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Porches & Decks

Steps needed to apply solid stain over semi-transparent

14 years ago

Last year, I put some Behr semi-transparent stain on my deck. It has failed miserably. Instead of trying to strip everything off, I am planning to apply some solid Benjamin Moore deck stain on top.

The horizontal surfaces of my deck are not beading up, but some of the vertical surfaces are beading up. Can I apply the BM stain on top of the existing surfaces without stripping it all off - including the beading areas? Both products are water-based.

Also, we are considering painting the floor boards a different color from the railings. Is there anyone else who has done this but hasn't painted their railings white? We were thinking of a darker brownish color for the railings and lighter, more beige for the floor. I can't seem to find any pictures of decks stained this way (other than white railings, which we don't want). Any examples?

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Comments (3)

adam99
Original Author
14 years ago
So no one has any experience with this?

Guess I'll give it a go and hope for the best.
nerdyshopper
14 years ago
I was looking for deck stain products and because of recommendations in this forum, I went to the Cabot stain site and looked for the best stain for my deck. I chose a semi-solid stain but I also looked at their solid stain. I believe the tech sheet said you didn't need to remove the old finish for that. You can Google Cabot deck stain to get to their site and check out for yourself.
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Hi WB, If you've had dry weather, 3 or 4 days is OK, then use the sander. * You want all wood fibers to "shear off" nicely. If they're still damp, they may "tear" more...compared to a cleaner cut. * Important point: Get all the dust you can from where you sanded!! Sweeping/Shop-vac/light wipe with paint thinner. * Then, stain away! Deck Stains...hmmm...now THERE'S a "hot topic" here! * I can only speak of what we have good experience with at our store here in Fargo, ND... * Our climate here can range from -30 to 100+, with ALL kinds of humidity. It's a wonder anything holds on a deck! (our rough streets take a beating too!) ....That said.... * The "clear", "natural" colors from Penofin & Sikkens are our best sellers. * PENOFIN: Cedar, Western Red Cedar, & Transparent Redwood are by far the 3 top colors here. TWO-COAT process normally on untreated wood. 2nd coat goes pretty quickly. * SIKKENS: JEEZ we go through a lot of this stuff! SRD is appropriate for 95% of decks. ONE COAT on untreated wood. >>>> Most popular SRD colors... 077 Cedar, 078 Natural, 005 Natural Light, Mahogany, & 089 Redwood. * I've got an 11 yr.-old Redwood deck. I'm real happy with the SRD 089 Redwood I've got on it. I've had 2 yrs. off, but have to do it again this fall. * We don't get any shade on ours; but, up here, that's about all we can realistically expect. Let us know how it goes for ya! Faron
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aidan_m
14 years ago
"Both products are water-based."

That is the essence of your problem. If you are determined to use a water base product don't waste time stripping off the old Behr junk. It will not improve the performance of the new product. Sand off the loose stuff, give the deck a good cleaning and rinse. If the new product is better than the Behr, you will be stripping it off in a year or two after it fails. Make sure you understand that water base stain is really just paint. It forms a film on the surface (regardless of what the label claims it "penetrates into the wood" total baloney) same as paint.

"Also, we are considering painting the floor boards a different color from the railings."

So it sounds like you already understand the water base product is paint. Why not get actual paint? I am sure the BM paint store has some paints designed for exterior wood high traffic areas. I would choose an earthy, neutral color for the deck boards to blend in with the outdoors, and match the railings to the color of the house/trim. I think you will get way better performance with a high quality exterior paint designed for use on porches and decks.

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