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The Best Way to Apply Deck Stain Evenly
Sam Lutz • Jun 10, 2014
You’re excited about hosting your first barbecue. You’ve bought the slabs of meat and vegetables for roasting, you’ve ordered plenty of beer and wine, and you’ve programmed a hot new playlist into your iPod. You’ve cleaned out the backyard, and the delivery company’s just pulled up with that funky, wicker outdoor furniture that you ordered. Your excitement as you load the furniture onto your deck turns to horror as you realize that the deck itself looks like it should be attached to a haunted house.
Before you panic, know that in one afternoon, you can have what looks like a brand new deck by applying deck stain. In order for the finish product to look like a professional did it, follow the steps below to ensure flawless, even coverage.
Prep the Deck
You know how people sometimes paint walls without priming them first? The walls come out okay, but they’d have come spectacularly if they’d been properly prepped. The same thinking applies to staining your deck; make sure that you prep it prior to staining.
- Make sure that you pick a day when no rain has been forecast. Nothing will bring on the tears like pelting rain on top of a half-stained, still-wet deck.
- Wash the deck thoroughly to rid it of rocks, leaves, debris and bird poop. Even if you’re dealing with a brand new deck that hasn’t been stained yet, you’ll still need to wash it because you’ll have to get rid of something called mill scale. Mill scale accumulates on new wood as it’s being milled, and if left on the surface of the wood, the stain won’t penetrate evenly.
- For older decks that have been damaged from things such as animals and uncooperative weather, you’ll need to apply oxygen bleach wood cleaners. Made with sodium percarbonate, these cleaners safely and gently clean wood without harming any nearby grass and plants. Layers and layers of old stain can be stripped away using stain strippers, and a sander can take care of any stain that sticks around after all of your scrubbing.
Apply a Brightener
A brightener is an important step in the deck-staining process. Similar to what primer does for walls, a brightener will help the stain that you use penetrate a lot easier.
- Apply a brightener to the deck before staining so that the stain penetrates easier. It will also help neutralize the chemicals in any of the products that you used while cleaning the deck, including stain strippers.
- Spray the brightener evenly across the deck, and let it sit for about five minutes.
- Rinse the brightener and any other errant chemicals off using a hose. Rinse as long as you can to help ensure that you remove any of the pre-stain chemicals.
Apply the Stain
How you apply the stain depends on you, but each staining method has its benefits. Don’t skimp on the brand of stain and use the best quality stain you can afford to ensure even coverage and long-lasting results.
- If you use a pressurized sprayer or a roller or a pad attached to a pole, you’ll be able to do much of your staining standing up. Even if you choose one of these methods, you should still follow up with paint brush. Paint brushes allow for even penetration of the stain, helping ensure that you get consistent color.
- Staining using a paint pad is great because you get to stand as you stain, and the pad provides beautiful, even coverage.
- Apply the stain in the direction of the wood grain.
- Stain handrails and any other raised portion of the deck first. That way, if you drip any stain, it will fall onto wood that hasn’t been finished yet.
- The trick to avoiding uneven blending is to make sure that you keep a wet edge in the stain as you brush. As you move along, keep brushing the wet edge and blending it into unstained areas as you move along.
- Don’t forget to stain the parts of the deck that you can’t see, like the underside of railings or banisters.
- Once the stain is applied, allow it to dry fully for 24 hours before finally lugging your brand new, surprisingly gorgeous wicker furniture onto it.
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