What is the Best Semi-Solid Deck Stain?
TWP Semi-Solid Stain in Cedar Mulch
We have been using deck stains now for 25+ years and reviewing them on DeckStainHelp.com since 2012. In the past 5+ years, we have used more and more of the semi-solid stains and colors. The major reason is that the higher the solid content, the better the UV protection from fading. One caveat, the semi-solid stains need to be fully penetrating and unfortunately, that is not the case for many brands.
Semi-Solid wood and deck stains allow the wood grain to show slightly and if they truly soak into the wood grain, reapplying is much easier down the road. One issue is that not all semi-solid stains are penetrating but rather film on top of the wood like paint. Stains that film on top of the wood will have a tendency to peel and will be harder to re-coat or remove down the road and will be prone to peeling and wearing. We have found that the only decent Semi-Solid Wood and Deck stains are the oil-based versions as they will penetrate into the wood grain as long as you prep properly and do not over apply. Stay away from any of the Semi-Solid Water-Based Stains as they will be prone to peeling and are much harder to apply. This would include the Semi-Solids from Behr, Cabot, Olympic, Pittsburgh Paints, Valspar, etc.
The Best Semi-Solid Deck Stains are
- TWP Semi-Solid Pro-Series Semi-Solid Stain
- Armstrong Clark Semi-Solid Stain
See below for more information on each brand.