Deck Stain Sealer Cleaners | Wood Decking Staining Sealing | Concrete

Many homeowners struggle with all of the different stain brands and how to stain their deck properly. Main concerns are an uneven appearance and not having enough time to finish the project. Applying an exterior wood stain actually can be an easy and fast process when you utilize the proper steps.

Please take the time to read these tips:

1. Choose a stain that is correct for your deck. There is not a "best" stain for all scenarios. Certain stains though will work better based on your climate, exposure to UV radiation, and type of wood. Please visit Exterior Wood Stains. On this page you will find a product filter that is very useful in finding the best stain or sealer for your wood. If you still have difficulty choosing please ask us for some help: Exterior Staining Questions
2. Once you have chosen your stain it is important that the deck is properly prepped. Prepping the wood is the most important aspect in the entire process. This will ensure that your stain can properly adhere and penetrate into the wood. Improper preparation typically leads to premature stain failure. The cleaning, brightening and or stain stripping should be done at least 48 hours prior to applying the stain. Read more...

Prepping a wood deck can be fairly easy if you have the proper cleaners. Never pressure wash a deck with just water. This can cause sever damage to the wood. It is okay to use a pressure washer at a low pressure as long as you utilize a deck cleaner. The cleaner will do most of the work making it easier and reducing the chance of any damage to the wood.

How to deck cleaning tips:

1. First decide if you should be using a deck cleaner or a stain stripper. Typically a deck cleaner is used if the wood is new, dirty, oxidized gray, of if a previous stain has faded evenly. A stain stripper should be used if the old stain has failed unevenly or peeled. In addition if you decide to change brands it might be best to use a stain stripper.
2. There are many different brands of deck cleaners. We suggest using the same brand as the wood stain if possible. See here for a full list of Deck Cleaners
3. Remove all furniture off the deck so that it is at least 20 feet away. Read more...

Using a exterior stain stripper is typically needed if the old stain or sealer has failed by peeling, wearing unevenly or when changing brands of stain. A stripper will aid in removing the old stain by softening the bond between the stain and the wood cells. This allows easier removal with a light pressure washing or stiff scrub brush.

The process of using a wood stain stripper is incorrectly considered difficult. In fact it will save a substantial amount of time while reducing the any chance of damage to the deck with a pressure washer.

How to strip a exterior stain:

1. As previously mentioned, a stain stripper should be used if the old coatings has failed unevenly or if changing brands of stain. If not then using a deck cleaner may be sufficient. If unsure please feel free to ask a question here: Deck Stripping Questions
2. Remove all furniture from the area. Wear protective clothing, gloves, and eye wear. Read more...

The use of  a wood deck brightener is needed for two main reasons. The first is that wood brighteners are designed to restore the wood's pH balance to neutral after using a deck cleaner or a stain stripper. The second is that the deck brightener will lighten the wood color making the stain look better and last longer when applied.

Applying a deck brightener is the easiest step in the restoration process and the most fulfilling. The results are almost immediate in that you will be able to see the wood lighten in color right in front of your eyes. Brighteners will improve the durability of the stain as well. Please see picture below:

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Why is my deck stain peeling and how do I prevent this from happening? This a common question and occurrence for many exterior wood deck owners. Homeowners love their wood decks and patios and nothing ruins the outdoor experience more then a ugly looking peeling deck. In this article we will look at the main reasons for deck stains failures, how to fix them, and how to prevent the stains from peeling in the future.

Did Not Prep the Deck Properly:

Improper prepping of the deck is the number one reason that a new decking stain will fail. In general the better a deck stain penetrates into the wood the better it will perform. Here are a few examples of improper prepping. Read more...

Must Read! The Most Complete List of Tips for Wood Deck Cleaning and Staining.

We have been in business since 1993 and have used or sold close to a 1/2 Million gallons of wood stain. These wood and deck cleaning and staining tips have come from hands-on experience. A lot of them learned the hard way . Please read this thoroughly as you are sure to learn a few that will make your deck project a success!

We suggest printing this article and reading it a few times before starting your deck restoration project.

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Wooden decks can be exposed to extremely severe weather conditions. They're also subjected to abrasion and excessive friction from foot traffic. The horizontal surfaces of a deck, particularly the floor and hand rails, get plentiful amounts of sunlight and moisture which causes continuous swelling and shrinking. The constant expanding and contracting can result in splitting, cracking, and splintering. Read more...

Must Read!

These tips will help you stain an average wood deck in 2 hours!

The suggestions below will help you speed up the process of applying a wood stain to a deck. It is best to apply a semi-transparent wood or deck sealer with a pad applicator or by low pressure spraying followed by a pad to ensure an even application.

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Sealing Concrete and Bricks

Sealing concrete and bricks are very easy. Just clean and apply a sealer. Water Repellent Sealers come in many various types and can be specific to the type of substrate that you will be sealing.

1. The use of a pressure washer is suggested when cleaning exterior concrete. Cleaning chemicals are not needed when removing dirt, grime, and vegetation. If you have stains on your concrete then we would suggest using a cleaner that is specific to the type of stain. i.e. Rust remover to clean rust, Oil stain remover to clean oil drips, etc. For interior concrete just use a mop and bucket to clean.
2. Read more...

Restoring Exterior Brick Pavers The steps needed to restore your Brick Pavers are relatively easy. All you need to do is clean, resand if needed, and apply a sealer. Paver Sealers can enhance the natural colors of your brick and come in Matte, Semi-Gloss, and Higher Gloss shine. If a "shiny" appearance is not desired then you can just add a Concrete Water Repellent for Protection only.

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Must Read!

10 Easy Tips to Help You Restore and Seal Your Brick Pavers

1. If need be it is best to level any pavers that may have settled unevenly. Lift the unlevel brick and level the base by adding slag or heavy sand base. Do this prior to any sealing.

2. It there is an excessive amount of weeds and grass growing in the joint sand, it is best to use roundup first. This will kill the root system of the weeds. This reduces the chance for weeds to reoccur. Do this a week prior to pressure washing.

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Note: These Steps will work on Failed Brick Paver, Stamped Concrete, and Decorative Concrete Sealers.

Brick Paver Sealers are different then regular concrete sealers in that they:

• Darken the appearance by giving a "wet" look.
• Can give a gloss appearance that ranges between satin to high gloss.
• Helps solidify joint sand.
• Film on the surface somewhat instead of penetrating completely into the concrete.

Unfortunately Brick Paver and Decorative Concrete Sealers sometimes fail by discoloring and turning milky white or yellow in color. Typically this happens for one of these reasons:

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