Restore-A-Deck Two-Toned Wood Deck Staining
Restore-A-Deck Two-Toned Wood Deck StainingHave you ever considered doing a Two-Toned Wood Deck? Two-toned decks have become increasingly popular in the last few years due to ease of future maintenance and having a unique two-color approach. A two-toned deck would have the Restore-A-Deck Solid Stain on the vertical railings and spindles and the deck floor or horizontal is stained with the Restore-A-Deck Semi-Transparent Wood Stain.
There are several advantages to using the Restore-A-Deck Stains for a two-toned deck:
- The ability to blend the house paint color by choosing the Restore-A-Deck Solid Stain in one of the 5 pre-mixed colors.
- The deck floor can then be stained with the Restore-A-Deck Semi-Transparent Stain so it still has that natural wood appearance.
- The RAD Solid Stain on vertical wood can last 4-8 years with minor touchups and cleaning.
- The RAD Semi-Transparent Stain on flooring/horizontal wood can be cleaned and recoated as needed. Much easier for future maintenance.
- All RAD Wood Stains can be applied the same day as the prep!
A properly done Restore-A-Deck Wood Stained two-tone deck can really add appeal and value to your property while at the same time, easing the maintenance frequency and difficulty of restaining down the road.
If you have any questions on using the Restore-A-Deck Wood stains for a two-toned deck, please ask in the comment area below.
We built our deck over a year ago and life happened. We just have been able to stain it after using your cleaner and brightener. My question is, would we be able to apply two coats of the stain since the wood isn’t less than 9 months old? It just looks a bit uneven.
With the semi-transparent stain, can apply two coats but it must be applied wet on wet.
https://www.restore-a-deck.com/restore-a-deck-stain-wet-on-wet-application
You cannot apply a second coat once the first coat has fully dried.
Should I sand it first then? I cannot leave it as is? I know this is my error however it doesn’t look great.
You would have to remove it and start over.
Wood deck 5 years old. Originally painted with solid stain. Recently traffic areas stripped, entire deck pressure washed and in process of being sanded. Can I go straight to RAD solid stain coat over residual solid stain?
Yes, as long as the old coating is fully intact and not peeling.
Thank you!
I have already started the stripping and cleaning process with another brand. Can I swap mid way through my project?
Another brand of which products?
Hello! We are looking for similar color schemes to the 2 pictures below. I believe our deck is standard lumber (Douglas fir maybe?).
Do you have suggests for semi transparent stains that might match these 2 themes we are debating? (I know these are composite decking)
I am going to strip, sand, clean, and brighten the deck first.
Thanks!
Try the white solid stain for the railings and the Espresso solid stain for the floors for the second picture. Nothing we have will match the first pic.
how do i calculate how much solid stain to order? i see, based on your calculator, how much total stain to order but to split for 2 tone how do you order?
Thanks in advance!!
You would have to measure your railings and flooring separately and enter them individually into the calculator.
Railings of 2nd story deck were stained with oil base product some time ago and show no sign of wear. The newer flooring is stripped of failing 2year old semi transparent in prep for Restore a Deck semi. I would love to have the railings solid white. Can I paint over the excellent condition oil base stain?
No, you will need to strip off the oil-based stain so you can use the waterbased solid stain.
Best I can figure, it looks like we have:
*Color#1 (horizontal surfaces) is 503sq’.
I understand that you recommend 2 coats on horizontal surfaces so that makes a TOTAL of 1006 sq’. Is that correct?
*Color #2 (vertical boards) is 462 sq’
*Color #2 (“NEW” wood) is 300 sq’
Making a total of 762 sq’ stain
I’m not sure what surfaces need the cleaner. After power washing and sanding, do we need a cleaner if using a solid stain on all the old/pre-stained wood? We used a different stain brand previously.
Do we need a cleaner on the “NEW” wood if using a solid stain?
How much product do you recommend overall to complete the project?
With the solid stain you need two coats for all areas. About 5 gallons for color 1 and 4 gallons for color 2. You must prep all wood. Clean and brighten. 2 Cleaners and 2 Brighteners. New wood needs to season for 3+ months before staining.
We want to refinish the deck in two-tones (both colors in a SOLID STAIN) and need help calculating the amount of products we need as some of the wood is “NEW”.
* Deck is 35-40 years old
* Last Stain applied 6 years ago with Behr Premium Solid Color Waterproofing Exterior Wood Stain and Sealer, color was “Tug Boat”.
1. In prep we have power washed and it’s now ready to sand. Do we need to use the cleaner on the old stained wood before applying your brand of solid stain?
2. Some repairs to the deck structure (NEW WOOD) were done last year in the spring and are ready to be treated. We understand that will need cleaner but I think we can skip the brightened since we are using a solid stain, is this correct?
3. We want all the horizontal walking surfaces (deck and stair treads) to be one color and everything else a second color (deck railing, stair railing, fascia and supports). How much of each product do we need? Please clarify where we need to use the cleaner.
Dimensions:
(color #1)
* 448 sq’ deck (there is one 16′ step down to lower deck)
* 13 (9″x3′) step treads
(color #2)
* 68 linear feet x 2.75′ high railing around deck + two 13′ stair railings
* 68 linear feet of facia board around deck + stair railings (two-9″x13′)
* 2 – 4″x4″x7′ Stair support beams
(color #2), “NEW” UNTREATED WOOD)
* 8 – 8″x8″x8′ support posts
* 2 – 2″x10″x16′ dual support beams
Please give us a total total sq footage added up for each area with the different colors.
* Is the Espresso Dark Brown Solid Stain hot to walk on?
* The Desert Taupe Solid Stain is different colors depending on where you look on your website. (Ex. Samples vs. Two Tone Deck colors). One looks lighter and more like a grayish tan color. The other one looks darker and has more yellow in it. I attached screenshots of the “two” colors. Which one is more accurate to the actual color?
The color varies based on the sun’s reflection so there is not an “exact” color to show what it will look like on a color chip. You might want to test some samples to see how it will look on your wood.
https://www.restore-a-deck.com/restore-a-deck-solid-stain-sample.html
Darker colors can retain heat more so than lighter colors.
We have sanded our pergola to remove the old solid oil stain; however, there are still some minor vestiges of the old white stain in crevices/knotholes that have resisted all removal efforts. Can we still use RAD semi-transparent stain or will those small areas of vestigial solid stain cause a problem? Also, would we expect to need one or two coats?
Anywhere that you have white will show through when using a semi-transparent stain. Also if still heavily coated with a white solid stain in areas, a semi-transparent will not work to adhere.
Thank you – adding some pictures for clarity. I don’t think the appearance will bother me as it is almost like a very faint white wash in spots. But would this small amount be likely to make the stain overall not adhere properly? We don’t want to repeat this after all the effort of sanding it down!
It looks 99% or more gone so you should have no issues.
That makes my day! Thank you. One coat, correct? Also, besides sanding, we have treated with Concrobium (to kill mold) and will be using their mold stain removed to clean remaining stains (it is a mix of peroxide, a ph balancer, etc.). Do we still need to use the RAD cleaning/brightening products or will we be good to go after all that? Thanks again for the prompt replies!
It looks good to stain. One coat should be okay.
Our deck is 6 years old and we have neglected it So now we want to fix it and do things the right way. But we have questions. We have shortened the deck and put up new railing. We also had to replace a lot of floor boards as well and we put a new roof over the deck. I want to two tone it as well. So here goes the question.
1. I know we need to clean, strip, and brighten the old deck. Will this hurt the new wood? If so what do we do to protect the new wood because there is a lot of it!
2. I have read about sanding. How do I know if I need to sand and if so when do I do this?
3. When we go to stain the new wood when it’s ready what do we do about the wood that has already been stained?
I think that’s it for now unless you know of something I may have missed.
See here about new wood: https://www.restore-a-deck.com/Deck-Cleaning-Reviews-and-Tips/restore-a-deck-stain-for-new-wood.html
1. Just clean and brighten the new wood.
2. No need to sand.
3. Do it all at once next Spring.
Hello…
Doing the two-tone staining…..Using solid white on rail and balusters and coastal gray semi-trans on deck.
All rails and balusters were sanded to bare wood last summer/fall.
Deck boards were totally replaced last summer/fall as well.
I have left them all to ‘dry’ out over our harsh winter here in Rochester NY.
I have bought from you all the materials needed to Clean, Brighten and Stain the deck.
(Side note – Also purchased Stripper, Brightener and Stain to do my fence after deck completed).
Photos attached show the deck from yard view with balusters and railings.
I want to do the railings and balusters first…I will use the Cleaner and Brightener then stain.
Next day or so I will cover all the balusters where they tie into the deck board ends and
I then will clean, brighten and stain the deck.
Questions:
1 – Will the Cleaner or Brightener I use on the decking cause damage to rail balusters if some spray gets onto them after they have been stained and dried?
Going to be very difficult not getting some type of overspray using sprayer and power washer on deck.
2 – How long do I wait for Rails and Balusters to dry before I can do decking?
I guess I am asking for how and when it is best to apply the Cleaner, Brightener and stain for two-tone best results.
I don’t believe doing all in one day is good or possible.
I know to do the railing and balusters before decking but not sure on how to do decking without getting overspray cleaner/brightener onto stained rails/balusters.
Hope this makes sense.
Thank you so much!
1. Best to clean and brighen all wood at once and then you can break the staining up after. You have a couple of weeks to stain after prep.
2. N/A if you prep all at once.
If you want to apply to damp wood then just mist the wood with water prior to staining.
Wow….you all are the best!!!
If I stain the deck a day or so after prep, is it best to wet the deck prior to staining?
Thanks so much!!
See here for tips: https://www.restore-a-deck.com/Deck-Cleaning-Reviews-and-Tips/how-to-restore-a-deck-stain-to-damp-wood.html
Our 5-yr old deck is redwood with a (bad) Baer semi-transparent that looks semi-solid on floor.
I am thinking about using your solid stain on floor, rails and pergola.
How much stripping of the existing stain is required before applying your solid stain? Is your Stripping product enough, or does it need to be sanded?
Thanks
When using the RAD Solid Stain, you do not have to remove all of the previous coatings. Just strip off what is loose and peeling, covering the intact stain that is not peeling.
I have refurbished my deck and want to use your Desert Taupe solid stain on the floor to have a uniform color on the old and new decking boards (the newer boards have weathered for a year). I would like to use a semi-transparent stain on the handrails (all new and weathered a year) for a two tone look. What color semi transparent stain do you recommend to use with the Desert Taupe solid for the best results. Thank you.
Any color you like will work. Color preferences are up to the customer.
Yes, it looks like you over-applied and the stain was not able to fully soak in. You also have to recoat new wood after 1 year per our instructions: https://www.restore-a-deck.com/Deck-Cleaning-Reviews-and-Tips/restore-a-deck-stain-for-new-wood.html
Clean and brighen and then recoat.
I did recoat after 1 year, and it is now a year after that. So if just clean and brighten (not strip) it will come out even? Thanks for your quick reply!
Yes, it should.
DOES THE SOLID STAIN WORK AS WELL OR BETTER FOR THE VERTICLE DECK. I WOULD DO WHITE RAILING AND VERTICLES, WITH GRAY ON THE HORIZONTALS
The solid stain works very well for verticals.
DOES THE SOLID STAIN WORK AS WELL OR BETTER FOR THE HORIZONTAL DECK. I WOULD DO WHITE RAILING AND VERTICLES, WITH GRAY ON THE HORIZONTALS
Works the same for vertical and horizontal wood. Verticals always last longer in general though as they have less weathering and traffic.
What size roller nap is used with the solid stain?
1/2 to 5/8″
Does RAD solid stain crack and peel over time?
All deck stains eventually fail and will need to be reapplied. The solid stain will wear somewhat over the years and will need a reapplication on the flooring every 2-3 years and 3-5 years for vertical wood such as railings.
We are staining our deck with your semi-transparent wood stain in Dark Walnut. If we wanted to paint the railing with your solid stain which color stain would be dark enough to go with the dark walnut?
Any solid color that you like will work for a two-toned deck. Up to you on the appearance.
We are thinking about doing a two toned deck. We have two decks and will probably only get to finishing one of them this season. How long is the solid stain good for after opening?
About 12 months.
Will the solid stain cover an intact resurfacer or does that need to be sanded off first?
It is not possible to apply a solid stain over a “deck resurfacer” type stain. You have to sand it off.
Is a two tone deck possible with two semi transparent colors, for instance light/dark walnut?
Sure, you can do this.
Currently in the process of refinishing my deck from an old semi-solid or solid grey stain, my original intent was to stain all horizontal and vertical surfaces with your semi-transparent Natural but I’ve quickly grown tired of stripping, sanding, and brightening my 200+ spindles. Since the current stain is so old, I’ve been able to remove it from the horizontal boards with your stripper, but the spindles require more effort. Looking into the two-tone route now with a solid stain on the railings and spindles in the hopes that it will reduce prep time.
1. Do vertical surfaces require 2 coats, or is 1 recommended like your semi-transparent stains?
2. Would my spindles that have been heavily prepped (stripped and sanded) look different than ones that are only cleaned with a pressure washer, or will the solid stain blend everything?
3. Any recommendations for a solid stain to go with your semi-transparent Natural? Pressure treated yellow pine.
1. Two coats for the solid stain on the verticals.
2. A solid stain will cover all and blend.
3. Any color will work, up to you.
Hi, what color is the semi-transparent stain that you have in the article photo above?
Light walnut but the wood is IPE.
Ok. Thanks. If I have just pressure treated pine would the stain come out darker or lighter than on IPE? Should I go darker and get dark walnut if I want the color to be similar? Thanks!
IPE is a much richer looking wood. You cannot get that look on pressure-treated pine. Closest would be a mix of Light Walnut and Dark Walnut.
Hi need help choosing a color. Which one? Grays, brown. Most of stains are RAD with expression far left. Coastal gray, brown oak, cypress; all solid. Semi transparent to the right light walnut, cedar. Semi trans maybe not because deck is 23 years old only stained once maybe twice. Help?
Do the solid gray.
I used solid stain on this day maybe 8 years ago. It has been power washed and sanded by someone I hired. Can I put RAD solid on the rails and semi transparent and floor for longer lasting floor? The floor still has some solid in places that might be the problem.
You will have to remove all of the solid stain from the floors for this to work. Final prep with the RAD Cleaner and Brightener after the sanding.
Thanks. I wish I would have told them to do that. I didn’t have a solid plan in order. How much longer would semi transparent last than solid on the floor?
Lasts about the same on the floor.
I’m planning on doing the two-toned approach. My deck currently has a solid stain. If I understand your articles correctly, I would have to sand the floor to remove the stain, then use a cleaner and brightened before reapplying the semitransparent stain. Is that correct? Also, do I have to sand the vertical wood to remove the stain before applying new solid stain?
Yes, correct. Just remove the loose solid stain from verticals, you can cover the rest.
My wife and I would like to do a two-tone deck. We like the Brown Oak for the railings. We are leaning toward the cedar for the decking. Would you recommend that color combination or some other combination? Thanks!
Yes that would work.
We have a deck that is about 15 years old. We have stain/sealed it every few years.
Its starting to show its age. We have cleaned then power washed the decking and some of the rails, thinking that is what we needed to do to prepare it and get rid of the red coloring from previous stain/sealers.
Due to its age, we are looking at a solid stain.
The comments have been very helpful and although I have read a number of them I still have a few questions:
I see sanding recommended at times. Is that recommended only for removing flaking paint?
Since we have cleaned and stained and plan to use a solid stain, is the brightener recommended/needed?
In regard to the railings or vertical surfaces, from what I have read, its seems as if so long as its intact, we can just use the solid stain product without removing the rest of the stain, is that right?
Thanks!
Pressure wash first and then sand to remove any peeling stain. Brightener is not needed here. You can cover intact stain with the solid stain.
We have grey vinyl siding and are about a day away from finishing a complete redo and expansion of our deck. Previous owner neglected it and then tried to put acrylic over the old one and it rotted and decayed badly. We had the fence redone last year and deck this year in all cedar. We used black aluminum spindles as well. If I wanted to go two tone with the grey solid on the verticals what semi-transparent do you think would yo wel with the grey? Also on the fence would I do the grey on the posts and semi-transparent on the panels to match or just do semi-transparent all around. I know colors are a personal preference thing but as the experts I value your opinion. I added a photo. There’s still some more railings and top caps and such to finish up.
First see here about new wood: https://www.restore-a-deck.com/Deck-Cleaning-Reviews-and-Tips/restore-a-deck-stain-for-new-wood.html
For the fence, do it all in one color. For the two-toned deck, possibly the Dark Walnut to complement the Gray solid stain.
If you want a two tone deck and use Cyprus as the solid stain for the rails ..what do you suggest as the semi transparent stain for the floors? Cedar or Light Walnut?
Probably Cedar but either would be okay.
Our deck is pressure treated pine. It has a light old stain applied, no solid or semi-transparent product previously applied. The deck is raised with the underside of the wood exposed which has never been painted.
We are planning on a two color application with grey for the deck and white for the post. What would you recommend for the underside of the deck?
No need to stain underside.
I have an old deck attached to a new deck ( installed in June). I want to stain both decks the same color (old deck is redish). I want to go with coastal grey for both decks. Do i need to prime the old deck to get a uniform color on both decks?
I need to refinish the upright posts and pergola over our two-toned deck. The posts and pergola are stained white (brand unknown) – the stain has worn off in some areas, especially on the top of the pergola, and there is mold that needs to be cleaned off. What should I do to prep the wood before applying a new coat of white solid stain?
Use the RAD Cleaner and pressure washing to remove the loose stain and mildew. You can then cover the rest with the new solid stain coating.
Deck has solid stain on it now. Would it be possible to go to semi transparent stain? How much prep would that entail?
You would have to sand off the solid stain fully if you want to go to a semi-transparent stain.
On 2 tone deck, which do you do first – deck or rails?
Rails. Cover floors.
I am refinishing a badly neglected deck and would appreciate any suggestions as to how to bring together various colors on my house, deck, and steps. The siding has a reddish/pink tone, the deck is redwood, the deck ceiling is a honey color (not sure what type of wood), and deck stairs have been replaced with pressure treated wood. I would like to use semitransparent stain on the deck.
Thank you.
See this about new wood for the ceiling and the stairs: https://www.restore-a-deck.com/Deck-Cleaning-Reviews-and-Tips/restore-a-deck-stain-for-new-wood.html
The redwood floors and deck ralings would need the RAD Cleaner/Brightener for the prep. Any color of the stain will work here.
The siding you have is a solid stain and if you wanted to use the RAD Stain, it would have to be our Solid Stain: https://www.restore-a-deck.com/restore-a-deck-wood-stain/restore-a-deck-solid-stain.html
I’ll also be doing a two-tone deck (re-coating an old cedar deck after stripping/cleaning) using Brown Oak and Desert Taupe solid colors. Q: I want to do the floor perimeter in BO, with the inside deck area done in DT. I’ll need to tape the edges so they butt up against each other with a clean line. How long should I let the first color–probably the BO, dry (after coating twice) before taping over with the edge when doing the inside color with DT?
12-24 hours.
Can I use texture additive material with restore-a-deck solid color to better provide traction on my cedar deck steps?
Yes as long as you do two coats and use it in the second coat.
I want the solid on the railings but would like a sheene
also because I been told that I will also do a solid stain on the deck
because the deck was painted the sold stain before,and can’t use a
semi transport stain.
You cannot have a sheen with a deck stain. It will peel and blister. The RAD Solid Stain is a Matte shine.
Is there a guide for achieving the two-toned effect. I have a relatively small deck, but I would like to use restore a deck products to achieve this in the next few weeks, as soon as weather permits.
The above article would be the guide. Verticals are solid stain and the horizontals are the semi-transparent. Directions on how to apply each stain are on each container plus numerous how-to articles on this website.