Staining Center
In order to get the most from your stain and wood, it’s important to stick to a regular maintenance schedule. Keeping up with ongoing checks, cleaning and retouches will help protect your wood and give your deck a longer life.
Regular Checks & Cleaning
Maintain Your StainBelow are a few quick tips to ensure long lasting beauty.
- Keep it clear – Sweep your deck regularly of leaves, snow, and debris.
- Keep it clean – Hose your deck at least 1-2 times per year and use a brush if needed. You don’t need to pressure clean the surface.
- Keep substrate clear and cut away from your deck. This includes brushes, trees and vines.
Inspect for wear and tear, especially along the top rails and in high-traffic sections of your deck. Specifically, you should be looking for the following:
- Soft spots
- Holes
- Cracks in the boards
- Loose fasteners and boards
- Fungus/Dry Rot
- Discoloration
Life Expectancy
Stain life depends on several factors including amount of sun exposure, wear, surface prep, wood condition and application technique. Proper maintenance will keep a finish looking better longer. You will also want to inspect the surface every 2-3 years for decks and 7-10 years for siding and fences to determine if the wood needs to be recoated.
The following ranges are guidelines. In general, the more opaque a stain, the more protection it offers, but the less of the wood’s character comes through.
Things to consider: Type of wood stained, which finish and color used on the wood, and how the wood was previously cared for.
| STAIN TYPE | DECK | SIDING & FENCES | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLEAR | 6 months — 1 year | 1 – 2 years | ||
| TONER | 1 – 3 years | 2 – 5 years | ||
| SEMI- TRANSPARENT |
2 – 6 years | 4 – 7 years | ||
| SEMI-SOLID | 3 – 8 years | 5 – 10 years | ||
| SOLID | 3 – 10 years | 7 – 25 years |