Father's Day is right around the corner and Hubby made mention about staining our deck and buying a tent/gazebo thing to put up for shade. Some may know my hubby works out of town 5 days a week. Well this week he is doing a 10 day stretch, which means he left Monday and wont be back till next week on Wednesday. So I am down to a week now to get this project done if I am going to do it. They are calling for pop up storms, which is common here so I am worried that if I start and then a storm pops up it would ruin the stain... and I would never hear the end of it from hubby. This project has to turn out perfect....
Has anyone else done this on their own. Any tips to give me?
Thanks!
I need to stain my deck too. I bought a roller with a long handle from Menards and am wondering if I have to do the edges with a smaller brush or if it will get right up to the house without touching it. Anyone know?
Yes - my tips:
1. Do not try to do this while you're watching your kids. You need uninterrupted time.
2. Fully clean and power wash the deck first. It's like painting - the better your prep work, the better the stain will look.
3. Plan to clean and power wash one day (can be done with kids around because you can stop and start)
4. Then stain the next day. Don't worry about stain sprayers unless you have a huge huge huge deck. Just use a roller.
5. Plan on some Advil or a nice glass of wine afterwards because your back will hurt.
6. Oh - and if there might be storms, do this in the early AM when they're less likely.
good luck!
Too funny.....because that is what I am supposed to be doing right now, but instead I am on the computer. Anyways, I have stained a deck plenty of times. Is your deck already stained? If so, you will need to remove it with a stain stripper. You can get it at Home Depot or Lowes or any other home improvement store. Once you have the stain completely off or if you never had stain on there, you should use a pressure washer or high pressure hose to clean the deck. Then it will be ready for stain. I prefer oil based stain, it doesn't flake off as it ages, instead it penetrates the wood. Good luck!
I'm planning to do it again this weekend (without kids). You'll need enough time without rain so that the stain dries all the way. Sweep and hose off as much debris as possible before you start. Make sure you get a deck cleaner/wash and really spray (with a sprayer, can be cheap) it on well. Let it dry totally, then you can stain. I know you can use a stain sprayer to spray on the stain, but you have to get it even and account for wind and things. After using a sprayer on the deck wash, I decided not to even try it with the stain.
I used a roller and brush to apply it. They have special deck brushes and rollers. It wasn't hard, just hard on the back. It didn't take too long to dry either, but that will depend on the levels of humidity and sun. Takes a few hours depending on the size of the deck, but it looks great afterwards! Good luck!
Yep, I did mine a few years back. Make sure you allow yourself enough time to get it done b/c you will need probably around 4 days. I did 3 (but we wanted ours dark) coats of stain and then 1 coat of clear stain over the top for a glossy 'protection' finish, this part is VERY important, IMO.
Krista P. below me is correct in that you need to start in a spot that allows you to back out and be done, like mopping your kitchen floor so you don't walk on any of it.
Try to be careful about your brush strokes (depending on stain color) so you do not see any of your actual strokes. Be quick but efficient!
Also, make sure you buy extra of the same color that way you have it on hand for the coming months/years just in case you need to do a touch up, that way you will have your correct color.
Just like painting, make sure you start with a clean, well sanded and swept area. Put on your painting/scrubby clothes on and go to town!
It's kinda fun actually and really pretty easy!
~How big is your deck? Maybe you could buy or borrow a big tarp to fasten over the top of your rails just in case it does start to rain? Our deck isn't that big so I used a roller and a brush.
Clean the deck well before you start. We use a pad that goes on the end of a long pole to put on the stain so we are standing up doing it - it goes faster and is easier on your back. And alway push the pad/roller you use in the same direction as the boards and the grain of the wood. If you do it in sections, and always finish on the edge of a board (not with 1 board halfway done) then I think you could stop in the middle. But I think you'd need at least 2 hours between when you stopped and rain, or it might mess up the stain (no experience with that, it's just my hunch).
I did ours (about a 10 x 12 ft space, plus built in seating around the outside edge) about 9 years ago, and touched it up about 7 years ago -- just before we sold that house.
I don't have much to add to what the other ladies already said. They gave great advice. But, yes, it is something that YOU can do! :) We mommas are pretty handy, aren't we?
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Yes, I stained the deck in our condo. It really wasn't hard, but you have to get each coat done in one shot. So... get a sitter so you can just work and not worry about who-needs-what. Remember to start from the furthest point and "stain" yourself into the house. Allow enough time to dry between coats (if you are doing more than one) and don't pick a windy day!
Yep!
Go to this old house's website and it has step by step instructions AND video tutorials!!!
Cost about $100 (pressure washing -rented-, cleaner, brightener, sanding, and stain).
It takes about 4 days of weather over 70 to complete (you need to let the deck dry *completely* after washing & prep before staining).
Tedious, but easy.
I have stained my front and back porches twice and they have turned out very well, although not perfect, perfection may be an unrealistic goal. Here are a few things I've learned: I did not sand my porches, too much work. I borrowed a power washer from a friend (you can rent one from a harware store) and power washed my porches thouroughly, be careful with the power washer, you can hurt yourself or others or break things if you are not careful, it is POWERFUL! Let the deck dry completely before you stain it. I bought stain from Lowes, I can't recall the brand, but it was really good. Ask at Lowes what they reccomend. You can pick your color adn they will mix it up for you just like wiht paint. You want an oil based stain, NOT latex based for outdoors. While you are there buy a bottle of mineral spirits to clean up drips, I have learned the hard way that if you let the stain dry on vinal siding it will not come off, but if you wipe it off with a rag soaked in mineral spirits while it is still wet it comes off well. Buy a couple of paintbrushes with wide, natural bristles to apply the stain with. Put on your "painting clothes" and go to it! I always do the railings and trim first, leave the planks for last and make sure not to paint yourself into a corner, LOL! Try to make all your brush strokes go the same direction, but don't worry too much about it, it's not like anyone is going to inspect the deck on hands and knees! The last time I stained my front porch we had a freak spring snowstorm just an hour after I finished, I thought for sure it was ruined but it looks OK, it may have shortened the life of the stain, but what can you do? Best of luck to you!
