This post was updated on March 3, 2024
Defy Deck Stain Stripper
Defy Stain Stripper Review 2024
Note: Defy Stain Stripper had a label change in 2019. Same product just a newer label.
We would love to hear from you if you have used the Defy Stain Stripper. Please post a rating in the Consumer Star Ratings below. If you have any pictures of your experience with the Defy Stain Stripper, you can add them in the comment area with a detailed description.
Defy Exterior Wood and Deck Stripper is designed to remove transparent and semi-transparent exterior wood and decking stains. Defy Stripper is a biodegradable deck stain remover that restores the wood to a like-new appearance that will work on both water-based and oil-based stains.
Defy Wood Brightener is needed to neutralize after using the stripper
Defy Stain Stripper Scores (1-10)
Removal of Graying, Dirt, Grime: 9
– Defy Stain Stripper removes general dirt and graying with relative ease. The deep penetration of the stripper softens the dirt and grime so it can easily be rinsed from the wood.
Cost Per Square Foot: 7
– We used 4 gallons of Defy Stain Stripper for the 600 square foot deck. The cost for the 4 gallons was $100, or $.16 per foot. This is average for a stain stripper. Better than most liquid gallons but much more than a powder concentrate.
Removal of Old Stain: 9
– Defy Stain Stripper had no problem with removing the two-year-old TWP stain. It softened the stain to the point that light scrubbing would remove the finish. On the first pass with the stripper, more than 90% of the old stain was removed. Spot treating the rest proved effective for 100% removal.
Ease of Application: 8
– The Defy Stain Stripper comes premixed and is not to be diluted. We took precautions by wearing protective clothing, gloves, and eyewear. The stripper was applied with a garden pump sprayer, sat for 15 minutes, scrubbed, then high pressure rinsed off.
Final Appearance of Stripping: 9
– The cedar wood had retained 90% of its natural color after the Defy Stain Stripper and Defy Wood Brightener.
Overall Score Defy Stain Stripper: 8.25
– Excellent deck stain stripper. Defy Stain Stripper would be a solid choice for a residential homeowner who is looking to remove a failed deck stain.
Product Information:
Where To Buy: Select Stores and Online
Product Type: Liquid Wood Deck Stain Stripper
Available Sizes: 1 Gallon
Application Temperature: 45-95 F
Coverage Per Gallon: 100-200 sq. ft
Application Tools: Scrub Brush, Pump Sprayer
Manufacturer: Saversystems
Test Deck Stats:
Deck Wood Type: Cedar
Deck Square Footage: 600
The condition of Deck: 2-year-old TWP Stain was removed
How Much Product Used: 4 Gallons. Retails for $29.99 a gallon
*All products tested and results are from our experience. We offer no guarantee of similar results. Take into consideration that results may differ due to different wood types, exposure to UV radiation, and natural weathering.
The Best Deck Strippers Video – DeckStainHelp.com
Deck Stain Help & Questions
Stain Reviews & Comparisons
hi, can I use this information to the refinish of an exterior wooden door?
That would depend on what type of coating you currently have on the door? Pictures would help as well.
The door is stained, I need to know which products are the best to refinish it. Sorry I don’t have pictures.
If you have a varnish or a shiny coating on the wood, then you cannot strip it off. You will have to power sand for prep.
Hi, I have a couple of questions:
1. Will the stripper damage the screen on a screened in porch if it gets on it?
2. I don’t have a power washer – do I need to get one for acceptable results for removing the previous semi-transparent stain, or will a garden hose work?
3. I do intend to get a power wash done prior to staining. Can I apply it an hour or so before the power wash contractor arrives, and have him wash it off?
Thank you, this helps. Some other questions came to mind:
1. how much gap is acceptable between stripping and brightening – e.g. can I brighten a few weeks after stripping?
2. same question for acceptable gap between brightening and staining?
3. Should the pressure washer be at no more than 1200psi to avoid damaging the pressure treated pine wood?
4. Part of the deck is 3 year old pressure treated pine wood that has never been stained – can that just be pressure washed or must it be brightened as well?
-Brighten same day as stripping.
-Stain within 2 weeks of prep.
-You can use a pressure washer with higher psi. A 3000 psi washer will only wash at 1500 psi if you are 8-10 inches away from the wood and that is acceptable.
-Use a deck cleaner and then a brightener.
Thank you, appreciate your responses!
I see RAD is rated above Defy, yet on Defy website it says their stripper will remove solid stains (the RAD review says that it will not ‘guarantee’). Would Defy be rated 1st for my project?
My project includes a 10 yr old solid stain on a deck. A second project would be a cedar swing set with a water based semi applied 6 years ago.
The RAD Stripper is more powerful than the Defy when you add the additives and no, the Defy Stain stripper will not fully remove a solid stain.
I want to spruce up our aging deck. My plan is to strip the old semi-transparent stain (applied only to the deck boards–not to rails or any other part of the structure) and brighten everything. I’m also replacing all the rails with new wood and spindles. Is it ok if I leave it like that and then stain everything the following spring once the new rails have aged and will take the stain?
Yes but you will need to clean and brighten all before staining.
We plan to use this on our front porch but the front porch comes right up to our light yellow painted cedar house and the front side of the porch (facing out) is painted cedar as well in white. We plan to use this stripper on the flat part of the porch (where you walk on). When we go to spray off the stripper, we are wondering if the drippings of the stripper will effect the painted cedar parts of the house.
It does not remove paint.
I used this on my deck. It got most of the stain off but not all and it took a LOT of time with the pressure washer. Do I need to sand it to get the remaining stain off? Or can I just stain it as is? The stain that was on was semi transparent. Would it make a difference if I used semi solid over that?
Sand to remove the remaining. Make sure to brighten all wood when done.
Thanks! Do I need to brighten the wood immediately after the stripping, and then again after sanding? Or can I skip the brightening until after I sand? The instructions say I must brighten within a day after stripping.
Can you recommend a specific sander? Or at least a type of sander? It’s confusing for a non- handy person. Orbital? Random orbital?
Also, would anything bad happen if I wait a while after stripping before doing anything else? I just have other projects to do so I want to make sure I’m not ruining the wood by leaving it unfinished through rain, etc.
You can brighten after sanding. Try an orbital or belt sander. Shoot for 95% removal of old stain. Try to stain with a few weeks of the prep.
Ok thanks so much. So, just to be clear, are either of these scenarios ok?
1) Strip, then wait a few weeks to sand, brighten then stain.
2) strip, sand, brighten, THEN wait a few weeks to stain.
In other words, once I strip, do I need to sand and brighten right away?
Either is fine.
Awesome. One more question – orbital sander or random orbit? I’ve never done this before and don’t have a sander so I want to make sure I get the right thing. Can you give an example of a specific sander?
I really do not think it matters that much Any palm sander that is orbital should work.
Thank you. Thought I was done with the questions…but I’ve been doing the stripper for three days now trying to do the whole deck. First time barely worked, then the next morning I tried again in the same area and it came off much more easily. I’m now attempting the other side of the deck and it’s barely coming off again. Should I do a little now, leave the rest in disturbed then do it again tomorrow with a fresh application? Is it ok or possibly even more effective to leave the stripper on overnight? I just didn’t expect it to take this long to get the stain off. Also, how much should I be aiming to get off if I’m going to sand it anyway?
It dries out overnight, so not that does not help. Shoot for 95% total removal.
will Defy stripper remove Thompsons water sealer -transparent with a tint
after the stripper does a brightener need to be used before staining
Send a picture. Yes, you always have to brighten after stripping.
After pressure wash. Left over Thompson
No, not this. It looks opaque on your wood. You will have to sand it get it all off. Stripping will remove some, but not all.
Unfortunately when you sand it gums up the sand paper on the sander.because oft the Thompson sealer containing paraffin wax. Just leaves a coating on the paper.
What a hassle this is. Thank you
can I use this to remove over spray deck stain on vinyl siding?
Use a graffiti remover cleaner instead. You can find this in the paint aisle.
We have a really challenging stain situation. Five years ago, we had a general contractor apply Sikkens (now part of PPG) Log & Siding stain on our split log siding. This is a semi-transparent oil stain. The problem is, the wood wasn’t cleaned and prepped properly after they power washed the old stain off, so the end result of the stain is that it’s way darker than it should be, and there is wood fuzz/felting everywhere from the aggressive power washing. It’s looked pretty bad for five years.
Since Sikkens is a five-year stain, we decided that this year, we’d clean the wood and re-apply the stain properly, doing one side of the house at a time. The problem is, Sikkens is a VERY hard to remove stain. In an effort to try to clean the old stain off, I ordered a gallon of this Defy stain stripper online. I followed the directions, let the stripper dwell on the wood (wet) for 20-25 minutes, and then power washed it off. While I could tell the Defy was doing something (running your fingers over the siding after application, you could see the Sikkens stain color coming off on your fingers), after the wood dried, it didn’t look like any stain had been removed at all – the color looked the same!
After one application of Defy and no results, I emailed Defy’s customer service (parent company: SaverSystems), explained the problem I was having, and asked some questions. The lady I spoke to, Tricia, wrote me back the same day and answered my questions. She said that yes, you could apply multiple applications of their stain stripper without damaging the wood. She was very apologetic and even offered to send me an extra gallon of stain stripper to help me finish the job. I said, “cool, send it on!” Note that I also emailed Sikkens and asked them how the heck I’m supposed to remove their stain. They never responded.
A week later, I received not just one gallon of free Defy stain stripper, but 10 gallons! And a couple of gallons of their wood brightener! I was amazed at the extra mile this company went to try to help me with this impossible project.
In the end, on the one side of the house I worked on, I actually wound up having to hand sand (random orbit sander) off the Sikkens stain. No stain stripper wouldn’t remove the Sikkens (I tried a different brand’s, as well). But if you have normal, non-hardcore Sikkens stain to remove, I would highly recommend Defy’s stain stripper because 1) it does seem to dissolve oil-based stain, just not ours, and 2) their customer service is out of this world amazing.
Great customer service over there at SaverSystems!
how does the stripper work on Cumaru wood with Armstrong oil based stain that is mahogany color?
The Defy Stripper will remove Armstrong Clark.
Okay so we used this product along with Defy Brightener and it removes most of the stain off the Cumaru wood. but we an out can you recommend a stain stripper sold at true value?
Sorry but no idea if anything is decent at true value.
I sanded my deck with an industrial pad sander but there is still small amounts of stain down in low spots of wood. Is there a stripper that would remove a solid color stain?
Sorry but no, stain strippers will not remove solid stains.
Is this product plant safe? I have boxwood around my deck. Should we cover with tarp?
Best to cover the plants with a plastic tarp when using a stain stripper.
Is this plant safe or should I cover my plants that are around my deck?
Best to cover the plants when using a stain stripper.
Can I use RAD Brightener after Defy stripper? I already have it.
Yes.
Will this remove paint as well or deck stains only?
This and any other deck stain strippers will not remove paint or solid stains effectively. That will require sanding.
When I washed the stripper off my redwood deck with the power washer, the grains of the wood were raised up. I followed with the brightener. If the grain s in the wood are still raised when the deck railing dries, should I lightly sand the wood before staining?
What caused the wood grains to raise and how do I prevent it?
Thanks,
Doris
Raised grain is normal and sometimes happens when stripping. It is actually better for the stain when applied. It soaks in deeper this way and will have better wearing because of it. Typically sanding is not needed but if you want, sand with 60-80 grit paper, no finer.
Thank you, your help, quick response and information has been greatly appreciated! I’ll let you know how the project went when I finish.
Dorie
Thanks for the review on DEFY. The stain stripper and then brightener really did the job. We have a 600 + square foot deck, stained after a new build with Penofin (at the recommendation of a contractor and another knowledgeable person). 2 1/2 years later, the finish was peeling, and needed to be removed. After doing research on this site and others, decided on Defy liquid stain stripper and Defy brightener. It was stripped and cleaned and brightened today, see the photos to see the difference. Stain (with Armstrong) will be done early next week.
Just FYI… In the product stats, it says that this product sells for $19.99 per gallon. We had to buy from Amazon, because we could not find it locally anywhere. It is $34.99 per gallon on Amazon. Used a little less than 3 gallons for the deck.
Amazon over charges. Could have bought it for less here:
https://www.deckstain.com/defy-stain-stripper.html
Everyone has a deck stain story, and basically all the stories are bad. I never do reviews, but Defy Wood Stain Stripper saved our sanity. Our 1700 square ft deck plus benches and stairs was originally stained with a horrible product called Penofin. It turned black and the factory came and stripped it and re-did it working 8 hours a day for a month and unfortunately restrained it with the same lousy product. The deck turned black again. The factory man had quit. The contractor denied responsibility. My wife found Defy on the internet, and ordered a gallon.
Defy applied liberally, allowed to set up for around a half hour, and hit with just a narrow torrent of water from the outdoor spigot with a good old-fashioned spray nozzle saved our deck. Sure I had to do a couple of areas twice, but so what.
Does this product work on removing Behr Deck over?
I just finished stripping a cedar deck using both the Defy stripped and cleaner. I have been a deck owner on several homes over many years I absolutely detest this every 2 to 4 year project. Having used several different products, a friend recommended the Defy product and I have to say that I am absolutely amazed at how well the Defy products worked.
Preparing a deck to be stained is still not an easy task, but I followed the directions and the results were fantastic. I did use a power washer to remove the stripped, but the old stain came off every easily. You have won over a new customer.
Thanks for the review Joe.
I'm trying to strip a fence. However, since I have to refinish nearly 2000+ sq feet, I 'm having trouble stomaching the cost of this stripper. I tried a cheaper one, but it is taking forever to get all the stain off. I'm applying the remover per the instructions and today it took me about an hour to remove the stain from 300 sq feet using a 3000 PSI pressurer washer.
1. How important is it to remove ALL the old stain. Can I just stain over the really tenacious stuff? I'll be covering my fence with Defy acrylic. The old stuff is Olympic acrylic.
2. If #1 is not a good idea, any suggestions on a more cost effective stain remover?
Thanks!
Kevin
1. When switching brands it is best to remove all or as much as possible of the old stain. Try for 95% or more. Little here and there and in the knots should be okay.
2. Depends on the type of stain that the Olympic was? Semi-trans? Semi-Solid? Solid stain? The RAD stripper and HD80 are pretty economical.
I used Olympic Maximum semi-transparent.
As an aside, I hit a portion of my fence where i can't get the stain off at all. Would it be best for me to use the Olympic stripper? Or try the RAD / HD80?
Thanks very much!
I would try the RAD or HD80. They are powders that can be mixed stronger if needed for difficult to remove stains. Make sure that you wear protective clothing, gloves, etc when doing this.
I need to remove a solid stain. Was wondering what stripper would work the best to remove the stain?
Sanding is the only effective way to remove a solid stain. Deck stain strippers do not work on solid stains.
After sanding can you apply the stain afterwards or is there any other treatment you recommend first
Clean and brighten the wood for the final prep.
I used the Defy Stain Stripper and have several areas where the stripper was not effective (actually I wasn't effective in scrubbing it completely off). It has been well over 24 hours and I'm not sure whether I should reapply the stripper to the trouble areas or use the Brightener to neutralize the stripper. The deck floor is completely fine, it's mainly on the vertical areas i.e. the spindles on the rail.
Do the stripper again until it is all off before brightening. Pressure washing after the stripper is applied will help.
This product not as good as it was 5 years ago.
The Defy Stain Stripper formula has not changed in the last 5 years.
I have a 20 by 60 deck 6 years old,cedar, it weathered 9 months, stained with Sikkens, semi-transparent,looked bad after 2 and one half years,restained with Cabot semi with some dark tint, after 2 and one half years its showing lots of the old Sikkens. All done by a contracter,now he says just paint over it with a oil base paint,is he smoking something or will it last as he claims for ten years? thanks Al
Al, nothing lasts more then 2-3 years on a horizontal deck. The key is to use a penetrating semi-transparent stain that can be applied int he future without a hassle. There is nothing that can go on top of your coatings and \”fix\” the underlying issues. The oil based paint will probably last 2-3 years but no longer.
i’ve been in the same boat,..we bought the (supposed ) best toughest (Cabot) and followed the directions to the T,..waste. peeling and all after 2 years,..my father in law, painted his deck with good ol Rustoleum Gray paint (tru values version) using gray primer 1st,..has FAR outlasted the the stupid over priced Cabot stuff. i’ll never use anything but a rustoleum type paint again on my deck again. Everyone else can “talk” all they want…