TWP 1500 Wood and Deck Stain Review 2019 4.3/5 (27)

I used the TWP 1520 Pecan on our cedar shake siding (2 coats wet-on-wet after stripping and brightening) and am very happy with the results in Houston, TX!

Hi – if you could answer a few questions, please.

1. What’s the difference between TWP-100 and 1500? Can’t seem to find that info. We live in NY State – Buffalo NY – and want to seal (not necessarily stain) our 14 month old PT pine wood deck. It has been power washed and is ready for treatment. Read somewhere that NY doesn’t allow the use of the 100, have to use the 1500, but also read reviews that 1500 isn’t as good as the 100 in all respects. Do you have a recommendation as to which product to use? Doesn’t have to be the TWP – could be any other one you recommend, like Defy Extreme (one we also looked at) or another product.

2. Another Q: Are stains also sealers? We’d like to just seal the wood without staining, but if we have to use a stain, the least pigmented one is what we prefer. Understanding that the more opaque the better the prevention and the longer time between maintenance, we like the color of the wood as-is and would prefer not to add color if avoidable.

Also, we have 5 almost 10×10 posts and pergola tops that would need to be sealed at the least. Since they won’t be walked on, what could we use for those that would last the longest, seeing as we have snow, and now with climate change rain and humidity are becoming a challenge?

3. Lastly, I’ve read that water based stains/sealers have to be sanded off, whereas oil based stains/sealers can just be power washed when the time comes to redo. It seems like that should be just the opposite. The Q is: Is that true? Since redoing would have to be done every 2-3 years, we’d obviously like the easiest way to do that, by just power washing and not having to sand. The deck is 13×32 and would be a job to sand.

Thank you for your help. Really need to get this done before the temperature drops further and it can’t be done this year, and trying to figure out which to use by reading reviews is frustrating. Seems they ALL have good and bad reviews, which makes it even worse to choose.

Attached is a picture of the deck. The yellow marks at the top indicate the pergola tops which haven’t been installed yet, and the red marks you can ignore. Hope it’s large enough for you to see.

Should I use TWP WS20 on a glider I sanded down to the bare wood or the TWP 1500

I installed all new decking on a second story deck about a month ago. I used cedar boards. I love the new look of the deck and would like to keep it this way. I’ve read some of your reviews saying I need to wait 4 months or more before applying a sealer. If I do that it will have to wait until spring and we have harsh winter here in Wisconsin and I’m concerned I will loose the fresh new look of the deck by then. Is there a product I can apply now instead of waiting? Thanks.

Existing weathered grey redwood deck
How best match new decking-only 5% of deck

We live outside Nashville, TN and our deck gets full-sun in the afternoon and we have trees that help shade parts of it. We have used 2 different products on our deck and haven’t been happy with either. In 2008 we used Sherwin Williams Clear Deckscapes Advanced Waterbourne Formula. In or around 2011 or 2012 we used Olympic Maximum Clear Waterproofing Sealant. We are very late in re-sealing the deck, but I just pressure washed with 2200 to 2500 PSI with a 15 degree nozzle. from reading the posts, that is really high, but that was what it took to get off the black surface. In some areas it damaged the wood on the surface or made it fuzzy looking. I am posting pictures of what it looks like after pressure washing and have several questions on what to do and use to get it looking great again. 1. (Image 1) I have a few boards that are warping and pulling up the screws. Can I turn these over and reuse, try to re-secure with a new screw, or replace them? 2. (Image 2) The wood we used is YellaWood and some boards have a much more prominent grain. With age this seems to be more pronounced almost looking wet all the time. Is there anything I can do to make it blend better? 3. (Image 3) In the center of the large area of deck we had a teak table and chairs. It looks like the wood has a black cast to it. Is there anything I can do to remove the darkness and make it blend better? 4. (Image 4) Some of the top rails look fuzzy. Should I sand them and what grit should be used? 5. (Image 5) This shows what the wood looked like before pressure washing and the clean deck in background. It is the pergola over garage that has not been prepped yet. Is pressure washing the best way to do that? 6. (Image 6) This is the deck after pressure washing. The pergola is really high and we had to use a our 26′ ladder to clean the outside stuff that I couldn’t get to from on the deck. It’s not perfect, but after 3 long days I was ready to be finished with the pressure washer. The size of the deck is 26′ x 15′ and 10′ x 9′. the stairs and bottom landing are 6′ x 14′. The pergola is 18′ x 20′ x 10′ high. There is yellawood lattice between all the posts around the deck, the tallest portion is 8′ wide x 5′ high. There is approximately 86 lineal feet of hand rails. 7. After researching all the different products out there and only a few overlapping on best rated lists, my biggest questions are: a. Since it has been so long since we last sealed, can I use a water based formula to seal? Everything seems to point to those being the best formulation out there. If… Read more »

I received a can labeled 1501 Cedartone, but it looks like 1503 Dark Oak on my PT fence. Did I receive a mislabeled can or is this due to high absorption rate and age of my fence? The stain itself in the can looks dark.

We are stripping a front door that has faded etc due to western exposure. We are in CT. Would the TWP 200 or 1500 be best for color saturation and durability against the sun. The door is made of fir. Thanks for any direction.

I have a new con heart redwood pergola installed about 1 month ago. I want to maintain the natural look of the redwood. Which stain would you recommend. I live in Northern California and the pergola is exposed to the sun most of the day.

Hello, I live on Long Island NY and had cedar fence installed late September 2018. I am getting ready to have it stained and am thinking about using TWP 1501 Cedartone. The results of your Cedar deck look amazing and I am hoping to have the same with my fence. Two questions:

1. Did you use the TWP Gemini Cleaner/Brightener or any other prep?
2. Did you use 1 or 2 coats.

Thanks in advance!

Ok so after doing more research I’ve landed on AC Transparent Redwood Tone. Based on the pics I added, do you think the deck floor would benefit from ditching the Valspar cleaner in lieu of the RAD system before staining?

1. Hi, I recently purchased a home with a deck made from redwood (1997). To prepare the neglected deck, I power washed, used a valspar cleaner/brightener and am almost done sanding the entire thing. After reading everything I’ve read I am guessing I shouldve sanded first and then used the Gemini restoration kit and followed by TWP1500? I was initially going to go with Valspar but after finding this site I will go with TWP.

2. I absolutely love the color now that the wood is sanded (pics attached). What color from TWP would preserve this or should I be looking at a boiled linseed oil / tung oil to stay natural?

3. Is it true redwood 2x4s cannot be found anymore? I have boards that need to be replaced and a local lumber shop told me this.

Thank you!

I would like to keep the original natural wood color for our newly replaced horizontal deck surfaces which are pressure treated pine. When it rained on the new wood, the grains and natural color were highlighted and absolutely beautiful!
I see colors of 1500 Clear, 1515 Honeytone and 1530 Natural. Would they be able to recreate this color effect and not darken with re-coating annually? If so, which would you recommend? If not, which would likely produce the closest effect without darkening over the years?

Any reason I cannot use TWP 1500 over TWP 100 series (the latter apples 3 yrs ago)? Any reason I should stay with the 100 series over the 1500 series? I’m in NC.

Hi I have gotten myself into a bad spot with my fence and I’m looking for some advice. I live in Canada and I have used this stain called Penofin in a red can. It is an oil base stain and it did not turn out well because I did not prep the wood well enough and the grey is showing thru the transparent stain. Most stains sold here in Canada at your Lowe’s or Home Depot are all water base now. My question is how do I now remove the oil base stain so I can apply a water base one? If cleaning the oil base off and putting another water base product on is not possible what method do you recommend here to at least remove the Penofin and then go across the boarder to get another oil base as it will be ok to go 1 oil base over another?

Whats the advantage of the 1500 series compared to the 100 series?

Can I use 1500 on a NEW pressure treated deck?

I live in Rainier, Oregon. We just replaced our red cedar deck and covered it with an extended roof which has a ceiling of tongue and groove cedar. Some of the decking is new store bought wood, some is salvaged and planed wood from the former deck, and some is new wood just harvested and milled during the project. We began this project in November of 2018 and we are finishing up railings and benches currently. The ceiling of the lengthy eaves around the house perimeter is original tongue and groove cedar which was treated with linseed oil many years ago and is long overdue for refinishing. We want all of the cedar to be finished with the same look and prefer that some grain show.

We live in the rainy Pacific NW and are surrounded by a small woodland. So mosses and algae are an issue.

Also we built a sunroom underneath the deck, so waterproofing the deck is an issue.

Would you recommend a TWP product? What would you suggest for preparing the wood for treatment? How long would you wait to apply an oil based product?

Hi. My contractor used ready seal late summer of 2016. It has been power washed dirt still shows in some areas.
I want to change to TWP 1500. What has to be done to transition? Thanks in advance!

I live in Northern Virginia and had my deck of pressure treated wood (probably pine) rebuilt in the fall of 2015. The contractor applied Thompson’s Water Seal Penetrating Timber Oil in “Natural” to the deck approximately 2-3 months after the deck was completed. Three plus years later, the deck looks good, except it is gray in color. There are no visible signs of mold or mildew, which is amazing, since we had record rain in our area last year. I want to have the deck power washed and re-stained this month. I want to try the TWP 1500. Should I request that my contractor “strip” the deck of whatever remains of the Thompson’s Water Seal before he applies the TWP 1500 stain? If so, what does the stripping entail? Is it a light sanding of the deck and deck rails before the power washing is done? Are there products that the contractor will need to use to strip the old stain? Honestly, it doesn’t look like there is anything to strip. Also, which TWP 1500 transparent color is light brown in color? Thank you for your help!

Does the Twp natural contain UV protection?

We are in New England with a 1 year old Garapa deck. The deck was stained mid-summer last year after it was built with another product (Penofin Hardwood) that after only a few weeks started showing black discolorations which we are told are due to mold. We want to switch to using TWP 1500 this year with a power wash and sand first to remove the old stain, but the instructions on TWP 1500 mention a 4-12 month weathering period. Since this deck was stained soon after being built do we need to strip the old stain first and then let it weather or just apply the TWP immediately?

We live in NW Georgia. We have a very large deck around an above ground pool. Deck is 3 years old and had Thompson’s water seal applied 2 years ago. What is best option for poolside deck. . .holding up to lots of water 3-4 months out of the year? (Small children in/out of the pool).

Hi, We installed a pressure treated pine deck about 4 years ago. After about 6 months, and making sure the wood was dry, we stained it with another brand. It was beautiful for about 6 months. The next year I stained the flooring again but it is not holding up. Do I need to completely strip the wood to use TWP 1500 Semi-transparent stain? I also have two other areas of decking/dock that are one to two years old, bare wood. What do I need to do to prepare all of my decking?

Where can I buy the cedartone 1500 series in Connecticut. Specifically close to a 06804 zipcode

Built a new 12′ x 34′ deck around my place at the lake in August 2018 using pressure treated pine. I plan to stain the deck in next month (April 2019). With the deck being new it is not very dirty or discolored. I plan to pressure wash the deck prior to applying the stain but was wonder if more prep will be necessary. The location is in NE Tennessee. The sun tracks from one end of the deck to the other. The sun hits the deck mostly all the time. There is plenty of space under and around the deck so I am not concerned about lack of air flow. I am looking for a stain that is fairly easy to apply, that will penetrate and last a good while. I would appreciate any advice. Thank you in advance.

Had a new redwood arbor installed last year. Corner support post gets hit by the lawn sprinklers all the time. Live in the San Francisco bay area.

Can TWP be used on arbors? Guessing Calif. Redwood color is best match to the natural color of the wood?

We live 3 miles off the Gulf in southern Florida. One month ago we installed a pressure and kiln dried pine deck using 2×6 boards and just this week we finished a planter box and slat wrapped posts. We are now officially out of the rainy season but high humidity is almost always a factor. Our UV is rarely under an 8 so sun bleaching is a concern as is mold and mildew growth in shady areas.

With that said, how long should we wait before sanding and prepping and what stain do you recommend that will give us our best shot at achieving a medium cedar tone (similar to the color of our window rainscreens), color retention and mold and mildew prevention? Are clear coats ever recommended?
Also, we will soon be refacing the entrance of our house (location gets minimal exposure) with cedar cladding. What do you recommend we use there considering we would like to achieve a close color match and when should it be applied?

Live in Colorado. Deck gets full sun in morning that fades to partial and then none. Deck is 3 years old. Given the altitude, cold and lack of humidity in the Denver area, what is the best stain for deck?

I have a large 700 Sq Ft deck and worked many hours to prep for staining. I thought I did my home work and deceided to use TWP 1500 stain. After 3 coats the deck looked great. I completed this in Sept 2017, after a normal winter and spring in northern Illinois. I cleaned the winter dirt from the deck with soap and water and the half of the deck exposed to the sun had faded and looked like years of wear and tear, the other half was as nice a when I stained it. I was not real happy! Emailed TWP with my story and never got a responce of any kind.

Would only staining one side would be bad? What’s the most natural color for the 1500 series? Is there a link to any pics? Thanks!

My husband just built a pine deck in June and we live in Michigan, can you please tell us which TWP is best to use the 100 or 1500 and how long should we wait with pine before we use the product?

I need to back prime my cedar siding which absorbs moisture from the rear side and pushes off the primer and paint or opaque stain. What is the best product for back priming in this situation?

I just stained my deck with TWP 1500, rustic color. The rails are quite old, and the floor is a few years old. I cleaned and brightened everything well with Deck Restore before staining. The rails came out a warm brown, the floor is definitely reddish. Why two colors? If I put another coat on the rails, will it help the color match?

Will TWP 1500 work on western red cedar siding ?

Hi. My covered porch is made of mahogany. The old finish was peeling up in spots and was worn away in the high traffic areas. The wood is faded here. Do you think the wood will come back in these areas and what is the recommended finish. Thanks!

We Need Help…we have a cedar deck…23 years old. we live in Michigan. It has been stained over the years with a semi-solid stain and now we stain with a solid stain. We have always used a Behr product and recently (when we replaced some of the boards, the stain has been bubbling and peeling. 3-4 years ago we had some boards replaced that were rotting we let the new boards weather a year then used a deck prep product before reapplying new stain. All the the new deck boards peeled. The next year we sanded them and reapplied….same issue…the boards peeled. Almost all of the older boards retained the stain. We have a new round of new boards and want to know what to do. Should we restain the whole deck again? or just the new peeling boards? Let the new boards weather again? It didn’t seem to make a difference. The stain is coming off in strips. Please recommend!

Would you think I should consider the 200 series?

May I ask. What is the top of the line TWP line? The 1500 I’m assuming for cedar deck?

Hey should I just had a new 20k cedar deck done at home. I want to stain and protect it and was thinking of TWP 1500. Would this be the right choice for durability and appearance? Should I wait before I apply it?

I have a old deck on a summer home in the mountains of North Carolina that has never been stained. I am going to pressure wash. Will the TWP be suitable to use? Also can I get samples of the stain?

I have an 18 yr old deck/stairs/railing that have been stained over and over thru the years. However we have not stained for about 3 years now. We live in North Idaho so lots of cold weather and snow in winter. What would be best process for prep and restaining? Would TWP 1500 be best? Please tell me I don’t have to figure out how to sand the individual spindles in the deck railing! 😳

Installed new pressure treated dock decking last September and ready to stain/seal. On Chesapeake Bay- should I use the 100 series TWP or the 1500?

We have a older deck and live in the south, do you recommend the 100 or 1500 series”

Let me start by saying that I really like TWP. It repels moisture like no other. Even when it’s worn and the color is almost gone, it still repels water. But just know that TWP has a learning curve. The first time I used it on my new deck I was ecstatic. It was gorgeous! HOWEVER, it was shiny. I was sure that I didn’t let any stain pool…but I was wrong. The shiny spots were a result of the pooling, AND the spots eventually peeled. However, it didn’t affect the water-proofing. I just used Restore-a-Deck stripper and brightener, (both great products) and set out on my next TWP adventure. We used brushes to apply the stain. AGAIN, we were CERTAIN we didn’t leave any pools of stain left on the planks. However, the next morning we saw shiny spots. Realizing that wood absorbs oil at different rates, we donned our throw-away socks and wiped every single plank. The deck is awesome. THAT’S THE TRICK! Apply the stain, wipe the excess, and move onto the next plank. You’ll love TWP. You can’t find a better water repellent. I live in Colorado and the UV rays are crazy, but even though the color fades, you still have total protection from the elements.

Which semi-transparent stain is better for Port Orford Cedar TWP 100 or TWP 1500 ?

First two are under deck, third is sw exposure. Maine.
Tried to send as reply, don’t think it went through.