I recently built a new deck out of pressure treated lumber onto my house. The deck had to be stained and sealed after a week or so of drying. The manufacturer suggested two or three days, depending on the weather but I let the deck dry for over a week just to be sure because if the wood is wet at all the stain will not adhere to the surface and will eventually peel and crack. Also, never apply any water based stain in direct sunlight. This could make the stain dry too fast and cause adhesion problems.

If you are re-staining an older deck be sure to clean the surface very well. A pressure washer is the best way to clean an older deck to get the dirt out and achieve good adhesion for the new stain to come.

Exterior deck/wood stains come in three choices, transparent, semi transparent and opaque. A transparent stain will allow sunlight to penetrate the finish and this will not only bleach out any color in the wood, but will cause the wood to expand and contract more than a semi or opaque stain, which will also speed up the failure of the clear stain coat.

A semi opaque stain will block out the sun much better and an opaque stain will block out the sun almost completely. These two are my choices for exterior use when taking into consideration the fading and overall longevity of the coating, plus the added protection to the wood itself.

Alan can be reached directly via email c/o Alan Noel Furniture Refinishing at anoelfurniturere@bellsouth.net .

Visiting Atlanta? Attend one of Alan's upcoming highly informative Highland Woodworking wood finishing seminars:

November 23, 2019 Finishing 101
December 11, 2019 French Polish Workshop
December 21, 2019 Finishing 101