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!
I have a cedar deck which had a semi transparent oil based stain on it. I have sanded everything off. Do I need to use your brightener or can I just apply the stain to the sanded wood?
Final prep with both the RAD Cleaner and the Brightener. This will open the wood grain after your sanding and allow the stain to soak in better.
RAD solid stain will last about 2-3 years on a horizontal before recoating. The RAD Semi-trans will last about the same. Both can be cleaned and recoated as needed. Does not have to be stripped. Cracks are normal in exterior wood and would not require a touch-up or spot application for them.
I was planning to rent a pressure washer from home depot. They are also renting a driveway and surface cleaner attachment with it, but I am wondering if that is a good idea and worth the extra rental cost.
No, do not use a surface cleaner on wood.
How long after it rains can I apply Rad solid stain? How dry does the wood need to be?
It can be applied to damp wood. 2-4 hours. See this for tips: https://www.restore-a-deck.com/Deck-Cleaning-Reviews-and-Tips/how-to-restore-a-deck-stain-to-damp-wood.html
And this info is also for applying solid stain?
Semi-transparent or semi-solid.
I am planning on staining my cedar deck that was built 5 months ago and cured nicely. I have noticed in some blogs that it says not to sand as it will not allow max stain penetration. However, I have some raised spots on the hand rails and other places that are more than likely plainer marks and I’d like to smooth these out prior to staining. Will sanding these areas hurt the staining process? I am also using RAD cleaner and brightener. Thanks
You can lightly hand sand but do not spot power sand. That would create issues of uneven application.
All this info is great, “best deck stain in Canada”, but where do you buy it? I’m in Surrey BC
You can buy online from our site and we can ship it to you.
The contractor we’re looking to hire, to stain our treated lumber deck is pushing hard on using TWP 100 while I would like to use RAD. Since you sell both products, what are the pros and cons of using each one? Ease of use, longevity, etc.
Both will last about the same. The RAD can be done the same day as the prep. The TWP cannot. Application is about the same.
Can I apply 1 coat of stain in the initial process and then apply a second coat of stain 1-2 months later?
No. If doing a second coat it needs to be wet on wet. https://www.restore-a-deck.com/Deck-Cleaning-Reviews-and-Tips/restore-a-deck-stain-wet-on-wet-application.html
Otherwise, wait 9-12 months and then clean and reapply.
Pressure treated deck, one year old. Sanded tops of railings with power sander yesterday to get smooth. How long to wait to start project?
Wait for a few weeks and the use the RAD Cleaner and Brightener for prep before staining.
Hi I used your stripper, sanded and have applied the brightener per your instructions. However after the 48 hour wait it has rained just about every day since then and my two week period is up this weekend and rain is in the forecast til next week. Will I have to start over or apply a cleaner and brightener again if I can’t stain for 3 weeks or more?
Lightly pressure wash rinse and brighten again is all you will need to do.
Ok one last question – as I said I stripped and sanded, however I did not get all the Behr stain off. I did apply the brightener but while I am waiting for the rain to stop I have been researching a little and saw that you now have the additives that make removing stain more effective. Would I be wise at this point to buy more stripper with the additives and strip one more time to try to remove more?
Yes, it would help to give another round with the additives as well. Let it sit on the wood for 30-60 minutes and it should take more off.
I am curious. I need gray stain and I want to use your solid stain, but the gray is a little bright for me. I want gray,
and I am wondering if I mixed a little of the oak with it whether it might give me a color of gray I like better. Have you ever seen this?
No, never tried this combo but you can mix colors.
Yes, correct. Use the solid stain for this.
Also, I used Behr Premium Semi-Transparent Waterproofing Stain and Sealer 6 years ago. The sealer is finally wearing off somewhat. There is no peeling. Can I just clean and apply a RAD semi-transparent stain?
No. When switching brands of stain you will need to remove the previous coating. Use the stripper and the two additives to remove. Brighten after. You will need a sprayer to apply and a pressure washer.
If I use the stripper will I be able to apply semi-transparent stain? I don’t want to sand, as the wood is pressure treated. What will the ongoing maintenance be like? Clean and apply a semi-transparent stain every 2 – 3 years?
Yes. Clean and recoat as needed. 2-3 years is normal.
Do I need to use a pump sprayer for the cleaner/brightener or can I just apply it with a pad/brush?
The main difference would be that one is opaque and the other is semi-transparent. In terms of longevity, they are about the same and they can both be cleaned and recoated as needed.
Hello – we would like to use RAD solid stain to refinish our deck. Do any of your premixed colors match our current stain? I have attached a picture.
Nothing will match this. Closest would be Cypress.
How long can leftover stain be stored and safely used?
Opened, about 12 months, maybe longer. Unopened, a few years. Cannot freeze.
Because the stain does not come in gallon style cans will I need to pour the stain into another container for applying with my brush? I have a new redwood fence (6 weeks old), can I just stain it without prep?
Thanks
Yes, pout into a larger bucket or paint tray. As for prep, that would depend on the condition and if the wood is smooth or rough sawn. Best to reply with a picture.
I live in the mountains of western Montana at 5000 feet, lots of winter snow (hate it) and with no shade around the house lots of summer direct sunlight on my cedar three sided 2,400 sq ft deck. I have an additional 500 sq. ft. of railing horizontal/vertical surface. The deck and railing were installed in 2000 (19 yrs ago) and have been stripped and refinished with Benjamin Moore Arbor Coat in 2012 which is aggressively peeling down to bare wood. I have a pressure washer and wonder the following:
1. Approx. how much stain would be required to refinish the deck and railing color to be determined?
2. Would your stripper be of service with the pressure washer to help remove the remaining Arbor Coat?
3. What is the formula of materials you would recommend start to stop for the project?
Wifi here is so slow and unreliable that the addition of photos would take a long time to upload and would exhaust the little cyber munchkins carrying the signal up here in their tea cups.
Thank you for your assistance,
Colonel
1. About 20-25 gallons if using the semi-transparent stain.
2. No. Arbor Coat is too thick to be stripped. It typically needs to be sanded off. Feel free to reply with a picture if you need help.
3. Need a pic. Try downsizing the file size of the pics before uploading.
we have cleaned and brightened our deck and now there is 30% chance of rain for next three weeks. What is the minimum dry time before any rain that would allow us to use the stain? we have twp 1500 stain.
12 Hours.
We have TWP 1500 stain
we have cleaned and brightened our deck and now there is 30% chance of rain for next three weeks. What is the minimum dry time before any rain that would allow us to use the stain?
How often does RAD need to be refreshed (stripped, brightened, restained) after the initial RAD staining? We live in Edmonton, Alberta and have a pressure treated wood deck.
Every 2-3 years unless the wood is new. See this about new wood: https://www.restore-a-deck.com/Deck-Cleaning-Reviews-and-Tips/restore-a-deck-stain-for-new-wood.html
I recently ( within the last few weeks) cleaned, brightened and then applied a RAD solid stain. It came out great but the color is lighter than I wanted (trying to match an existing color) Can I just go over with the same solid stain mixed a little darker this time? I only applied one coat the first time.
Yes, you can do this.
How can I track my order?
Check with the link on your order email and look for the shipping email from FedEx that is sent when it ships.
Hi there,
We live in Buffalo, just arrived in our home a year ago, and need assistance with details on both cleaning/stripping and then covering our fence and deck surfaces for long-lasting quality. Very impressed with the comments/reviews for RAD. From the West Coast, we’ve been familiar only with other products that we’ve used on fences and decks there and are experienced in the procedures, including heavy-duty applications as we had a much larger house with much more deck and fence coverage there.
We want water-based cedar-colored stain, and for the following package:
Square Feet single coat coverage
Section details Length x Width x Height = Total SF
Main backyard fence (complete coverage, one side) 78x 6= 468
Smaller 48 ft section to be covered on second side (one 30-ft section unreachable-on neighbors side of fence) 48x 6= 288
Side by garage is 23x4x2 sides 23 x4 =92
Deck fence section start to finish 44 12= 528
Deck floor first section 11x 10= 110
Posts up from deck floor, 1/3 coverage 7x 3= 21
Deck floor second section 20x 11= 220
Railing for deck 13x 3= 39
Total Square feet of single coverage deck/fence = total of 1727 Square feet
A few quick points:
1) We have a nice and powerful pressure washer. We are cognizant of the care required when setting the power level for this type of application and avoiding damage to the wood
2) We don’t know the age of the structures but estimate around 7 years? Wood is in relatively good condition, only a bit of fence warping, none on the deck surfaces to speak of…
3) Hot tub covers part of the deck, made a minor allowance for this in measurements
4)We don’t know the previous stain used, but looks like cedar that may have had a two-year cover and then weathered?
Look forward to hearing back with estimates/recommendations ASAP. Also, please advise of likely time required to ship, how long one-coat coverage will take to dry and then reapply. Rainy here now, so given that and other factors, would like to apply partially with a pump sprayer and then finish with roller/brush as required.
Final note: you may see one fence section in back of yard – that is the one on which we will only plan to apply one side of coverage. There IS a possibility we cover this other small side but would need to meet the neighbors to ask 🙂
Thanks much and look forward to hearing back!
Prep first with the Restore A Deck Cleaner and Brightener Kits as we do not see any old stain on the wood currently. You will need 3 each of the Cleaner/Brightener. For the stain, for two coats you will need 15-20 gallons. This is applied wet on wet, not wet on dry: https://www.restore-a-deck.com/Deck-Cleaning-Reviews-and-Tips/restore-a-deck-stain-wet-on-wet-application.html
You can spray on the first coat and back brush the second coat. Shipping to NY takes 2-4 business days.
We bought enough stain for two coats for about 1200 sq ft. To make it lighter, we are going to hold to one coat. We will have a lot left and wonder what the unopened shelf life for the 2 1/2 gallon containers?
3-4 years as long as it is stored in a temperature controlled room.
Hey, Should I use both the cleaner and the stripper?
No. Either or.
All we have read says that we can put the stain on a damp surface, but on the instructions on the container, it says the wood should be dry to the touch. What do you advise?
The instructions on the stain container say damp or dry wood, not just dry wood.
We ordered enough dark walnut stain for two coats on our deck, but after doing the railing, the two coats is darker than we want. If we apply only one coat to the deck floor, will it provide adequate protection?
We ordered the samples and put two coats on the back of a board we are staining and it is lighter than when we actually put it on the top side.
Oh, to prepare for stain, we power washed, stripped and brightened the deck floor.
Yes, one coat will work if you want it to be lighter.
I have a Barn that has been coated With CWF-UV, it is pealing and have to remove it before re-staining. I have tried other stripper from the big box store, it removes it after applying 3 times. will your stripper take it off faster and less coats?
It should but you will need these additives: https://www.restore-a-deck.com/rad-stain-stripper-additives.html
Let dwell for an hour and pressure wash off. You may need to mist with water to keep it from drying when it is dwelling.
We stripped and brightened our deck on Saturday… once dried, we opted to do a second stripping on Sunday. After stripping it the second time, we let it dry, then we power sanded (80grit) the entire deck. We ended on Sunday afternoon with a brightening step.
Now Mother Nature is not agreeing with us. It may be a week or two before we will have the proper weather to stain. Are we ok to go straight to the staining step, or do we need to repeat the brightening step the day before we actually get to stain?
If within 1-2 weeks, you should be okay to stain.
Also, I’m ok if this pulls up the old stain. No worries with that. If some gets on my white painted spindles, will it take the paint off those?
I have pressure treated deck wood that was put down 4 years ago. We stained it with semi-transparent stain, fairly dark stain. The deck is approx. 650 square feet. I have access to a pressure washer. Multiple sizes and strenghts. The images attached are from when I built the deck 4 years ago. It shows the stain. I want to give it a serious cleaning and stain again. What product do you recommend? Will it pull up all of the old stain?
Restore A Deck Semi-transparent stain cannot go over this coating that is on your floor. It would have to be removed first. Do you know the brand and type of stain that is on there?
Hi there I have washed and brightened my ipe deck but am having very mixed results. I have attached a picture. Would it be beneficial to rewash and brighten with a stronger formula?
Are you washing or stripping? Looks like you should be stripping.
How long does one have to wait to brighten after cleaning application?
Do it right away while wood is wet.
And stain immediately after the brighten step is done?
No. Damp wood, not soaking wet wood. 2-4 hours later is normal.
I have sanded, stripped and brightened my deck and plan on staining with RAD semi-transparent this weekend.(1) Should i mist the deck with water or stain it dry, which is best? the temp is mid 70’s.(2) I plan on doing two coats my wood is 20 years old. How do i know when to start second coat? Do i just set the clock and start 20 min to 1 hour or are their physical signs such as tackyness or loss of sheen to signal its ready?(3) I have a 16.5 x 20.5 foot deck with no railings is 3 gallons enough for two coats?(4) Can i lightly hand sand with 60 grit some fuzz off from power washer, without having to brighten again? Thank you!!
1. Both work well. Easier to spot if damp
2. 20-60 minutes after the first coat. Just do not step on first coat if soaking wet. Do not over apply. Only apply as much as the stai. Can absorb.
3. Close but you may need one more gallon.
4. Hand sand yes. Do not power sand.
I need to stain an approximately 2 year old cedar fence that has not been stained before. Will be using the RAD semi-transparent stain, planning on using an airless sprayer and back brushing. The total sq. ft. is 2,976. It looks like we would need at least 3 stain/cleaner/brightener kits, but probably 4 to be safe for just one coat. Assuming we will need to do two coats, how many additional gallons of stain would you estimate to be able to do a 2nd coat? Also, what size tip for the airless sprayer would you suggest for the semi-transparent stain?
If you do a second coat you will need about 25-30 gallons total. Any tip will work. Wider fan tips are better.
if I only get half of my deck done in solid stain,then the next day it rains,the day after can I resume staining or need to wash after rain. thanks
Yes, you can continue.
We have a cedar deck which has been stained with one coat wood mate APM transparent finish. Will the stripper work or will we have to sand?
also if we use the stripper what happens to all the residue, does it dissolve in the water or does it need collecting and disposal?
Not sure. Looks very thick and never seen or heard of it before. Zero info on the Internet that we could find. Possibly but you will need the two additives: https://www.restore-a-deck.com/rad-stain-stripper-additives.html
My deck is about 4 years old, pressure treated wood, i stained it with Behr stain, i have been sanding it to get the stain off so I can put new stain on it. It has taken forever, is there anything i can do to quicken the process, i have the steps left. Once done sanding I should still use brightener before staining correct?
The only way to remove this solid stain is to sand. Clean and brighten for best results after the sanding.
I have just installed a new Tiger Wood deck. Can I prep, and stain with the natural right away?
Hello,
No, it needs to season. See this: https://www.restore-a-deck.com/Deck-Cleaning-Reviews-and-Tips/restore-a-deck-stain-for-new-wood.html
If the deck dries after I rinse the cleaner off, can I wait a few hours, then wet it again before I apply the brightener?
Yes.
If the deck dries after I rinse the cleaner off, can I wait a few hours, then wet it again before I apply the brightener?
You recommended 3 of these: 3 of these kits: https://www.restore-a-deck.com/restore-a-deck-wood-stain/restore-a-deck-wood-stain-5-gallons-and-stripper-brightener-combo-kit/flypage.tpl.html
Is the 15 gallons of stain enough for 2 coats for 1450 sf?
Yes on the stain and 15 gallons for two coats. You will also need the additives for stripping in addition to the combo kits.
Are the additives you mentioned already in the stripper or are they purchased separately?
You buy them separate: https://www.restore-a-deck.com/rad-stain-stripper-additives.html
and add to the stripper.
For my size deck (1450 sf) how much stripper/additives/brightener/stain do i need to order?
3 of these kits: https://www.restore-a-deck.com/restore-a-deck-wood-stain/restore-a-deck-wood-stain-5-gallons-and-stripper-brightener-combo-kit/flypage.tpl.html
see requested picture
That is a lot of mildew and algae. Strip and brighten for prep with the RAD stripper and the two additives: https://www.restore-a-deck.com/rad-stain-stripper-additives.html
My deck was stained with a water-based semi-transparent (Deck Restoration Plus) about 3 years ago. currently there is some mildew in places. Total area is 1450 sq ft. What do i need to order? also, you mentioned that i don’t need a power washer. What type of tip do you use on a garden hose?
The current stain will need to come off. Can you post a picture so we can determine the proper prep to do this?
I used the stripper and booster this weekend on my deck that has peeling Behr solid stain. I used a powerwasher and will then be sanding. I understood that the stripper would not remove everything, but I wanted to get as much of it off as I could before using RAD solid in Taupe. my questions are:
1. I did not use the brightener yet as I need to sand the deck to remove the loose and peeling Behr product. After I sand, should I wet the deck and use the brightener a couple days prior to staining?
2. Can I use a wood filler for large cracks?
3. I am going to sand with a rental floor sander. Which grit should I use.
I have included pictures of before stripping and the after stripping.
Thanks
1. Apply brightener right after sanding is done. Wet first.
2. No, do not use wood filler. Will not work.
3. 60 grit.