Penofin. I would strip and brighten again and switch brands. Try TWP.
It's probably too late for my answer, but let me tell you that we have also used Penofin on our brand new red cedar deck in 2013. We had read good reviews and heard that it was a great product. For two years we have lived a nightmare. We followed all of the recommendations to the letter.,We applied it. And it was beautiful ….for about 5 months, then it turned black, except where furniture was covering it. We repeated the process after the winter, and same thing happened after a couple of months. We went through this about four times in two years. After all this work and over $1,200 in stains our deck looks like an old neglected 10 year old deck. I went back to those reviews and there was not a good review to be found. Everyone was complaining about their stain turning black. They referred to it as a magnet for mold and dirt, going deep into the wood. Next year we will be stripping and sanding the whole deck and applying Sansin. All who have used it are just elated with the product after three years. It will never peel and maintenance is a breeze. I just wished we would have known this before. We live in the Laurentian in Quebec so the weather can be quite extreme. If it's not too late for you save your money and go with something that will not give you grief, like it did us.
I did not use a brightener after I used a stripper on the wood siding of my home. A week later, I applied defy extreme butternut but instead of the dark brown that I was expecting, it turned out to be reddish brown. Could it be because I did not use the brightener?
mathieu, possibly as using a stripper raises the pH balance of the wood and darkens the wood color.
try it out on one board and let it suit for one week.Then decide!!
I am new to this – bought this house last year and after the long MN winter the deck (which is small one around 300 Sq Ft) looks awful – paint chipped off in places …
I need some advise on how to put it back into some decent condition. At present it seems to have a solid stain (or is it paint? I don't know – how do I differentiate?) … At local Menards the guy told me to use 'Wolman DeckStrip ASR' to stripe the deck. I asked him about brightening the wood after stripping but what he said as I am going to do a solid stain (Cabot solid stain) I do not need to apply brightener.
Please suggest if this would be a good idea – thinking long term.
Appreciate your expertise – it is a wonderful page for newbies like me …
Sammy, nothing really strips a solid stain effectively but the Wolman ASR will help to prep for another solid stain by removing the loose stain. Brightening neutralize the stripper and is important.
Hi, you guys are just great!
I'm finally getting to this. I'm ready to tackle it and I think a floor sander should be easy enough to use, certainly should be easier than the drum sander I had to use to get off over 1/4" of cupped wood and solid stain!
But now I'm wondering about something. I'm planning to use the Defy stain that your recommend but if I do it, I'll have a beautiful warm and rich cedar surface on the top side. But the sides of the cedar decking has gone gray too. I can't sand in there. If I apply new stain on top of it, it'll be darker than on top. What should I do?
Sides of the deck or the floor boards themselves?
I was planning on sanding the top of the deck. It'll be nearly impossible to sand in between the boards. What should I do about the wood between the boards that has gone gray?
I had Cabot Clear Solutions Cedar on the new cedar deck our contractor in summer of 2011. By this summer, it wasn't looking so great, very dirty. We ran out of time this summer and it's too cold to do anything now, but as soon as it's warm in the spring, we need to stain the deck. There is no peeling per se although there are a couple of bare spots on the deck. The cedar has split here and there, but the contractor says this is normal (note that this Cedar is 3" thick and 16' long!! it's a replacement for a pretty wild design, carried by 8 foot on center beams). I'm thinking of going with another stain next spring. Will I have to strip the CS off entirely? Or can I just wash it?
I forgot to ask this, but are there any eco friendly products that work well? The strippers, brighteners, stains all seem to be very caustic. Perhaps this is the price to pay for having a wood deck in Oregon?!
I am new to this forum, and appreciate the good advice. I have a question that will no doubt highlight my ignorance. I have a deck that is older and has have previous stains on it. It appears as though the old stain must come off before the new stain goes on? So, unlike exterior paint which, if in good shape, gets stronger with more than one coat, deck stain is not like that? Seems strange to put it on, and then have to take it off to put more on?
Bobv, best to remove the old stain first and the best way to do this is to use a stripper and a wood brightener. Film buildup on a horizontal always will result in peeling. Penetration into the wood is key for long lasting performance.
how soon can you apply the brightner after the stripper? Same day? How long does the stripper need to set before you power wash it off? thank you…
Pwagon, You always apply a brightener as soon as you are down with the stripping, while the wood is still wet. The sooner the better. Typically about 10-15 minutes with the dwell time with the stripper.
I just sanded our 5 year old cedar deck (huge job) that was originally stained with Sherwin Williams DeckScapes…within 2 years the stain faded and we left it to weather. This year we had a change of heart and sanded the entire deck bringing back the cedar tones however there is still some dirt spots remaining. We're planning on staining the deck again with TWP 1500 and want to be sure we're following the correct steps…after the sanding do I need to do anything to the wood before we re-stain the deck? Inaddition the skirt was stained with Sikkens and after 2 years has faded. We would like to stain everything together…can I use a stripper on the skirt then proceed with staining the entire deck?
Bill, make sure all of the old stain is removed first. You could try the stripper then brightener for the Sikkens.
We just bought a house and the deck was obviously neglected. we added new wood on the loose railing on the stairs, and a few places where the railing around the deck was unstable. There is a gallon of Cabot semi solid oil finish left from the previos owner, so im presuming that is what was on the deck. I used deck restore cleaner to clean the deck and a lot of that old stain came off, but it also seems as though wood was also coming off. I used a power washer and am wondering if I damaged the wood. There is still old stain in many places and I am not sure what the next steps should be.
Laura, might want to strip the old stain, brighten, then possibly sand before you apply the stain.
We live in north/middle east TN. We used Sikkens Cetol Log & Siding Butternut color on our uncovered deck and covered porch 3 years ago. The uncovered portion is horrible looking – it is flaking and thinly exisiting. The covered portion is faded and shows dirt horribly. I want to remove all of it. I have never done this before. What products exactly should I use? What about removing the stain that is in between each piece of wood?? Will we be able to just leave the wood as "natural" color once this is removed? I love having color on the wood – but it shows dirt so bad. Anything else I could use so it is not so blah as plain wood – but that does not show dirt so bad? Thanks for your help!!
Missy, which Sikkens did you use? The shiny type of the penetrating stains with no shine? Makes a huge difference when trying to remove. If you leave the wood bare then it will naturally gray.
It is not really what I would call shiny, but it is not dull either. ha. Not much help I know. How would I remove it between each board? The boards were not put closely side by side, there is about 1/8" gap between each board. By the time I invest in remover and supplies and new stain and my time… would I be better off to replace the boards with synthetic boards?
Missy, I would think replacing would be substantially more costly. Strip and brighten the wood with the Restore A Deck Stripper. I would not work about the stain between the boards but I would get a new stain color that matches so it all blends well when done.
So with respect to the stain between/on the side of the boards, the only issue is cosmetic? I don't need to worry about the new stain coming off because it won't adhere to the old stain?
Yes that is correct.
I have a cedar deck that I previously stained with one time wood protector. And recommendations on removal and a product to replace it with that may perform better in the s. texas sun? Thanks, Joe
Try removing with the Restore A Deck Stripper then stain with TWP.
I have a large cedar deck. Put a cleaner on it this weekend and then power washed it off. Now I have little fuzzies on my deck. I am assuming that I have to sand this and restrain to get those off. Once I have sanded what is the next step and how quickly should it happen? I also live in mn what is the best stain
Maribeth, I would look at the TWP products for MN. As for the prepping, did you use a wood brightener?
Jeff, very hard to remove a just applied semi-solid with stripping. You will need to sand.
I only want to strip and brighten the deck boards. I'm afraid it will run of the deck on to the skirting that is still fine, will it also strip those boards if I don't spray stripper on them directly?
John, anywhere the stripper get on it will star to remove the coating.
I have a deck with an old Wolman.s Extreme Semi Transparant stain on it and it's time to restain. Strip, brighten and restain? Is that the proper order? Also, a few boards were replaced and are noticably different. I tried my best to match the old stain and it's prettry close but it's still noticable. Will stripping and restaining help make the new boards blend in better?
Handyman Al, Strip, brighten, sand if needed, then stain. That Wolman may need to be sanded off. It will help with the boards but it may not match exactly.
Hello:
My deck builder used a good grade of cedar decking, but used rougher cedar around the bench seating. I applied a semitransparent Superdeck oil-based stain that looked perfect and largely even at first. Much of it turned dark. the next spring, I powerwashed and applied the same product. The result is more uneven and consistently darker. I have lawn and plants around the deck and am concerned about the toxicity of deck strippers and wood brighteners. How should I proceed?
Thanks,
Joe, our results with SuperDeck are very similar as it darkened in color and turned almost black. One good news is that Super Deck is easily removable with a stripper such as RAD Stain Stripper. The stripper will not harm the grass. As for the plants, you would need to cover or rinse thoroughly if any chemicals get on them to avoid \”burning\” of the leaves. We personally pre wet and rinse plants. Very rarely do we have issues.
I just used RAD stripper following the directions. In this case, pump sprayer applied and pressure washer on moderate removed. ( did not use pressure washer to apply ).
The result is very strange. Although it looks like the old stain for the most part is removed, the wood has become very soft and has pilled everywhere. Almost as if the wood itself is starting to come apart, or at least start to flake off on the surface.
I don't know exactly what type off wood it is, it definitely is some sort of soft wood. The wood is on the vertical of a shed.
I'm not sure how to recover from this. Will the brightener re balance the ph making it strong again to the point where it could be sanded to remove pilling ( flaking on the surface ).?
In some spots stripper needs to be applied again, but I'm worried that will only soften the wood further and cause more to flake off.
Paul, deck stain stripper all contain a caustic cleaner of some sort. The RAD contains sodium hydroxide. This will break down the bond between the stain and the wood cells allowing us to wash away without tearing at the wood. The side effect is if the wood is neglected it will \”soften\” the wood cells as mentioned. You want to apply a brightener right away to neutralize the caustic and minimize this. In many cases we will use what we call defurring pads after the wood is dry. These pads will remove what you are seeing and it is easy to do. We personally use Osborn pads but really any sanding pad will help.
Hello, My brother has a deck that has a solid stain on it, he just got the house, and it has started to come off and he just dont like the look of a solid stain, its a brown color stain. What is the best process of stripping it, and re staining it. Thanks for any help.
Tyler, solid color stains will not strip off effectively. You will need to sand it off or replace the wood.
'Im in the same boat. I'm in the process of sanding the entire deck down to bare wood. My question is, do I have to use a cleaner to clean the wood AFTER I sand to bare wood? And if so, will this require me to sand all the wood a second time? UGG…I hope not!
Like I said…we are sanding to bare wood!
Best to clean and brighten after the sanding. You will not need to sand again.
Jason, stripping does not remove solid stains effectively or completely. Most likely you will need to sand.
I have multiple layers of a solid stain on my deck. It was starting to look shabby so I was told by the local hardware store to use Benjamin Moore Remover, which I did. It seemed to take a layer or two off with the power washer, but I still have around 90% of the stain left. Do you recommend to continue using more stripper or sand the rest off. If sanding is the best bet, what progression of grit should I start and end with?
Thanking you in advance.
Jeff, it is virtually impossible to strip off multiple layers of solid stains with a stain stripper. Sanding would be the only (but difficult) way to remove. I would start with 40 and end with no higher then 60 grit.
I just used RAD cleaner on my 1500 square foot deck only to realize that perhaps I should have used their stripper instead. At this point the deck looks a million times better than before cleaning but there are still little patches of faded semi-transparent stain showing. Would it be best to re-do the deck with the stripper or can I get away with just sanding the whole thing to remove the remaining stain? Also, is the RAD stripper as animal and environment safe as their cleaner?
Cali, The RAD Stripper is designed to remove old semi-transparent stains. I would shoot for 95% removal or more by either stripping or sanding. Also of there is little stain left and you are using a similar or slightly darker color then it will blend together.
Thanks! So I strip it, then do I need to clean it? Or just strip and then stain? I'm not looking to do this on the cheap…I want it to last. Is there a better option than the Penofin Blue/Red label?
Jared, not need to clean if you sue a stripper. You will need a brightener to neutralize the stripper. TWP is a better option then Penofin in our opinion.
I have a deck that is no more than 1.5yrs old. Most of it is covered, but the steps aren't and 1 Oregon winter has left them looking less than desirable. I think the last product used was Miller WeatherGard (we bought the house brand new in October 2011 and there was a can of this in the garage). My assumption was that I should sand the whole thing, and apply a better quality stain. I was thinking about the Penofin Verde product. Is sanding the way, or is it better to use a stripper? Is that product recommended?
Jared, I would try stripping first as long as it is a semi-transparent stain. Penofin Verde is a decent stain but it seems to fade faster then the other Penofin stains.
I live in South Central Ohio and would like to use the TWR 1500 product . I have totally sanded my cedar deck to the bare wood ( a huge Job!), after previous disastrous results with the behr solid stain/"paint". What Do I do next? Do I need to clean , brighten, and powerwash? or am I ready to go since the wood is bare? What specific products should I use?
Rebeca, I would clean and brighten to slightly roughen the wood so the stain can penetrate better. Take inconsideration that the better a stain penetrates, the better it will perform. Restore-A-Deck products work very well or EFC-c8 and Citralic.
It has went from a nice dark chocolate color (chestnut) to a reddish orange fire color….half the deck is beautiful and the other half looks terrible. It looks like it has removed stain. I could send you some pics if you have an email address. I am so disappointed in the results.
Trent, You will most likely need to sand it all off to fix this.
I stained my deck here just a few weeks ago with a Exterior Oil Stain Deck and Siding material. My deck is a chestnut color and I have stained it every 2 or 3 years. This year I stained it once and it looked not bad. I decided to wait a day and put a 2nd coat on. This was not a good decision. It's as if it started removing the stain and changed colors dramatically. Rather than a chestnut color it is now a flame color. I made the mistake putting a 3rd coat on and now it has allmost removed all of the stain completely. Looks terrible…..please help!! What do I do to fix it???
Trent, I am not sure what you mean. Adding more stain does not remove remove the stain. Do you mean it is not transparent anymore?
The steps mentioned above is pretty straightforward but I am left with one question. I am pretty sure because of the nature of the previous stain, I will need to lightly sand the deck. I am guessing that I should sand the deck, then brighten it. Is this correct??
Brighten first then lightly sand.
Thank you. Duly noted. I've gone products you recommend on this site so hopefully everything will work out.
Great! would love your feedback when done.
Is it necessary to use a cleaner if you've used a stripper? And if so would you strip first then clean or the other way around? Finally, I have two decks (one is new and one is old). Is it really necessary to clean the new deck before staining?
Deck in ID, no you do not need a cleaner if you use a stain stripper. Strip first then brighten after to neutralize. New wood needs to be cleaned and brightened.
Do you guys use a power washer to help clean and remove some of the old covering?
The use of a pressure washer at a low pressure or as a rinsing tool is acceptable. Never use a pressure washer without the appropriate cleaner or stain stripper. Too much pressure will result in damage to the wood.