The RAD Wood Restoration Contest is closed!
First Place
Annemarie
First Place = $500 + 5 Gallon Pail of RAD Stain of your choice!
Second Place
Ben Smith
Second Place = $250 + 2.5 Gallons of RAD Stain of your choice!
Third Place
Thomas Pongracz
Third Place = $100 + 1 Gallon of RAD Stain or 1 RAD Prep Kit of your choice!
Thanks to all the entered this year!
We will be contacting the winners via email.
Restore-A-Deck 2019 Wood and Deck Restoration Contest Details
- All Restore-A-Deck Prep and Restore-A-Deck Wood Stain must be purchased first from this online eCommerce site (Restore-A-Deck.com) between January 1st – September 5th, 2019.
- The Restore-A-Deck 3-Step Process must be used.
- The deadline for entry is September 15th, 2019.
- The winners will be decided by September 30th, 2019 by our team.
The RAD Contestant Winners will Receive
- First Place = $500 + 5 Gallon Pail of RAD Stain of your choice!
- Second Place = $250 + 2.5 Gallons of RAD Stain of your choice!
- Third Place:= $100 + 1 Gallon of RAD Stain or 1 RAD Prep Kit of your choice!
How To Enter Contest
- Enter by September 15th, 2019.
- In the comment section below, post a short description of your deck/wood staining project, the Restore-A-Deck products used to prep, and the Restore-A-Deck Stain Color used. Was the Restore-A-Deck Stain applied the same day as the prep? Yes or No?
- Examples of wood projects that can be entered: Decks, Fences, Wood Side Homes, Log Cabins, etc.
- 1-2 pictures before the prep of the wood. You can still enter if you do not have the before pictures.
- 1-2 pictures after the prep of the wood using the RAD Prepping Products. You can still enter if you do not have the after prep pictures.
- 2 pictures after the staining using the Restore-A-Deck Wood Stain must be included.
- If having trouble uploading the pictures, please make your picture(s) size smaller (below 3 MB).
Any questions or issues posting, please ask in the comment area.
We look forward to all the entries!
*Disclaimer: All products must be purchased from Restore-A-Deck.com. The contest is not open to products purchased from other online dealers or from physical stores. All 3-Steps in the Restore-A-Deck system will need to be used to win 1st, 2nd, or 3rd Place: Step 1: Restore-A-Deck Wood Cleaner or Restore-A-Deck Stain Stripper. Step 2: Restore-A-Deck Wood Brightener. Step 3: Restore-A-Deck Wood Stains. If you used a different brand of stain but still prepped with the RAD prepping products you can still enter to receive a 5% credit (max credit of $20) towards your purchase from Restore-A-Deck.com.
Just used your product on 22 year old deck it brought it back to life again I did it my self over 350 square feet I did it in two days looks great I did not think I could get old stain off but your stain striper worked great I did the three step process after a turned out great
My wife and I refinished our 22 year old deck and railing this year with 5 gallons of RAD (Cypress Solid Stain).Living near Chicago, upkeep of the deck is a constant job but also well worth the enjoyment that the deck gives us. In the past we used Cabot stains but the quality of their product has diminished considerably. The only prep we did was a thorough washing with a oxygen/hydrogen peroxide. After it was dried we sanded the decking with 80 grit paper using orbital sanders,(4 hours). We then once again cleaned the deck by vacuuming it and using a leaf blower. We applied the CYPRESS Solid RAD and completed the deck in 2 hours and the railing in 6 hours all in the same day,needless to say we were wiped out. This stain from what I can see looks awesome on the deck and withstands chairs and other sliding objects better then any other stained they we have used in the past. We are so pleased with this product and guest have commented how nice it looks. I am enclosing some before and after pictures to show prospective buyers. We are so pleased that we bought this stain this year. Thank You Restore-A-Deck, “J” & Rose
Finished!
Having trouble posting
This deck has had no maintenance for about five years. After researching, I decided Restore-A-Deck was my best bet. Due to the size of the deck, my age, and time constraints I stripped, brightened, and stained over several days. I am so impressed with this product. Customer service is awesome! I called with questions and got great info. Here are pics
Looks like the photos of the upper deck didn’t load, nor did the lower deck post-staining. Here they are:
My parents had two roof decks put on the back of the house in 1992. I typically did the cleaning/staining process for them every few years and HATED it. It always took weeks to get it done because all the available products required several dry days during the process. We live in San Francisco – we have year-round fog, and when the sun does come out it is only temporary. The products also seemed to be very dangerous – I practically had to wear a hazmat suit!
The roofs below the two decks both had to be replaced last fall, so the old decks were removed and new ones were built. We let the wood “rest” for about nine months, and at that point they looked pretty ugly and gray. We love having the decks, but my husband and I were dreading the cleaning/staining process. Thankfully, we found out about Restore-A-Deck, and decided to give it a try.
We started with the upper deck. Our cleaning process probably wasn’t ideal, as we didn’t use a pump sprayer. Instead we used a soft bristle brush to coat the wood, scrubbed with a stiff bristle brush, then hosed off all the muck. This process took a lot of effort, and left both of us exhausted and sore. We used a pump sprayer for the brightener, and decided we would use the sprayer to apply the cleaner on the lower deck.
We cleaned one afternoon, and did the brightener the second afternoon. The following morning it was so foggy the deck was still drenched. The sun came out for a bit later that day and we went ahead with the staining. We were absolutely THRILLED with the results!
We were running low on the cleaner and brightener, so we ordered more before starting on the lower deck (we still had plenty of stain as we only did one coat on the new wood).
For the lower deck, we started cleaning in the afternoon, but must have started too late in the day, as we ran out of light. My husband finished the cleaning process early the following morning, and we were able to brighten that afternoon. We applied the stain in the afternoon on Day 3. Just like the upper deck, the wood looks amazing! Unlike the upper deck, we did use the pump sprayer to apply the cleaner, which made the process go faster, and wasn’t as exhausting.
Products used:
Restore-A-Deck Cleaner
Restore-A-Deck Brightener
Restore-A-Deck Semi-transparent stain (Natural)
Total area cleaned, brightened, and stained: approximately 1000sq.ft.
Our deck is over 30 years old, and the wood is not in the best shape. It is about 750 sf of flat surface with 2 sets of railings, 2 sets of steps, 2 built in benches with flower boxes. We are 2 retirees on a budget ,so we wanted to do the best job we could with what we could do ourselves. The last time we had the deck stained was about 4 years ago. It did not hold up well and we did not like the grey against our house. We did our research and decided on the RAD solid stain in Dessert Taupe based on all the great reviews we read. We started out our project by pressure washing and looking for a good solid stain from a reputable company. After reading numerous reviews, we decided on the RAD solid stain, but now 4 weeks had passed, and we felt we had to pressure wash the deck again. We still weren’t happy with the results after the pressure washing because we still had a lot of loose stain, so we rented a sanded from HD and sanded the deck. We did 2 coats of the Dessert Taupe and tho the stain is a little lighter than what we thought it would be, we loved the finished color. It is a nice, warm neutral, that goes well with our grey/green home well. The stain was so easy to apply. We loved the coverage. Here are a few pictures. I don’t have a before except for the small area we have 1/2 the old grey stain and the new Dessert taupe side by side. We are very happy and feel very proud we were able to do this ourselves.
I began this project with a deck that is 30 years old. It had been at least 5 years since the deck was last maintained in any way. I did thorough research before selecting a product and felt that Restore-A-Deck offered the best overall solution for price, quality of product and environmental friendliness. I purchased the Restore-A-Deck Semi Transparent Wood Stain 5 Gallons and Cleaner/Brightener Combo Kit with the Light Walnut stain color. I also added the Restore-A-Deck Booster Additive to ensure that the old stain would be removed with a single application.
I power washed the deck using a 1500 PSI sprayer before applying the Stripper. I realize this step was likely unnecessary but my deck had excessive dirt and mildew and I wanted to ensure that the stripper would soak into the wood to remove the old stain. Next, I lightly sprayed the deck with water, applied Stripper to all surfaces with a pump sprayer and lightly scrubbed with synthetic bristle brushes before rinsing with a power washer. I let the deck dry and then applied the brightener to the entire deck and thoroughly rinsed all surfaces until suds no longer appeared. I filled knot holes with wood filler and large cracks with 100% waterproof caulk, dyed a similar color to the wood stain. I lightly sanded railings and spindles with a palm sander and used a drywall pole sander to smooth the horizontal surfaces. Finally, I applied 1 coat of stain to the vertical surfaces and 2 coats of stain (wet-on-wet) to the horizontal surfaces.
The project took about 2 weekends to complete. Having an elevated deck with extra spindles and stairs while working alone resulted in extra labor that other deck restoration projects may not encounter. I had never stained a deck prior to this project. The product arrived quickly and was packaged well. The instructions were very clear and easy to follow. We could not be happier with the end result. Attached are photos showing the deck prior to power washing, after cleaning/brightening and the final result. Below is also a hyperlink to a video I created that highlights each step in the process. I highly recommend this product to anyone looking to stain new or restore an old deck.
https://youtu.be/8eQhrVbOp_4
My completed project using the RAD kit(Clean, Brighten and Solid 2-Tone Stain) very satisfied customer. Looking forward to my next project……
More pictures….
more pics of my finished deck my3pups
Just completed my deck project yesterday. The old deck stain was peeling and flaking (see first pic) I used one package of restore a deck stripper. Followed the instructions and it worked excellent (see pic). After doing extensive research on deck stain I settled on restore a deck solid stain in coastal gray. I ordered five gallons at the advice of restore a deck. Application was done using a 3/4 nap roller and a total of 3 1/2 gallons for two coats was used for 440 square feet plus the posts. The stain rolled on easy and covered well despite many 8x10x20 boards having weathering cracking. Two coats applied same day as directions stated it could and the end result is beautiful!!! I cant believe its the same deck!
Used restore a deck cleaner and brightener then solid stain white on railings and gray on floor. Turned out beautiful.
The photos did not upload in the correct order, but 1/4 is before showing the peeling, cracking and stained areas. 4/4 shows the sanding, stripping and prepping to refinish. 2/3 shows the cleaning and brightening process, 3/4 shows the stain and after photos. I used dark walnut, semi-transparent stain. I LOVE IT!
My husband and I bought our home a year and a half ago. It has a two-tiered, 1000 sqft. deck. Unfortunately, this spring it started cracking and peeling off in big chucks. I am not sure if the deck is original to the home or not. If so, the deck is 26 years old. It appears that a few of the boards were replaced at one time. I also did not know what was on the deck at first. After a week of sanding and trying different strippers that did not work, I learned our deck had 1-2 coats of deck over on top of a coat of paint, which was on top of a semi transparent stain. It was a nightmare to remove, but I was determined.
After one month of work from sun up until sun down, 7 days per week, the deck was ready for cleaning, brightening and staining. After working so hard to remove sub standard products from our deck, it was amazing how simple RAD products were to use! I cleaned and brightened in one day with the help of my daughter who made sure the product did not dry on the surface. I would have also stained that day if the weather forecast had not changed. But to be on the safe side, I stained very early the next morning. I used your recommendations for hot sun application as I live in North Texas and the temperature was 95 with a heat index of 106. I purchased your stain applicator brush and it worked beautifully! I applied only one light coat of stain because of all that sanding. In hindsight, I think I applied too light a coat and was not always 100% consistent with the amount I applied especially the area in full sun. But I think it looks really good. I plan to clean, brighten and apply another light coat in the fall or early Spring with the RAD products I have left over. Then I think it will look great!
The deck boards were in really bad shape when I finally got a good look after all that junk was removed. And while they still show some wear and age, I think they look beautiful.
Using Restore A Deck 3 step process was breeze and makes my old, weathered deck look great! Thank you for your helpful website and advice and especially for making quality products I could use! I would recommend Restore A Deck products to anyone.
I’ve attached some before, during and after photos.
Best regards,
Kate Armitage
My deck is roughly 300 square feet and its been more than 15 years since I have done anything to it and more than 15 years ago I only used Thompson’s water sealer 1 time. It has never been stained just the railing painted white when I bought the house almost 20 years ago. For the last few years I have been removing the paint while looking for a product that would make my deck look new again and I believe I found it. I prepped my deck with the RAD Cleaner using a deck sprayer and brush. My deck scrub brush wasn’t getting all the dirt up because of the weathering of the deck boards so I lightly scrubbed the mildew stains with a wire brush which didn’t take very long as the cleaner did broke it down nicely. After the cleaning process I lightly sprayed the deck with water as the directions say before using the deck sprayer with the RAD brightener. Wow, my old untreated deck boards looked like new. I waited 48 hours before applying the RAD light walnut semi-transparent stain according to the directions so I did not apply it the same day as the prep. I applied the stain with a 4″ paint/staining brush to assure an even application while waiting 20+ minutes before applying the second coat all in the shade as to avoid direct sunlight as the directions suggested, so it took me about 3 days as I avoided the direct sunlight. Overall the project took me about 6 days (Thankfully the weather cooperated all sun and no rain). I couldn’t be happier with how my deck turned out. It looks better than I ever imagined, like new, and like its been stained for decades.
Just thoroughly prepped and stained my old cedar deck using all Restore-A-Deck products including two solid stain products, and the deck is beautiful! Several of the rails were quite weather worn and after staining two coats, there are still a few deeper splits that could use a good third coat which I feel would coat sufficiently for our need. Question: Is a third coat okay to do on a stain? These are solid color stains.
(When its time to strip and redo this deck, we’ll strip it down to the framing and build new. But not for a few years.)
Yes, you can do this. Feel free to post some pictures when done.
Looks like pictures 3, 6, and 7 didn’t make the cut. Trying again!
We had new pressure treated pine boards and a vinyl railing put on our deck in south central Pennsylvania in July 2018, as the old boards and railing were beyond repair. Our deck is around 625 sq ft at 29′ x 16′ with a 12.5′ raised octagon, two sets of three 3′ stairs and one set three of 5′ stairs. After seasoning for a year, and lots of research, I decided on the RAD products. Forgive the “before” picture with the dog! It was the best I had, as I failed to take a picture before jumping in (I was excited!).
On Friday, July 5th, we used the Step 1 Cleaner with the deck brush attachment on our power washer for the cleaning process and the Step 2 Brightener with a regular, wide-angle spray nozzle to rinse it off. On Tuesday, July 9th (we had to wait due to inclement weather), we stained the deck with the RAD semi-transparent cedar colored stain. Surprisingly, we ended up only needing one packet of both the cleaner and brightener (I had bought two of each, just in case), and about 3 – 3.5 gallons of stain. We only stained the boards (one coat only this time around), but prepped the base boards, as well, as we intended on painting them white and wanted them to be in good shape for the paint, as well. The whole process was pretty darn easy – just a lot of deck to do it on! Like others have commented, the recommended stain brush really worked well, and an Oxiclean soak got it clean for reuse afterwards. We had four people working on it (we took turns), but it could easily be done with two. Doing it alone would not be difficult, just a bit more time crunching. It’s always nice to have a gopher/helping hand.
Every time I look out the window at the finished deck, it makes me happy – the cedar color is lovely and really lets the warmth and beauty of the wood shine through instead of just “painting” it. Water is beading up with the rains we’ve gotten, so it’s already doing it’s job!
Sorry for the clumsiness with the photos. These last photos are a couple days after it cured and out of the bright sun.
New southern facing PT pine deck completed July 2018. Staining project finished over 2 days in May 2019. Job was incredibly easy and loved the fact that I could get it done so quickly. The recommended RAD deck staining brush used made it a breeze to apply. I used the RAD cleaner, brightener, and the RAD Natural stain. I think it turned out great and I am pleased with the results.
Please post after pictures.
Another after
Here’s the rest of the photos
Cleaned(30 sec cleaner from HD) and pressure washed my deck after moving into new home, deck most likely never been stained for past 5-6yrs. Want to try the Kit, cleaner and brightener and two tone solid stain(classic white for rails and Coastal Grey for deck boards) Still need to remove the worn lattices and replace with vinyl at the base and wash and clean the “base board” where the lattices attached to. Deck is 20ftx13ft with 5 stair threaders. Advice on amount needed and if kit is good choice for remaining cleaning?
Yes on kit for the prep. Around 2 gallons for the rails and 3-4 gallons for the floors.
was thinking max 3 gallons for deck floors based on your recommended coverage, “Coverage Per Gallon:200-350 sq. ft” is your recommendation based on the wood age and absorption? also is the Brightener really needed since going with the solid stain? I have another project I can use the brightener if not on the deck.
Yes, you have to brighten.
Thanks order placed…..any customer pictures of the Coastal Grey solid stain you can link to?
Lattices
Was in the process of staining my deck and after applying the stain (Thompsons Waterseal plus Stain) my wife and I HATED it. Not sure of what to do, I started looking for strippers and stumbled upon the RAD brand. Based on the reviews, I decided to take a shot at getting the deck back to normal. I used the Restore-A-Deck Stripper and Brightener with the results being better than I thought! Before and after pictures shows the incredible difference.
Our 150 foot pool fence is 22 years old. While still in good shape, it had never been been cleaned or stained. We used the (1) Cleaner and (2) Brightener to clean the fence, along with a lot of pressure washing. Tried pressure washing alone, and realized that using the Cleaner first made the pressure washing much easier.
Then we applied the RAD SemiTransparent Cedar Stain. Tried spraying it, but that got messy so we ended brushing it on.
Total job took about a week.
Posting the following pictures:
2 of the fence before cleaning.
2 after fence is cleaned.
2 after fence is stained.
This is my third project using the RAD products (did two decks previously). Very happy with the cleaning process and the ease with applying the stain. It looks great!
Having used RAD stripper,brightener and translucent cedar stain with great results, can I apply a second coat of stain weeks later?
No, once the first coat cures a second cannot be applied weeks later. You can prep and recoat in the late Fall or Spring of next year.
Can you enter if you used the RAD stripper and brightener, but used the TWP stain also purchased at this site?
Sorry, no.
After pictures of our deck. We ended up staining with RAD CEDAR STAIN one day after cleaner and brightner treatment due to rain.
After RAD cleaner, brightner treatment.
Here are pics of our dock prior to RAD cleaner, brightner treatment.
Sorry, last pic was final after staining. Here is the pic after cleaning and brightening. Sorry for the confusion.
2nd pic after cleaning and brightening
Sorry, here are my 3 pics.
Thanks!
Rick
I have a 15-year old, 500 sf ironwood deck (see pic) that has never been treated, but has grayed over the years and recently started to swell too much during the winter to a point where there were no gaps between the boards. Time to seal the deck with RAD.
It took me 5 hours to clean and brighten (another pic) using a sprayer and hose with a pressure nozzle and another 3 hours to apply two coats of natural stain (finished pic). Your deck brush is a must for applying the stain. The stairs came out just as nice, but I didn’t have room to attach those pics.
For a DIY, one man job, this product is truly RAD!!! I cannot believe how great it turned out.
Thank you Restore-A-Deck for helpimg me bring my deck back to life so easily and inexpensively! I look forward to using RAD to maintain this beautiful look from now on.
Rick
Hi. Pics did not post. That have to be less than 3mb in file size.
Completed in one day, the stripping, brightening and staining of 3 levels of deck and steps using the wet on wet process and cedar semi-transparent stain. The new look is amazing.
I feel like this was my Mona Lisa when it comes to projects. We have a front deck, most of it is uncovered but there is a covered and enclosed area over the door, and a small back deck. The decks are about 20 years old and the front section has been painted numerous times while the back area has never been painted or stained. When we bought the house from family four years ago, we painted the front deck floor red and had white rails. After the first winter, the red was peeling. Last summer (2018, three years after painting), my husband pressure washed the little bit of red off but a lot of the white on the rails was still there. I stripped and sanded the entire front deck, it took me almost two months to compete, working an hour or two in the evenings! I was so happy when I finished the stripping!
The last weekend of May of this year, I cleaned and brightened it. It made a world of difference. I had to wait until the middle of the first week of June to stain it, the weather was being unpredictable. I tried staining the same day a I brightened it, my phone app said the weather was perfect for the next few days. Five minutes after I finished the covered area it started to rain and then hail. Glad I didn’t try to do
more.
I did the majority of the project on my own and would have needed at least two days. I ended up using the equivalent of 2 gallons of cleaner, 1 gallon of brightener, and 2.5 gallons of stain. U am going to use the rest of the product to redo some stained benches.
The photos/collages show the back deck, the covered area, a close up of the wood through the process, and a before and after of the deck. The deck looks amazing, the pictures don’t do it justice. I got this done a few days before a graduation party at our house, everyone loved the deck!
I feel a big sense of pride that I was able to do this myself. I love going out there in the mornings now. It has made the entire house look amazing.
Recently stained a deck and used the deck stripper and brightener to prep the surface. Products worked great! Applied two coats of stain about a week after the prep work was done due to weather. Purchased the deck brush to apply the stain and happy with the way it worked. Made things go much faster! Would highly recommend these products.
This is the before pic from my post. It was too large the first time I posted it.
This is the before pic, it was too large when I posted it the first time, so I shrunk it a bit.
The deck had old solid stain which was probably last applied about 20+ years ago (first pic). To remove the stain, I used the RAD stripper with the booster and thickening gel additives. It didn’t remove all the stain, which was expected since it was a solid stain, but it removed a good bit since there was a lot of flaking. I sanded the rest off and applied the RAD brightener (second pic). Then the weather did not cooperate for a couple weeks, so I applied the RAD cleaner and brightener in the morning before applying a single coat of the RAD light walnut semi-transparent stain in the afternoon (third pic). The before picture doesn’t do justice to how bad it looked before the restoration. This is the first home improvement project of this size I’ve done myself, and I’m very proud and impressed with how it turned out.
Our son purchased a 25 year old home and wanted to redo the very large neglected deck and lattice. As a single first time home buyer, we didn’t want him to make the same mistakes we had made re-staining our decks. His deck was peeling some old Cabot acrylic, pinkish border and lime green solid stain. (Old cans left in garage) So I started googling and found RAD. I inquired on the RAD help section about how this could be restored. My answer came shortly after submitting my comment. So, he pressure washed to remove the thick algae growth and dirt. (Unfortunately, no before pic.) Then used the RAD cleaner and brightener. Sand, puttied, hammered in nails, etc. It’s a large deck so all hands were needed to get it done over the weekend. My son chose the solid Brown Oak RAD stain. The before pics are after it was cleaned with the RAD cleaner and brightener. We are all very pleased how it turned out!
2 more photos didn’t upload in my original post…
Our 20 year old, 26×16 deck, was in a completely chaotic state. Originally all cedar, treated pine has replaced the rotting boards through the years. This means we have about 4 different board ages and types.
The last time my wife and I finished this deck, we decided to go all solid gray stain. It wasn’t long before the stain showed signs of wear.
Finally, last fall we decided to replace rotting boards again and weathered them through the winter.
I can’t even describe the amount of sanding and scraping involved. The last few month involved every weekend (weather permitting), of backaches and knee pains.
when I heard about the RAD 3 step, all in one day system, I was excited to make one final push to get this job done. We purchased the five gallon in semi transparent cedar kit.
Started by spraying the step 1 cleaner in the morning, scrubbing and lightly power washing it off. Followed with the step 2 brightener and light power wash again.
This is when we began seeing amazing results. The brightener showed a tremendous improvement on the entire deck. The different color boards were now blending or, complementing each other beautifully. We wanted to keep the different board colors as we thought it would add an interesting character to the deck.
We allowed the deck to dry only enough to remove water puddles and hit it with the cedar stain, starting from the house entrance and working outward. We used a staining pad and foam brush to start the edge up against the house and switched to a pole brush for the rest. All this was done in one day and, we had enough time to watch our favorite evening TV shows after dinner!
We are so impressed with the results and looking forward to maintaining our deck without scrapers and sanders next spring. Thank you, we are very grateful for your incredible product!
-Walter & Cathy
Finally, after curing for a week. Looks amazing, thank you RAD!
Nice!
I used the RAD Semi-transparent Cedar 3-step kit. My boat dock was in awful condition as the previous owner had used something that had failed miserably, although it was said to be only 2 years old. This dock gets almost no shade at any time and I could not wait until after summer heat to get it done. I used the “hot sun” method which required a light mist before each step. Because the light mist would dry very fast I had to do section by section.
Although time consuming it turned out great. I could only apply one coat since the first coat was drying too fast to apply a second right away. I expect to be able to do a second coat in late fall, when much cooler, so it should be a simple clean and stain process.
The products all worked great, and one of the reasons I chose RAD was because the “over the water” application requires minimal harsh chemicals. I have high hopes that from now on I can just clean and re-stain when required. Hopefully every 2 years, but it’s easy enough even if it comes out to be yearly. Time will tell.
Nice job!
I have a 74×10 ft. Deck with a 14×10 extension. I managed to get the stain off on two sections.but the middle section still had a lot that I can not get off with the power washer. It is a Behr solid in dark gray. (absolutely horrible stuff) it started peeling in 2 weeks. How can o remove it!!! It is also on the spindles and the face of the entire deck. We are replacing the handrail with new and replacing the spindles with hog/goat fence but not replacing the spindles on staircases. Spindles are not peeling. Can i paint over them and use your stain on the deck floor. Please help!
You will have to sand it to remove the solid stain fully. You can use our solid stain on the railings and the semi-transparent for the floors.
We are extremely pleased with the results of our deck staining project using Restore-A-Deck products! The project involved our approximate 900 square foot deck, including the rails, spindles, three sets of stairs, 26 feet of bench area, and main deck floor. The deck was in poor condition after over five years in the Florida sun/rain environment since the last time a semi-transparent stain had been applied, and no maintenance/cleaning in between. We took our time to carefully prep the deck one weekend using the RAD stripper and brightener, total time spent prepping was about 15 hours over two days. We planned to stain the following weekend, however, rainy weather moved in, so we delayed until the following weekend. Thanks to the use of a rental airless power sprayer, the staining of the entire deck took only about four hours. We used the RAD water-based, semi-transparent stain, Light Walnut color. Thanks to the excellent RAD products, How-to-Tips, responsive Q&A, and reasonable pricing – my wife and I were able to accomplish this project ourselves with better-than-imagined results, and within budget. Our family, friends, and neighbors agree with us that it truly looks as good as new. Many thanks to the RAD team!
What kind of wood is your deck? I thought I liked the dark walnut color, but I LOVE the look of your deck! Is it just pretreated wood or something else?
Looks like only 3 photos got uploaded – 2 before and 1 after
All I can say is WOW! I was in a world of hurt with an oil-base sealer/stain product. Admittedly, I had applied too much when I was doing my maintenance clean & reapply after a year of the original coat. I tried stripping the oil-based coat with paint stripper, denatured alcohol, and mechanically, but I would have been at it for weeks!
Then I discovered your webpage and read about your water-based products: Stripper, Brightener, and Stain. I used the Stripper along with the Booster. I first tried just the Stripper, but realized that as the salesperson noted, I did indeed also need the Booster. After a second application with Booster, the deck came out beautifully! I then applied Natural Stain (after waiting a day – ran out of daylight!). The deck looks fantastic! I hadn’t expected the gentle satin or eggshell finish, but it was a nice surprise! Cleanup, being all water-based, was a breeze, and I didn’t end up with lots of environmentally unfriendly runn-off.
Hats off to you and your company! Great products, easy to use, with fantastic results! What more can I say?
below photos have 3 Before views (using the oil based product)and 1 After view using RAD products
Hello – I power-washed i.e. stripped my deck last fall. I plan to sand next. Would I then need to use follow the next steps as Cleaner, Brightener and Stain or do I skip the Cleaner step by sanding it? Or is there another sequence I should follow? Thank you.
Sand first than lightly clean and brighten.
Bought an old house in dubuque, Iowa. The deck was so ran down. Very old weathered wood. So I looked up online and read millions of different deck stain saying they were all the best. Until I saw restore a deck, and it was perfect for my situation
The prepping and stain was all done over a 2 week process including pressure washing.
This is the biggest I could make the picture. Before and after.
Is this dark walnut?
Looks like it.
My deck had TWP semi transparent stain previously on the floor and the tops of the handrails. It was really faded and flaking. To remove it, I rented a powerwasher from Home Depot and used the RAD stripper to remove the stain. I then used the RAD brightener and rinsed off the deck with the power washer using a 40 degree tip.
I ran out of sunlight so I wasn’t able to stain the same day. Instead, I applied the RAD stain the next morning. I used the “light walnut” color semi transparent stain. Overall, it exceeded my expectations!