You are all so going to LAUGH!!!! i almost cryed .. Here is the story: i was SO upset with all the streaks that i decided to spray some Orange Glo ( i do not work for any company that sells Orange Glo) and noticed that where i sprayed it went through the stain so i am was like NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO its getting even worst now---so i took my rag and went to remove the orange glo and what happened--YIPEEEEEEEEEEE it removed the stain --HOWEVER i have blisters in my hands now from doing it but it worked!! so more stains in my future I promissed -specialy the GEL KIND.

Oh, I am so sorry. That happened to me, too, long ago, but we lived with the floor. I always put a lot of newspaper down, but one time I didn't. So thoughtful of you to post this. On a related vein, our 50 year old oven is not self cleaning. And for the 33 years we've been in this house, I've been spraying oven cleaner. BEWARE. I have bad lungs now, and in my heart of hearts, I know (or feel) it was all those years of oven cleaner fumes. In later years, I had the brains to leave the room, but still the fumes were there when I sprayed the oven. If I could smell it so strongly, and it made me cough, I think it was penetrating my lung tissue. I think my throat was affected also. I have a couple of diagnoses, take meds, activities are limited, and see a pulmonologist. I've given it much thought, and oven cleaner always comes up as the culprit. Other cleaning sprays may have contributed, but oven cleaner was so strong and it's such a toxic burn. I should have worn a paper mask. A stupid clean oven was my priority and until the last few years, I was stupidly proud that my old oven still sparkled. Please friends, learn from me. It's your wood floor, can be fixed or replaced, and your lungs, which cannot. So sorry.

I guess I have a contrary opinion on the solid redwood stain. I have a small vacation home in the Brazos Cliffs area of New Mexico. Elevation 7500 feet, 90 inches of snow in an average year, monsoon seasons for two months in the summer and outrageous doses of UV year round. I am just a Walmart/HomeDepot kind of guy. When I bought the property 6 years ago the detached garage/shop had very heavy discoloration of cedar siding below the snow level, was cracking badly and looked on its last legs. I ran a horizontal 1x4 of cedar around the structure just about a foot above snow line and stained with then available 3/5 year Behr semi-transparent cedar above the 1x4 and Behr solid cedar stain below. Currently the solid stain looks as good as when I put it down. The semi-transparent is also in not bad condition except for the new cedar rail I installed on the west-facing side...not bad, and I really like the color pairing of solid and semi-transparent. At the same time we stained the deck and rails with just semi-transparent 3/5 redwood. At year three, the deck was clearly in need of staining, but I put it off until this spring from general laziness. The vertical surfaces at year 5 or 6 were in need of restaining from upclose appearance, but looked fine from the road. The product seemed to me to meet its projected longevity goals as advertised. This spring I decided it was time to stain the house and again used the Behr stains. The house, snow-shedding deck cover columns and beams, and vertical supports of the railing for 800 sf of deck are in semi-transparent redwood 5/8 yr and the deck and horizontal hand rail surfaces are in the solid 10/25 yr redwood stain. I really like the color combination and expect long service from the solid stain. We did the 15-min surface treatment prior to staining, but nothing special beyond that. No bubbling, no stickiness, no problems at all. Yes the solid is a bit orangey, but the combination of semi and solid looks justs as attractive as we found it to be on the garage years before. Obviously color tastes vary, but I think using solid stain in high stress applications can be a great labor savings in the long run. I wouldn't want my whole house in the solid stain color, but with the house freshly stained in semi-transparent, I find the solid stain to provide a classy-looking trim effect on the horiontal features of the deck. In a couple of years I plan to stain the garage redwood too, but there is no rush--the stain is holding up just fine for now.

First, your deck is not ruined so you can rest easier knowing that your project is salvagable. For future reference or for new readers building decks you should always clean and prep your deck before sealing regardless of whether it is sanded ot not. Restore-a-Deck is a two part kit made for this type of prep. Another thing to consider is that using a clear sealer is not your best bet for two reasons.. One is that the wood will turn gray as there is no UV protection or sunblock if you will, in a clear sealer. You need some type of pigmentation to absorb and/or block UV rays. The second caveat of a clear finish is that any discolorations in the wood, especially if not cleaned before sealing will be made that much more noticeable. Never go above 80 grit sandpaper when doing a deck. It will cause more problems with sealer penetration. I use 60 grit all the time and never have any issues. One has to keep in mind this is an outdoor surface. The goal of trying to achieve the finish of an interior hardwood floor is not only extremely difficult it is impossible to maintain. You make certain tradeoffs of beauty for the sake of longevity. I have introduced the Baker's Gray Away line of sealers which is outstanding for softwoods like cedar. It is a conditioning oil that pentrates and keeps the wood from getting damamged by UV rays and water penetration/evaporation cycles. If this were me, and considering the time of year (not sure in which region you are located) I would keep what is on there and redo the projects in the spring. The Restore-a-Deck cleaning kit's step-1 will emulsify that clear coat (as long as it is oil based and not an acrylic water borne) and allow it to be washed away. You would probably need to apply a second coat of the cleaner to penetrate deep into the wood and remove those stains and dirt burried in the wood. You would follow with a step-2 pH balancing agent and your cedar will look fresh built and the pH enviroment will be perfect for applying a penetrating sealer. No matter what product (stain sealer) you go with make sure it is a penetrating oil based product. Hope this helps.