We understand that everyone needs help with their wood/deck restoration and that not all projects are the same. Different species of wood, the age of wood, and types and brands of previous coatings make it difficult for homeowners to determine what is needed to restore their exterior wood or deck correctly.
We will ask some specific questions and reply to what you will need to do in your restoration process and the appropriate products and amounts to purchase, so it receives the proper prep and treatment required.
In the comment section below, you must include:
- Square Footage of Area to be Restored. See below.
- Type of wood if known:
- Approximate Age of Wood:
- If Applicable, Previous Stain Brand Used and Type (Examples of Type: Transparent, Semi-Transparent, Solid Stain, Oil-Based, Water-Based):
- If Applicable, When was the last time wood was stained:
- Wood Type to be Stained (Deck, House, Fence, etc.):
- Do you have access to a pressure washer:
- Miscellaneous Info:
- *Must Include 1-3 Photos of Restoration Project. There is a link to upload photos in the bottom right corner of the comment area.
How to Calculate Square Footage
Deck Sq. Footage
Flooring Length x width =?
Railing Length x height =?
Steps Width x Depth x #of Steps =?
Add up all 3 for the Total Sq. footage.
Fence Sq. Footage
Length x height =?
Multiply x 2 for both sides = Total Sq. Footage
Coverage Rate for RAD Stains
The specified coverage rate for RAD is 150-200 square feet per gallon for the first coat. Second will apply at 200-300 per gallon. This averages to about 100-125 sq. feet per gallon for 2 coats wet on wet. From this, and from measuring the surface you can calculate how much stain you need. For more aged wood you could easily factor in some extra stain. On newer wood that is still smooth and dense, you probably are not going to use as much.
For maintenance coats you are not going to use near as much stain as you did initially staining bare wood. There are just way too many variables to know the exact coverage rate of RAD for sure. There is really no way of knowing exactly how much stain you will need. It is better to buy more than you need than to not have enough. You can always save left over stain for next time. RAD has a shelf life of 1 year if opened and 3 years unopened as long as the can is properly resealed.
Restore A Deck Stain Application Tips
- Applying RAD Stain Wet on Wet Tips
- Restore-A-Deck Stain and New Wood
- Restore-A-Deck Stain Hot Sun Application
I’m just a regular home owner with a 35 year old deck and I got to tell everyone I did my testing on my deck with about 1/2 dozen stains and deck cleaners— I TRYED THEM ALL but hands down RESTORE A DECK STAINS, stripper,cleaner, and brighter are the best no question about it so for all you people out there who r going to do your deck this is it.
Thanks, Peter!
We have a five-year-old deck on our summer home on the oceanfront in Maine. The winter weather is rough. A previous attempt to stain one section of it with a big box product failed, presumably because of rain or accumulated snow. (The deck goes uncared for in the winter.) this spring our caretaker stripped and brightened with RAD products and put one coat of coastal gray solid stain on most but not all of the deck (!). What he did looked fine but I was anxious to get the job finished, so on Saturday I applied RAD cleaner with a sprayer and then rinsed it with a pressure washer. I accidentally mixed 4x too much cleaner into the solution, and after the first rinse it left some white residue at the edges of the deck where the water ran off, so I spent a good two hours or more rinsing until got dark. It looked fine on Sunday morning, so I applied the second coat of stain starting in late afternoon (because there had been some light drizzle earlier). It looked good on completion, but by the next morning it was a mess. In some places there is a white residue, some of which comes off on my fingers. Elsewhere, it looks like the stain was diluted and partially washed away by the usual overnight condensation. (There was no rain.) there are drip spots under the eves. I am hoping that a third coat with take care of all of this, but I’m not sure weather the white is residue from the cleaner, and if so, whether I need to strip and start over. Needless to say, I would prefer to avoid that if possible.
Hello,
You cannot apply a third coat and when applying a second coat, it has to be done wet on wet. At this point, you should strip it all done using the RAD Stripper and both additives, brighten the wood, and then restain. Add more on top while only compound your mistakes in the long run.
This is the solid stain. Instructions say to apply second coat only once first is completely dry!
Sorry, thought it was the semi-transparent. You can do a third coat if needed with the solid stain and it should even it all out as well.
I am putting brand new cedar siding on a garage. 6000 linear feet. What would you recommend as far as staining the new siding. Brand? Process? Thank you!
See here about new wood: https://www.restore-a-deck.com/Deck-Cleaning-Reviews-and-Tips/restore-a-deck-stain-for-new-wood.html
Please email pictures from your email order confirmation that you received when placing order.
My deck is treated with Australian Timber oil. How should I proceed? Some areas are gray where water has sat on it. Do these products serve as waterproofing? I live in a snowy area.
Use the RAD Stripper and then the Brightener for prep. Stain with the RAD Stains after to protect and seal the wood.
I did a maintenance coat last year on my cedar deck and am going to do the same this year. It is in good shape but there are some areas where another maintenance coat is needed so I’m going to restain it again this year. I will be using the same semi transparent RAD cedar stain. Do I need to use the cleaner and brightner prior to the stain or can I just use the cleaner?
Use both for best results.
I have 900 Sq Ft of deck downstairs and 450 sq ft upstairs. I have completely sanded old Behr stain off as stripping was not getting it using 80 grit paper? I am down to new wood. I am using RAD Dark Walnut Semi. Should I wait a while since I am down to new wood? Next steps recommended please? Clean and Brightener? How much product do I need? 1 coat of stain since sanded to new wood right? How many gallons of stain? Thanks
Wait a month or so and then clean and brighten for prep. 2 of each cleaner and brightener. One coat of stain. About 10 gallons for the one coat.
Is it always going to be one coat of the semi if sanded to new wood?
Yes.
You have to reply to your email order confirmation with the pics not post in comment area.
Three weeks ago I sprayed my 20+ year old deck with 10% vinegar and power washed to strip the (spruce) wood until it looked like new. I would like to stain it to look like my new brown/sienna pressure-treated deck (see photos- wood appears darker from recent rain). Is it necessary to use your deck cleaner before the brightener or can I go straight to the brightener before staining? Is the brightener washed off first or is the stain applied a few hours after applying the brightener without first washing off the brightener? Which colour of your semi-transparent stain would best match the Sienna brown?
Yes, use the RAD Cleaner and Brightener for prep. You must wash off the brightener after. Look at Light Walnut or Cedar colors.
Hello, I have a new deck weathering for a almost 2 months now. Planning to stain in next few days/weeks. Do I need to Clean -> Brighten -> Stain or just Brighten -> Stain.
Square Footage – 338
Approximate Age of Wood: New Deck Do you have access to a pressure washer: Yes
Any other recommendations?
See this about new wood: https://www.restore-a-deck.com/Deck-Cleaning-Reviews-and-Tips/restore-a-deck-stain-for-new-wood.html
You have to clean and brighten for prep.
used the cleaner and brightener 3 + weeks ago can I apply semi transparent now?
You will need to redo the prep again.
Second coats need to be applied wet on wet, not wet on dry. Once it has cured and dried, you should not add another coat for 6-12 months. Clean deck first to remove dirt when recoating.
Thank you, I’ll live with it and redo next spring. Used light walnut stain on Redwood deck and it’s beautiful. Thanks for all your help!
I have a 4 year old handicapped Ramp. I initially used velsper stain but it did a lousy job and used RAD to strip, clean, brighten and stain 3 years ago. Each year since I clean and brighten the Ramp but only restain deck and horizontal railings as stain on vertical posts is good. Is there a problem if only clean and brighten the Ramp or do I need to reapply stain each year?Thank you
The prep products should only be used if you plan on recoating, not for general cleaning of dirt, etc.
Finished staining my deck a couple of weeks ago with RAD semi-transparent stain. Looks good. I noticed some stains on nearby concrete. What is the best way to remove these stains? Thanks.
A graffiti remover cleaner and pressure washing.
Last year (Fall) I used your Process and Products (water based stain) to refinish my Mahogany Decks (2). The finished product looked great but by Spring the main Deck looked pretty bad, the smaller one didn’t look too bad. I live in the Northeast and the intervening winter was the usual. The Main Deck is on the East side of the house and is in the Sun from approximately 8:30 – 9:00 AM until 1:00 – 1:30 PM. While the Front Deck/Porch faces West and gets the Sun from approximately 2:00 PM until 4:00 – 4:30 PM, there are a lot of trees. Although the wood looks and feels dry the finish itself doesn’t look too bad. The East facing main Deck handles a majority of the house foot traffic while the West facing Deck/porch handles minimal traffic
You thoughts and suggestions please.
Clean and brighen the wood and apply one light coat to all.
Searching of a stain to put on my decks.
Type of wood: pressure treated pine of outside decks
Age of wood: 15 to 20 years or more
Previous stain: Sherwin Williams Exterior Deck stain, semi-transparent, water-based
Last time stained: 8+ years ago (believe any covering is completely gone and only the bare wood remains)
Wood type to be stained: deck
Do you have access to pressure washer: yes (have pressure washed the decks in preparation to staining)
Misc info: interested in a solid stain for longevity (looking for the longest lasting coverage I can get)Location: southern PA –decks get a lot of direct sunlight
Use the Cleaner and the Brightener for prep and then the RAD Solid Stain: https://www.restore-a-deck.com/restore-a-deck-wood-stain/restore-a-deck-solid-stain.html
I am part way through the final stage of staining my deck with your semi-transparent water based stain. It looks great! My question concerns cleanup. Can I clean your deck brush and paint brush with soap and water? Or do I need to use the nasty stuff???? Many thanks for a great product.
Yes, water is okay to clean it.
I stripped and brightened my deck. It is a couple of days later and looking at some of the posts I want to do another 20-30 minutes of rinsing with my power washer to make sure I get all of the brightener removed . Is it too late because I let it dry for a couple of days?
No, it will not hurt to do this.
using restore a deck semi-transparent Dark Walnut. I applied 1 coat to top pool deck last night and applied 1 coat to bottom deck this morning.
can I apply a SECOND coat after 1st coats dry? or is it too late once dried and I should have applied 2nd coat while everything was still wet?
No, second coats have to be applied wet on wet, not wet on dry. You can lightly clean and coat in 6-12 months if needed.
Can this product be used on cedar posts?Also, is it sold in stores?
Yes on the posts, online only.
So- on the posts, would all steps be needed?
Yes, that is correct.
We are currently working on our three year old deck (we did the full RAD process on it two years ago – one coat of semi-transparent stain on everything). The cleaning and brightening are done and we’re ready to apply the semi-transparent stain. I feel like read somewhere that we only need to do one coat on the vertical slats of the railings, and two coats on the horizontal parts of the decks and railings, but I can’t find that information anywhere now. Is that correct, or should we do two coats on everything?
We have another deck we still need to do; we have some cleaner, brightener, and stain leftover from two years ago, are we able to use them in case we run out of our most recent purchase? They have been stored in a garage in San Francisco – no exposure to extreme heat or cold.
If you have a base coat on all wood then just one coat for all wood. If the wood is down to the bare wood, then one coat for railings and two wet on wet on coats for the floors.
The prep products in powder form should be fine to use again. The older stain has a shelf life of 12 months after being opened. It could very well still be okay but no way to know for sure until you open it up.
Last spring 2020, I stripped, cleaned and brightened my redwood deck with rad. I then applied the armstrong clark stain. I have some peeling this year, not sure where I went wrong, I followed directions carefully. My question is “do I need to strip again this year or can I just clean and brighten. I will include some pictures.
Clean and then brighten to recoat.
Older redwood deck with addition of section that’s 1 yr old, all surfaces cleaned, brightened and sanded. What color semi-transparent stain would be best? Want more of a red/brown not red. Any photos?
Try Dark Walnut or Light Walnut.
Sheila, here’s a pic of light walnut on my deck. Everything I’ve read suggests a water base is as good as an oil base and it’s so much easier from application to clean-up.
I don’t see the picture, where do I find it. Thanks much!
I’ll try one more time……..don’t know what happened……..must have not allowed time for it to load.
That looks very nice, so that’s the light oak on Redwood? Thanks so much for resending
Sorry about the misunderstanding……..No, mine is not redwood………it’s on pressure treated pine. I’d assume application on redwood wood be less “light”…….it would likely be darker because of the redwood. My suggestion…find a spot on your deck that is not so visible and apply a test patch.
Thanks much! I appreciate you taking the time to respond and send photos. Yes you are probably right it would be darker. Unfortunately I don’t have time to do tests, need to get done asap. Thanks again
I meant Light Walnut
Does anyone have pictures of their deck with cottage grey railings and dark walnut floors on pressure treated?Thank you
We do not of this combination. It would look great!
I am about to use your stripper and brightener on my deck using your Chapin 2G sprayer. The sprayer has three nozzles: fine, medium, and coarse. Do you recommend one nozzle in particular? (I know this is not exactly a profound question). Thank you.
The yellow one.
I used the 3 step process on my deck last spring (2020). I didn’t expect too much because the deck was poorly constructed and had some old paint/stains that had weathered over many years of neglect. After the three step process, it looked great. However, after a harsh winter, it has faded quite a bit and I want to stain again. What do I need to do for the prep? All 3 steps again?
Thank you
Clean lightly with the RAD Cleaner. You can mix at 2-3 oz of powder per gallon of water. Brightener to neutralize. One coat of stain.
I purchased the stripper (and booster) and brightner for our deck. We have some new wood that has been installed and some that will be installed later this fall. My question is, could I go ahead and strip and brighten the remainder of the deck and then stain all of it next spring? I would have to clean and brighten then, correct? I am just anxious to get what is out there stripped off (oil based stain). I know that the new wood has to have time to weather a bit. When it comes time to stain, would the RAD semi solid stain blend the old and new woods together fairly well or would I have to go with a solid stain? Thanks for your help!
You can strip and brighen now and then weather it all until Spring for the final clean and brighen step. New wood will stain lighter in color the first time applying when using the semi-transparent colors.
Well, yesterday and today I stripped and brightened our screened in deck that hasn’t been stained in at least 10 years. Holy cow. Your stuff is amazing!! It was very simple to do, although a bit time consuming because of all of our extra trim pieces for the screens on our deck. I do have one question. There are some spots of stain that I missed on some of the extra pieces of trim. I am not planning to stain until next spring/summer because we have some new wood that needs to weather first. Next spring, can I reapply some of the stripper to just the areas that didn’t get stripped very well today and then continue with the brightening and staining? I know I will need to purchase cleaner next spring for the remainder of the deck. Thanks again for your help!
Yes, you can do this.
We have an ipe deck that we want to return to its natural color and grey in the sun. Half of the deck looks good because it is in the sun and is a uniform grey. The other half that is in the shade has not faded and has water stains and old stain still on it. Can we strip the shaded side and encourage it to fade?
No, it is not possible to only prep half the deck. You would have to prep all to remove the old stain and the graying to is is one even color and then start the natural graying process again.
Used the stripper, conditioner, all with power washer. Stained deck. Looked good. But didn’t have enough. Ordered 5 gallons of burnt hickory, but needed 3 gallons more, put on the last gallon, and touched up a few spots that stain had soaked in. completely different color. Now my deck is a mess. What do I do??
You will need to strip it all off and then brighen to start over. Not sure what brand of stain you are using but it is not our brand.
I am so sorry, you are completely right, it was not your brand. Feel a little foolish but I can’t delete it. Believe me, I wish I would of went with your brand. If you can delete my comment, please do. My apologies.
Well after you strip and brighten it you can use our stains going forward 🙂
We are closed until Monday but you will need to reply to your order email confirmation, not post here in the public forum for help with this. Thanks
I never found the email to which you refer, only the UPS package update. At any rate, thank you very much for the package that arrived today with the replacement gallon!You came through!!
How much time may lapse between the cleaning process and the brightener?We have the cleaned on Saturday (3 days ago), but felt it needed more sanding. We found more rotten wood while sanding. So should we clean after sanding now? We will clean the new wood when it has aged some. What happens if you stain before the wood is adequately aged? (spindles)Your help is greatly appreciated!
Clean after sanding. New wood needs to age otherwise the stain might not take.
Hello, we are looking to restore out 500 Sq ft deck.Wood: unknown Approximate age: 15 years? Not actually surePrevious stain: looks like paintWe do have access to a pressure washer
What products would you reccomend? I would also like to build a small privacy fence on one end of the deck that I would like to protect with a stain/oil.
Below pics show some of the worst areas. We will be removing the ballisters and not treating them.
You have a white solid stain. The easiest option is to strip off what you can, brighten, and then cover the intact solid stain with the RAD Solid stain.https://www.restore-a-deck.com/restore-a-deck-wood-stain/restore-a-deck-solid-stain.html
I have a new pressure treaded deck, it has cured for 14 months now. I want to stain it, but not sure of the amount of stain I need. The size is 1050 sq ft and the railings are to different sizes, one is 40 x 4 and the other is 64 x 6. when I used your calculator it said I need 17 gallons of stain and 4 kits of cleaner and brightener, for 2 coat, and then it said 2/3 for 1 coat. So that mean that I only need 4 kits of cleaner and brightener and 13 gallons of stain for one coat.
What was the total sq footage of all wood added up?
I used your RAD dark walnut stain on my dock last year after power washing cleaning and brightening using your products. The dock still looks good and I want to keep it that way. The dock sits on the water year around in northwest Montana so it is exposed to all four seasons including temperature extremes from 100F in summer to -40F in winter and obviously ice and deep snow covering the lake in winter. I should add that this dock is 3 years old this year and I have only used RAD products since it was new, However I stained the dock the first year prematurely and did not allow the new wood enough time to weather. As a result I had to thoroughly power wash, clean and brighten all over again last year. this is the first year the treatment has held up for the full year. I would like to apply another coat this year to help preserve and extend the life of the stain going forward and I have a couple of questions:
1. Do you recommend applying a new coat (or 2) over the wood already stained wit RAD a year ago that still looks good with minimal fading or bleached areas?
2. If you do recommend applying a new coat (2?) will I need to clean and brighten again before applying?
3. Will applying a new coat extend the life of the stain by doing this or am I better to wait until the dock starts to fade more and show signs of needing a new stain application?
1. You do not have to add a coat this year. You can if you want but waiting until next Spring is okay.2. Clean and brighten when you recoat is correct.3. No advantage to doing it now or next year.
L-shaped deck: Square Footage of Area to be Restored: 550 SF
1st area is open to weather: 290 SF (this wood is not in as good a shape as 2nd area)
2nd area is covered by roof: 260 SF (this wood is like new never being exposed to snow/rain)
Type of wood if known: pressure treated
Approximate Age of Wood: 10+
Previous Stain Brand Used and Type: semi transparent not sure of brand but possibly Behr
When was the last time wood was stained: Not sure but believe 10+ years
Wood Type to be Stained: Deck
Do you have access to a pressure washer: Yes
Miscellaneous Info: 4 photos uploaded showing before and after(after photos show both areas after power washing and then sanding) Note: All sanding was done with 60 grit sandpaper.
At this point should I order a Restore-A-Deck kit to clean and brighten before staining?
Yes, use the Cleaner and then the Brightener for prep. Stain with one coat of the RAD Stain.
We had a new deck built 2 years ago. We used the RAD semi transparent light Walnut stain, after a year of weathering, cleaning and brightening. We are 12-18 months out and are ready to do 2nd stain. We have several questions. 1. Should we clean and brighten again before staining? 2. Can we apply the Cottage Gray stain over the Light Walnut if we want to tone it down. The light Walnut came out too warm tone. We don’t expect it to look like the Cottage gray sample. Thanks!
1. Yes on the prep.2. You should strip and brighten if you want to switch to Cottage Gray.
Thanks
Hello,
The pictures show that you over-applied it and because of this it dried on top of the wood instead of in the wood as intended. The directions state to apply only as much as the wood will allow to fully absorb(see attached). at this point it would be best to strip and then apply one coat of the stain, making sure it is not over-applied again.
My question has probably been answered previously, but I cannot find the answer. I would like to strip my entire deck (about 450 square ft plus railing) before beginning to apply the brightener. The stripping process may well take about 2-4 hours. What is the maximum time I can wait, if necessary, to start the brightening process? Thank you!
Just apply the brightener as soon as you are done with the stripping and rinsing.
I stripped/brightened my 800sf, 8 year old pressure treated pine deck last Nov., 2020 [it had TWP 100 redwood semi-oil base] let it sit “raw” thru the winter, cleaned/brightened last month [June, 2021] and immediately stained it with Defy extreme light walnut water base wet-on-wet. It looks good but it seems to have lightened unevenly over the past 30 days. Is this just a matter of different board grains/porous-ness or could I possibly improve overall color by cleaning/brightening/one coat staining late this Fall?
Yes, that is the wood grain but you can lightly clean and apply another coat in the Fall if you like.
How do I remove old restore to re-do?
Our Restore-A-Deck Stain or Rust-Oleum Deck Restore?
My deck is large, needs to be stripped first. Due to time to strip which i suspect will take a day, how soon must I put on brightener. Same question on the brightener after it is put on, how long can i wait to stain. There is no way i can do this in one day. Per previous question, I was told to apply only one coat of stain.
Brightener as soon as you are done stripping. Stain within 2 weeks of prep.
I stained my deck with Sikkens semi translucent stain about 4 years ago. I’m going to redo it with your products. The sq ft area is around 900 sqft. Would I use stripper, brightener, and then stain for this type of previous stain? And also, will I need to buy two kits containing prep and stain? Thx.
Please post some pictures of the current condition.
Also, does a guy have to wait any amount of time before applying the 2nd coat?
Strip and brighten for this deck. Two full combo kits.
Can both coats be applied the same day or do I have to wait between coats? Also, do I need the additives?
If doing two coats, they have to be applied the same day:https://www.restore-a-deck.com/Deck-Cleaning-Reviews-and-Tips/restore-a-deck-stain-wet-on-wet-application.html
You will not need the additives for this strip. It looks fairly easy.
Do I need two coats?
Probably, it looks pretty dried out.
I have a 21 year old 12 x 20 deck that has a Cabot solid stain applied 2 years ago – a 1/3 of the deck has peeling and bare spots where stain lifted. I’ve been sanding with a belt sander but not a whole lot of stain is sanding away and I continue to have small slivers of peeling. What process should I use to restore?
Here are pictures
Use the RAD Stripper with both additives and then the brighten to remove as much of the solid stain as possible:https://www.restore-a-deck.com/rad-stain-stripper-additives.html
You can then cover the intact solid stain that doe snot come off with the RAD Solid Stain:https://www.restore-a-deck.com/restore-a-deck-wood-stain/restore-a-deck-solid-stain.html
Thank you for replying so quickly
Do I need to use a power washer after stripping and or brightening? Will my regular hose with nozzle to highest pressure work ?
You need to use a pressure washer while stripping. A regular hose will not work effectively for your scenario.
I have an 1100 sq ft deck that I will be cleaning with the stripper with booster and brightener. I am doing this myself, is it OK to do half the deck at a time if needed? Any recommendations for staining with only one person?
You can break up the stripping into half but brighen all when done. As for staining, you will need to do it all at once as breaking it in half could lead to overlap marks.
Hello from Southern California. I’ve read great reviews about your products and think I want to give them a shot.
I’ve got an existing deck that I am going to soon be extending to meet a new room addition that we are building in our backyard. At the same time, I plan on replacing some of the more weathered and old boards on my existing deck with new boards.
The existing deck previously had DeckOver on it when I purchased the house. This was terrible and peeled and was an absolute nightmare to remove. Last year, I ended up sanding the entire deck down using rental from Home Depot and then made the mistake of applying their Behr Semi-Transparent deck stain, which hasn’t held up too well in just over a year. It just looks really patchy and not nearly as nice as it did in the months just after application (see photos).
I’m considering either a semi-transparent stain or solid color stain and hoping that it will perform better than the Behr stain.
Here are my questions:
1. Will your stripper product work for Behr semi-transparent stain? Booster? Would you recommend a different product for the removal of this stain? 2. One reason I was leaning toward a solid color stain was that I was concerned that there would be a noticeable difference between new and old boards. Would a semi-transparent stain look fairly consistent across new and old boards?3. After installing the new boards and replacing some of the old boards, do you think its really necessary to wait several months to apply a semi-transparent stain to the entire deck? What if using a brightener or is there another product that can be used to speed this up? 4. Should I wait until my new boards are weathered before stripping the Behr semi-transparent stain and then do all of the prep at once? Or, should I strip the old stain now and wait and then just do a cleaner or brightener before applying the stain in a few months?5. Do you feel that generally, a semi-transparent stain will hold up better and look better in 2-3 years time than a solid color stain? 6. In terms of touch ups and maintenance, can I re-apply semi-transparent stain 2 years later without fully having to strip the existing stain? What about for solid color stains?
Apologies for the number of questions, but after investing a lot of time in my deck over the past two years between the DeckOver and now this upcoming project, I just want to make sure I have the information to make the best decision on the best path forward.
1. Behr can be difficult to remove, especially if custom tinted as it acts like a solid stain. Use the Stripper with both additives and pressure washing to remove as much as possible. If needed, spot sand to remove any stain that cannot be stripped. Brighten all when done.2. New wood will stain lighter in color compared to older wood when using the semi-transparent.3. Yes, new wood must weather and be prepped. https://www.restore-a-deck.com/Deck-Cleaning-Reviews-and-Tips/restore-a-deck-stain-for-new-wood.html4. Yes.5. They will last about the same.6. Both can be cleaned and recoated as needed.
Note, if you use the solid stain, you do not have to remove the Behr fully. You can strip off what you can and then cover any intact stain with the solid stain.
Hello-
I recently purchased the house so I can’t tell you very much about the care of the deck previously. After completing the stripping of the deck I have a residue that I cannot seem to get off that is almost dangerously slippery when wet. I did lightly sand the boards the day before to smoothen. Since something did not seem correct I did not proceed with applying the stain. Please let me know your thoughts
Adam J
Did you brighten the wood after to neutralize the stripper?
Yes I did use the brightener. This is how it looks when it dries. Should I just proceed with staining? I am just not sure how it is supposed to look before staining. Thank you for your help.
You should be good to stain.
Hi! Your products have worked great transforming my nasty deck and front porch that were trashed unfortunately after my poor decision to use Behr and Olympic stains. After stripping cleaning brightening and your white and gray solid stains, they look better than they ever have! My question is, what’s your opinion regarding using polypropylene accent rugs made for outdoors on these freshly stained areas? Will it rub off the stain or actually help protect it even longer? The ones I’m looking at shed water and do not attract mold or mildew. Thanks so much! I included before and after pics.
There should be no issues using outdoor rugs.
Your Cyprus Solid stain sounds great. No offense, but how long have you guys been around? If we need replacement product in the same color in 10 years, we’d like to think we could find you. 😉
We have been selling RAD products for over 20 years. Started with the prep products and added the stains, etc. through the years.
Using cottage gray stain on pine soffits and cedar shingles. I do not want to mask off painted trim to spray shingles and soffitts. Can the stain be painted over using a latex paint or should I wipe down the trim after staining?
That would be more of a question for the paint you are using and if it can be applied over a deck stain.
First off, thank you for all of your valuable information on here. I am getting ready to order some stuff from you, and I think I know what I’m supposed to order, but want to make sure:) Our 12×16 deck hasn’t been stained in probably 10-12 years. It is screened in. We used (I think) a darker oil based semi transparent stain the last time we did it. By the looks of it, I’m going to need RAD stripper (and probably booster) and the brightner. I’m also looking at your stain colors and I like the darker stain that you have. My question is, we just replaced our steps and are going to need to replace a post or two and the door. If we use the darker stain on the old wood and new wood, will it be basically the same color? I have attached some pictures. Again, thank you!
Hello,
New wood will not match older wood when using a semi-transparent color. The new wood is less absorbent and will stain lighter.
If I went with one of your solid stain colors, would old and new wood match?
In color yes, but the new wood will look “smoother” compared to the older wood. You should also read this about new wood: https://www.restore-a-deck.com/Deck-Cleaning-Reviews-and-Tips/how-to-restore-a-deck-in-one-day.html
In regards to new cedar decking. Is there a difference in fading over time between the Natural or Cedar Semi Transparent RAD stain.thanks
There is not.
I live in Virginia and last August, I stripped, cleaned, brightened and stained with cedar semitransparent our deck which had been neglected for at least 15 years. I did not sand. It came out looking fairly good. Now it has faded some and some white spots are leaching through. I want to refresh the deck this summer and I’m hoping that I don’t have to use the stripper again. I’m thinking of cleaning and brightening before applying one coat of stain. Is that the correct procedure? Attached are a couple of pictures of the deck taken a few days ago.Thanks for your help.Bill W
Yes, that would be the correct way.
Stained a deck a year ago using Behr plus solid color waterproofing stain. Deck is now peeling (see photos). With this Behr product do i need to sand or should I use your stripper? I don’t want to take a chance with power washing though. Thanks.
You cannot strip a solid stain so you will have to sand to remove.