Deck Staining Instructions
The first thing you need to do is take inventory of what kind of tools you have in your garage. You will need a few basic ones and, if you choose to spray, you will need a good quality paint sprayer. These items are necessary for a good job.
TOOLS
– Utility knife
– Hand masker
– 2″ Oil paint brush (Latex brush if using water base stain)
– 4″ Oil paint brush (Latex brush if using water base stain)
– Soft bristle push broom
– Garden hose
– Power washer (optional) Most paint or rental stores have these for daily rental
– Paint sprayer (optional) Most paint or rental stores have these for daily rental
– Bristle brush for scrubbing (surface area should be at least 3″ – 4″)
– Step ladder and/or ladder
– Clean 5 gallon pail
– Small can, pan or pail for cleaning brushes
SUPPLIES AND MATERIALS
– Stain—-Oil base preferred but water base will work. Water base is not as durable or as attractive
– High quality concentrated deck wash (depending on your deck, you may need deck stripper)
– One or more decent quality tarps. (Old blankets or sheets will NOT work)
– Roll of folded plastic (ask your paint store manager)
– 2 or 3 rolls of good quality 2″ masking tape. Cheap tape will pull paint from your house wall.
– 1 – 2 rolls of duct tape
– 80 Grit sandpaper
– 150 grit sandpaper
– 1 gallon of mineral spirits
– 12″ Masking paper
– An old tooth brush
– Rubber gloves
– Neoprene gloves
– Face mask if you intend to spray. You should buy the appropriate type for materials you use.
TIPS
Before I begin outlining the steps for restoring your deck, I will give you a few tips that I learned over the course of a few thousand jobs. Using these tips will make your job go easier and faster with less grief. A few minutes preparation using these tips could prevent mishaps and save you literally hours of work.
– Attach a couple of tarps to the rail cap using an alligator clamp. You can than flip the tarp from one side of the rail to the other without having to fight it. Doing this allows you to spray the spindles from the outside without getting spray on the deck floor before you’re ready. After spraying the outside of the spindles, flip the tarp to the other side. You can now spray the inside of the spindles without getting over spray on the lawn, patio, shrubs, etc.
– Use duct tape to secure plastic or tarp to cement. You can also use heavy blocks of wood, brick, paint cans, etc. to hold them down. If you overlap two or more tarps or plastic, be sure to tape the seam or put blocks over the seam to prevent wind from whipping it and exposing a surface you don’t want stained.
– Cover all shrubs, plants, bushes, etc. with tarps or plastic. You should do this at least 10′ beyond the edge of deck and more if a breezy day. If there is a stiff breeze, you should consider waiting until the wind is down or you may stain your neighbor’s house as well. You may then spend next weekend painting his house.
– Using the masking paper and masking tape, put a row along the bottom of the house wall where the wall meets the deck. Using a hand masker makes this job easy. For best results, you should place the edge of paper with the tape on the bottom ensuring no siding is exposed. Then, place a small strip of tape on the top of the paper every 6″ – 12′ to hold it in place. Once you’ve done that, hang some plastic so that it covers at least 6′ (8′ preferred) from where the deck floor and house wall meet. Using the hand masker with the folded roll of plastic, run the plastic along the length of the deck 6′ – 8′ off the deck floor making as few seams as possible. You should be able to run the full length of your deck if possible. You should overlap the plastic about 4 inches down from the top of the masking paper. If your deck goes to the edge of your house, you should wrap the plastic out at least 10′ – 12′ from the ground to at least 6′ over your decks rail cap.
– If your deck is going to take more than 1 gallon of stain (most of them do), I cannot emphasize strongly enough that you pour the stain into a 5 gallon pail and mix them thoroughly for a uniform color. Don’t put more than 3 gallons of stain in a 5 gallon bucket. This will make mixing easier without spilling. When you have used about half of what you have in the bucket, add another gallon and mix again. Repeat these steps as often as needed. An electric drill with a paint mixer works very well. You should mix your stain about every 5 – 10 minutes to prevent properties from settling to bottom of bucket.
– Staining with brush or sprayer brings equally effective results. Cleaning with a good hose sprayer or power washer, however, is always preferred for the cleanest job possible. It’s also a lot easier on the back and knees.
– If you are using a power washer to clean or strip and a sprayer to do the staining, you should use a sweeping motion. More simply put, start your swing, squeeze the trigger. Release the trigger, stop your swing. A little practice before actually doing it is a good idea.
– For some people, it’s easier to apply the cleaner by pointing the wand at the corner of the spindle. Doing it like that allows you to get two sides of the spindle with one pass saving time and cleaner.
– Doing the under side of a deck is strictly your judgment call. It’s not necessary since it isn’t exposed to the elements.
– Disable lawn sprinklers before starting.
– If you made some slivers or scars from the cleaning, rough sand and then finish sand with your sandpaper.
– Stain your deck at a time of day when deck is in the shade, if possible.
FACTS
Contrary to the beliefs of many builders and even some inexperienced paint store managers or employees, it is NOT advisable to let your new wood go ‘a season or two’ before protecting it. Every reputable stain mfr. that I have ever talked to have all told me you need to protect your wood as soon as possible after construction to prevent the natural oils from drying out. Today’s lumber is usually kiln dried which means that most of the moisture from the wood has been removed. Now then, if you have cut down your trees and made some deck lumber, by all means, let the wood dry out. If you haven’t, get some protection on it now.
Water stain is easier to work with and is usually cheaper. You get what you pay for. Oil stains are more expensive but they are more durable and they provide a nice low sheen which is essential in protecting your wood. I always recommend an oil based stain. It’s just as easy to work with but harder to clean up which is why it’s important to protect the surrounding areas.
Trying to scrimp on cheap products does three things. It gives you a product that is harder to work with. It gives you inferior results. It gives you a job that will last half as long. A typical deck takes about 2 – 3 gallons of stain. Cheap stain costs about $10 – $15 a gallon. Bad stain costs less. Good stain costs about $15 – $20. If you need 2 gallons, that comes to a total of an additional $10 – $20 to do your deck. If you have to do it over in a couple years, something tells me you will wish you had spent the additional $20.
You should never and I mean never use a paint of any kind or a solid stain on a deck. Trust me when I tell you that you are creating more problems than you are solving. Use a semi-transparent stain. Take your pick as to oil base or water base but don’t use a solid stain or paint.
LET’S GET STARTED WITH THE CLEANING
If your deck has a stain or paint on it now, go to step 7 first.
This set of instructions is based on the assumption that you do not have stain or paint on your deck before you begin. You should begin by covering your bushes, shrubs, lawn, etc. with plastic to prevent damaging or killing your vegetation. Most good quality deck washes will not harm wood, cement, siding, etc. but caution never hurts.
1. Whether you are applying the deck cleaner with a brush or a sprayer, it’s usually best to start on the outside of the rails and the deck frame. You shouldn’t pre soak any further than you can clean in about 5 minutes. If your cleaner or stripper dries before you get back to it, it may be necessary to re-wet it. I found that it is easiest to spray a side or section of the deck or rails. While that is soaking, you can walk around to another section or side of the deck and apply deck cleaner to that area. By the time you have applied cleaner to the second area, you may be almost ready to clean the first. If you are scrubbing with a brush it’s nothing more than elbow grease. If you are using a hose sprayer attachment or a power washer, you should always use the green tip. You can use the yellow tip but only if it isn’t coming clean with the green. You need to keep the tip at least 12″ from the surface. Having the tip closer than that can and will damage the wood fibers. You can use the white tip for rinsing the deck. You should NEVER use the red tip on wood. Enough said on the red tip. Be sure to get underneath the rail cap as long as you are doing the outside. It’s easier than doing it from the deck floor. Following these first steps back and forth and developing your own rhythm will do you a good job in no time at all.
2. You are now ready to do the same thing on the inside of the rails. Proceed as in step 1.
3. Apply your deck cleaner to the surface using same method as in step 1. I suggest you start in the corner that us furthest from the steps and apply to an area approximately 6′ x 6′. Move horizontally on the deck to the other corner and apply cleaner. Be sure you have let first part set for
5 minutes before cleaning. Proceed as in step one.
4. Do the deck steps using the same procedure as in step 1.
5. Now that you have the hard part done, you need to do the posts. You should wet the entire post and work from the bottom towards the top. If you work from the top down, you may see undesirable results with streaking. So, wet all the posts. Then, start the first post keeping your wand (if using a power washer or hose sprayer) about 12″ away and work from the bottom to the top going slow enough so you do a good job but fast enough so you don’t have the tip pointed in one place too long which may damage the wood fibers. Practice on some scrap or an inconspicuous spot.
6. It is imperative that you now rinse your deck thoroughly to get rid of all the crud you created with the cleaning. Look close. You will see what I mean. Using your hose or power washer (white tip if using power washer) thoroughly rinse the deck, rails, rail cap and steps. Be sure you get in the tight spots. It’s best to rinse the outside of the rails, then the inside of the rails, then the deck floor and finally the steps. When that is done, rinse the outside of the deck frame and finally the posts. It’s important to do this in this order. It does you no good to clean the deck floor and then the outside of the spindles which will blow the crud back on to….you guessed it….the deck floor.
7. If your deck has a stain or paint on it now, you must strip it first. Using the procedures for protecting your shrubs, plants, lawn, etc., take the time to do this. Be especially careful to protect the siding on your house with plastic. Most good quality strippers require that you apply the stripper in one direction. That is to say that you should not apply a paint stripper in the same manner you would paint. Dip your brush into your bucket of stripper (you should be wearing neoprene gloves) and apply it to an area of the deck using the same procedure that you use for applying deck cleaner. Stripper must not be allowed to dry or it will become ineffective. That’s why it’s important to work in small sections. If stripper does dry before you get back to it, simply re-apply more over the top. If you use a hose sprayer to remove the stripper, use it in a sweeping motion going 12″ – 18″ at a time. You want to use a sweeping motion but keep the sprayer tip about 12″ away. To use a pendulum type action gives uneven cleaning. If you use a power washer, try the green tip first. If that works, great. If not, use the yellow tip but be careful. Too close to the wood or too long in one place can raise the wood fibers or scar the wood. Keep the tip at least 12″ away and clean with the same sweeping motion I mentioned earlier.
THIS IS IMPORTANT!
Sometimes deck strippers will cause wood to turn black. Do not become alarmed. If this happens, simply rinse the wood with deck cleaner using the same procedure as outlined in the cleaning steps. Just don’t let the black parts dry. It will be harder to clean.
STAINING
1. OK! The tough part is over. Assuming you still have all the tarps in place, let’s start the staining. If you don’t take the time to apply the plastic or place the tarps as described earlier. At the very least, be sure there are no exposed areas.
2. Test the wood for dryness. 10% – 14% moisture in the wood is acceptable. If you have or have access to a moisture meter, that is best for randomly testing several areas by pushing the meter probe into the wood. If you don’t have a meter, get a glass of water and a tea spoon. Drop a teaspoon of water on the deck floor. If it soaks in virtually immediately, the wood is dry enough for staining. If it just lies there in a bubble, the wood is still too wet for staining. Wait several more hours or until the next day. Do this in several places on deck floor, steps and rail.
3. Whether you are spraying or using a brush, start at the same point you did when you began the cleaning.
A. If brushing, keep a small piece of cardboard handy to place on deck floor between spindles to catch any drips. Those drips will cause dark spots if you don’t catch them in time. You should have one on each side of the spindle and move them as you move down the deck.
B. Using your 2″ brush, get the under side of the rail cap using a “dabbing” manner to get into the corners. Do the outside of the rail spindle and the two sides of the spindle. You can get the opposite side of the spindle from the deck floor.
C. Continue on around the rail including the step rails.
D. From the deck floor, get the top of the rail cap and then the inside of the spindle including the step rail.
E. When doing the deck floor, DO NOT USE the same procedure as cleaning. For color uniformity and to prevent lap marks, start at one side of the deck and stain 3 boards at a time going the entire length of the deck using a back and forth sweeping motion with your brush to ensure the stain is worked into the wood. When you have gone the length of the deck, go back and do three more boards working your way to the steps. Use this same procedure on the step treads. If you are spraying, spray the entire length of the board taking 3 or 4 at a time. You or your partner should then use the soft bristle push broom to work the stain into the wood. This also prevents ‘puddling’ and gets rid of access stain.
F. Proceed to the posts.
G. Look your work over very carefully. If you’ve missed spots, hit them. If you see areas where there is a puddle, you must take your brush or broom and work it out. Too much stain will ‘skin over’ before it has a chance to dry and this will cause a bubble which will pop and your stain will then peel. If that happens, it will have to be sanded and touched up.
That’s it. You’ve stained your deck and, if you followed these steps, it probably wasn’t as tough as you thought it would be. If you used good quality products, you have a beautiful job that will last several years before it needs to be done again. You should now remove the plastic, tarps, paper etc. from the surrounding areas. If after removing the paper and plastic you see you have some spots or overspray on the surroundings, you can clean it with mineral spirits. Do this immediately though. It will be a lot tougher to do tomorrow.
Dispose of all your trash according to your local laws and regulations. Do not store your stains or chemicals in the house. These items may be flammable and the vapors harmful. Take the appropriate steps to prevent accidents.
