Stain your deck or fence for beauty and protection.
To stain a deck or fence professionally requires persistence and knowledge to get a truly professional look. The key to doing the job well is understanding the material you are working with and applying it correctly. Today you can get stain in any color you want that provides ultimate wood protection and longevity. This article will help you understand specific materials, conditions and techniques that will make staining your deck or fence look like a professional job, without the cost
Instructions
1. Choosing a Stain
Staining a deck or fence is about the look you are trying to achieve, as well as protecting your deck or fence from the elements. If you want a clean painted look, choose a pigmented opaque stain. If you want to preserve the natural look of the wood, choose a sealant or colored penetrating stain.
(See resources for types of wood stains)
1. Determine the color stain you want for your deck or fence by visiting your local hardware stores or the manufacture' s web sites.
2. Buy or request a small sample of the stain to test on a scrap piece of wood, or remote site on your deck or fence, to determine if the color is what you expect. Some stains are much darker when first applied and will lighten over time.
3. Calculate the amount of stain you will need by determining the square footage of your deck or fence.
** Deck -- A raised 12'x 20' deck is 240 sq. ft., however you may have handrail, benches, stairs, skirting and possibly the underside of the deck to cover. A gallon of stain will cover on average about 200-300 sq. ft. depending on how porous the wood is you are covering. With this scenario it is advisable that you get 3-5 gallons..
** Fence-- 140 lineal foot of 6' privacy fence is calculated: 140x6=840 sq. ft. 840x2 (both sides)= 1680sq.ft 1680/250=7.44 or 8 gallons of stain. Since fence pickets are very porous I would recommend 10+ gallons.
*** If using a custom color it's best to order more than you think you need. It's better to have too much stain rather then not enough, and will provide a good color match for the next time you need to stain your deck or fence.
2. The Right Equipment
All the equipment you need will be available at any home improvement or hardware store.
· Use a stain brush, these are larger and have a wider base of bristles then a normal paint brush.
· Use rough surface paint roller covers for staining decks and fences.
· Wear light colored long sleeve work clothes to protect your skin.
· Wear a hat or scarf to protect your hair.
· Use a light layer of Vaseline to cover any exposed skin on your face or neck to make cleaning up easier.
· Wear light weight cotton gloves to protect your hands.
· Wear safety glasses for vertical surfaces or when working overhead to protect your eyes.
· Drink plenty of hydrating liquids.
3. Wood Preparation.
When staining or re-staining a deck or fence you will need to prepare the wood prior to staining.
· If the deck or fence is new the only preparation you will need is to let the wood dry well before applying any stain, and a good sweeping to clear debris.
· Green treated pine requires at least 6 months to cure and leach all the moisture and chemicals out of the wood that may interfere with the bonding process and penetration of the stain.
· Cedar, Redwood, Bamboo, or IPE require less time to cure because the moisture is natural and will evaporate quickly. If the wood is very moist, check with your builder, allow at least 6 weeks to dry.
· If you have an older unstained deck or fence and want to give it new life with stain, it's best to pressure wash it prior to staining to remove built up soil and debris. This also helps open the pores of the wood for deeper stain penetration. To do this correctly review the article on "professionally pressure wash your deck clean" (see resource section.)
· If you have a previously stained deck you will also need to remove the stain by pressure washing. I also recommend you use a chemical to reopen the pores that may be closed due to the type of stain on it currently. (See resources below for a listing of recommended products and procedures.) Some film forming stains will not remove completely, so it's best to reuse the same stain and color or a darker color to hide the residual stain.
· Replace any broken or failed wood. Reset or replace any nails or screws that have failed prior to staining your deck or fence.
· Use paper or plastic sheets to protect your house or plants
4. Application
When applying any stain to your deck or fence read the manufactures instructions carefully. Each stain has conditions that can cause failure, the manufacture has listed these conditions in their instructions. Some of these conditions will be:
· Temperature - do not stain if the temperature is below 52°F.
· Rain - allow for a 48 hour window prior to, or after staining to protect the bonding process.
· Traffic - allow for drying time.
· Mixing - Pigment (opaque) stains - are like paint once mixed, stay mixed, and will allow for an even color from start to finish. Dye based stains (semi-transparent) will require mixing during the process to maintain an even color throughout the process.
The best application style for staining a deck or fence is with a stain brush and roller.
** I never recommend spray application, the coverage is never complete or consistent. Keeping dye based stains mixed well in the container is problematic. Pigment based stains will often clog the nozzle, so you spend more time cleaning it, when you could be staining your project.
5. Stain your Deck
1. Mix your stain according to the manufactures instructions.
2. Utilized smaller containers for applying the stain, this will protect your primary container from debris contamination. This way the stain will be mixed correctly and the color will stay consistent.
3. Roll the stain on with a rough surface pad for faster coverage, then brush the crevices and drips for a clean complete job. It is best to do 2 or 3 deck planks at a time from end to end. This makes it easier to remember where you need to brush the spaces between the planks and allows you to reach them with a brush.
4. When staining a deck start top down, handrails, benches, planters, overhangs anything that rises above the deck surface.
5. Next work from the inner most corner of the deck and work your way off the deck. If you have a raised deck work your way to the exit, a door or stairway. On a raised deck you will want to do the underside last.
6. Finally, stain the skirting, this keeps the brush clean from debris you may pick up when working near soil.
7. Clean all your tools with the appropriate cleaners to keep them ready for the next project.
8. Leave any empty cans open to the air to dry completely before disposing of them. Lay all the rags and rollers out on a sheet of plastic or paper to fully dry before disposing of them. This will prevent fire hazards that may be caused by certain stains.
9. Wash work clothes separately from others to prevent damage to them. Throw away any items that you will not use again in the same manner as the rags.
10. Clean any stain off of your hands, hair and body immediately.
11. After the stain on the deck has dried replace all of your furniture and decorative items
6. Stain your Fence
1. When staining a fence, start top down, one section at a time. Use paper bags or cardboard under the fence to protect your brush from picking up soil at the base. Move the paper with you as you go, this will keep your plants from harm of heavy sheets of paper or plastic and you the hassle of the large sheets to manage.
2. Stain the outside first with a roller and brush, so that any runs of stain are located on the inside of the fence. On the inside use only a brush for better control of the stain running to the now finish front.
** If you have a partner to help you, they can work on the inside of the fence section as you work on the outside so you both can catch any runs before they dry.
3. Work on one section at a time, this gives you the ability to stop mid job and re- mix the stain or end the job for the day.
4. After the stain on the fence has dried replace all of your
decorative items.
*** Follow disposal steps listed in step 5 numbers 7-10
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