- Deck Striper if previously stained
- Oxalic Acid Bath & Scrub (I avoid power washing redwood)
- Three days drying
- One layer of stain only & wipe of excess stain before it dries
Process below. New wood still needs an acid bath to remove the dirt and open up the pores of the wood. Stains penetrate, they are not meant to dry on the surface.
Lastly, I’ll give recommendations about maintaining your deck. If your building a new deck I explain my dislike of the popular 2 x 2 vertical railing seen in the pics that follow and give alternatives.
New Deck Cleaned with Oxalic Acid. Notice how bleached out the heart redwood looks.
Ahh finished!
How long will the deck look good? The answer is not as satisfying as we would like, it depends on exposure to the elements and use. Probably the deck will look good 2-3 years. It is a lot of money to stain a deck and need to do it again in less than 5 years but until we get a better products, I think this estimate is normal. The directions are on the deck.
Tips
- Wash your deck with Murphy oil soap and a deck brush. Just like a car in the driveway, decks accumulate dirt. That dirt holds moisture and encourages mold, moss and even algae to grow.
- Keep spaces between boards clean. If you live under trees or have pets, you get junk stuck in the cracks of your deck. Remove it before the rains or pay the price in rotten wood.
- Flower pots make stains and, when set directly on a deck, they encourage rot. The solution is little feet or rollers.
- Barbecues make ugly stains. Once oil touches wood, the stain will be there forever. If your going to barbecue, have something below the unit to catch grease.
- Don’t leave anything on the wood that will stop water from evaporating like a dogs bed.
Rails
I dislike 2 x 2 vertical rails because they are hard to clean, hard to stain. Rails are the most expensive part of staining a deck because every little corner consumes time.
Alternatives to 2 x 2 rails.
Horizontal 2 x 6 sometimes mixed with 2 x 4
Horizontal cables
Glass mounted on wood or steel
