Best deck stains

When it comes to your deck there are many choices for stains.  Depending on what you want it to look like will determine your choice of stain.  Stains come in three variations:  transparent meaning you will see your woods original hue and grain, semi transparent-you will see the grain but the stain is tinted with a color and solid you will not see the original hue or grain because it is a colored stain completely covering the woods original hue.  Typically homeowners with pressure treated decks choose solid because it covers the wood completely and you have a number of choices for color or semitransparent because it has some pigment so you can still see the grain. Transparent is a protectant and will leave the wood looking near exactly like it does before it is applied. 

You have oil vs latex.  Latex is going to be what a majority of your solid deck stains are composed of and oils are your semitransparent and transparent.  Which ever you choose will need a recoat every 3-5 years.  There are latex semi's and transparent but in my professional opinion oil holds up much longer and looks so much better.

There are many brands of stain and some are better than others.  First you get what you pay for like anything else.  It is worth spending the extra $10-$15 a gallon for a high quality stain.  The benefits are it will last longer, apply easier-flow, look better and be made with a better mix of components.  Here is what I recommend for each variation of stain.

*  For solid stain applications Cabot is the best.  Every deck I have ever used this on looks great for years afterward.  It also grips the best out of other products I have used.  Once it is on there its not going anywhere.  The colors are also very rich because there is a high solids-mineral count in the formula.

*  Semi-transparent best product out there is again Cabot oil.  Once again it sticks like glue and really highlights the woods grain and the color you have chosen will be true to match.

*  Transparent stain Cabot Australian Timber Oil.  If you like natural looking wood this is the product for you. 

*  To restore your old, cracking-checking deck Rust-Oleum makes Restore 10x.  This is a product I have used a few times at my own house on our entry stairway.  These stairs are at least 25 years old pressure treated pine.  There are many cracks from age so I loaded this on each plank and pushed it in and the stuff works great.  This product is very thick and has a sand component added for grip and to fill gaps.  Below is a picture of the stairs which were stained last weekend.  Setups fast and can be walked on in 12 hours. 

This is not an ad for Cabot but I have used Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore products and they just don't hold up as well as Cabot.  When choosing a deck stain it is worth every extra dollar to get the best.

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Bill Donigan
Donigan Painting
Syracuse NY 13208
315-313-3254
http://doniganpainting.webstarts.com/