Four Essential Tips for Staining Your Deck Like a Pro

Stain is essential for protecting the wood on your deck. It repels water and helps to ensure that your deck will last over the years. The key is to make sure that you know what you are doing so that the stain does its job as well as possible. Take a look at four essential tips for staining your deck like a pro.

Check the Weather

You need to make sure that your deck is dry and that the weather is ideal for staining. You should wait until it has not rained for a few days, and you want to have dry weather for a few days following the project. In addition, you should make sure that the temperature is between 50 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit. It is ideal if there is low humidity because it will take longer to dry if there is humidity. In addition, if you have direct stain light, the stain could dry too fast, which means that the wood might not absorb it.

Prepare the Deck Properly

Before you begin staining the deck, you need to prepare it for the project. First, you should find any spots that are damaged or splintered, and sand them so that it is smooth. Make sure that you sweep the deck, and then you should use a power washer to clean it. You can use a cleaning product for decks in the power washer to make sure that you wash away any dirt and debris. After you finish, you need to let the wood dry for a few days.

Choose the Stain

There are different types of stain, and you are limited by what is already on your deck. If you have a solid type of stain, you won’t be able to use a clear stain over it. The solid stains fill the pores in the wood, which prevents the clear stains from soaking inside of it. If you don’t have any stain on the wood, you can choose whichever type of stain gives you the look you want. If you plan to use a solid stain, you can put it over any type of stain, so you won’t have to worry.

Apply the Stain in Thin Coats

When you are preparing to stain your deck, you should take the gallons you plan to use and mix them to make sure that the entire project has uniform stain color. For example, if you are using two gallons of stain, mix them together and stir them. Then, you will start applying the stain with a brush. You should do a few boards at the same time, and use smooth strokes that go along the length of the boards. You should apply thin coats to prevent any puddles that are unable to soak into your deck. You will want to apply two coats to make sure that you don’t miss any spots. When you finish, make sure that you let it sit for a few days so that it dries completely.