Deck Staining
Preperation
Deck Staining
Exterior wood decking when left neglected oxidizes from the Ultra Violet rays from the sun. This will patina the exposed layer of wood cells turning the deck gray. Cleaning the deck first with a deck cleaner and power washing will remove this layer of graying wood cells while removing accumulated dirt, grime, mold, mildew, and algae.
Prepping your wood deck is the singular most important step when it comes to getting maximum performance out of your deck stain. Failure to prep and your stain will fail faster than it should and will not give the wood it’s natural beauty.
Deck Finishes
When it comes to choosing the best deck stain, you’ve got several choices. In general, the more opaque the stain, the better its weather- and wear-fighting abilities. However, lighter finishes let more of the wood’s natural grain and beauty show through.
- Clear and wood-toned finishes are designed to enhance wood’s natural color.
- Semi-transparent deck stains are lightly pigmented and let grain show through but go a long way toward changing the tone of your wood. Choose grays, blues, greens, reds, and browns.
- Solids and semi-solids nearly obscure wood grain but allow deep, vibrant colors. These are the toughest finishes.