Staining a deck...

Since my exDH and I split I've been tryingt o learn how to do things he would normally do...and I would like to stain my deck.

I've asked him if I could borrow his power washer to get the wood back to looking like it used to...but are there any helpful hints you could share?

What kind of brush do I have to use? How many coats? How long between each one? Any help would be great!

Re: Staining a deck...

It's all explained on the can of stain, since each one can be slightly different. Usually two coats. With the stain I used, I had to wait between 2 and 48 hours for the 2nd coat. There is usually a time between when you start, and the next rainfall occurs.

I used a wide 6" brush for most of it, and a small brush for the nooks and crannies that the big brush can't reach. The bigger the brush, the less strokes you need to cover everything. If the brush is wider than a can, you'll need to pour the stain into a tray.

There are several types of stain, in 3 main categories. Solid, which is a solid color, similar to paint, that covers the grain of the wood. Semi-transparent (like I used), which adds color to the wood, but you can still see the grain. Clear, which just protects the wood. The more color in the stain, the longer it lasts, so clear usually lasts 1-2 years, semi-transparent is usually 2-4, and solid is 4+.

To prevent lines where you stop and then started, try to do the entire deck at one time, so there is always a "wet edge". If you can't do that, try and use a natural line to stop at, either along a new plank, or where the stairs start, etc.

Re: Staining a deck...

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