Staining or Restaining Your Deck Part 2: Steps for Different Deck Surfaces

- Jim Coshow

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In part 1 of this series, we reviewed things you should consider when staining or restaining a wood deck. If you haven’t read that information yet, we would recommend you take the time to do so before tackling your next staining project. Here is a short list of the topics we covered in that post:

• Why you should consider letting your new decking lumber dry, or season
• How to know if your deck is dry enough to apply stain
• Minimum temperature requirements and required dry times
• Is "mill glaze" fact or fiction? (More on this in Part 3 of this series)
• How often to restain your deck
• General tips for a quality result

Now we want to focus not only on the steps involved when staining or restaining your deck, but also consider the specific methods for some common scenarios in the Pacific Northwest. This article covers three different scenarios:

• New wood with a seasoning period
• New wood without a seasoning period
• Existing, previously finished wood

This article also covers two common types of wood decking:

• Western red cedar
• Hardwood decking

Photo courtesy of Penofin

Cedar Decking Scenarios and Recommendations

Steps for a new cedar deck (with a seasoning period)

• Wait 4-12 months to allow moisture content to reach 15% or less. How long you wait will depend on the time of year the deck surface is installed. If you install in May, clean and stain in August-September, whereas an October installation means cleaning and staining in July-August.
• Clean the deck
• Use a wood brightener if needed (especially if you see any signs of gray)
• Allow the deck to adequately dry
• Apply proper deck coating per the manufacturer’s recommendation
• Clean and repeat the application within 12 months
• After that, you should be able to clean and repeat the application every other year

Steps for a new cedar deck (without a seasoning period)

• Clean the deck
• Use a wood brightener (to help prepare the wood to accept your stain)
• Allow the deck to adequately dry
• Apply proper deck coating per the manufacturer’s recommendation
• Clean and repeat the application within 6-12 months
• After that, you should be able to clean and repeat the application every other year

Steps for an existing, previously finished cedar deck

• Use a wood stripper
• Clean the deck
• Use a wood brightener
• Allow the deck to adequately dry
• Sand the deck as needed, paying careful attention not to sand the heads of your nails or screws
• Apply proper deck coating per the manufacturer’s recommendation
• Clean and repeat the application in 12 months
• After that, you should be able to clean and repeat the application every other year

Photo Courtesy of Penofin

Hardwood Decking Scenarios and Recommendations

Steps for a new hardwood deck (with a seasoning period)

• Wait 4-12 months to allow moisture content to reach 15% or less. How long you wait will depend on the time of year the deck surface is installed. If you install in May, clean and stain in August-September, whereas an October installation means cleaning and staining in July-August.
• Clean the deck
• Use a wood brightener (especially if you see any signs of gray)
• Allow the deck to adequately dry
• Apply proper deck coating per the manufacturer’s recommendation
• Clean and repeat the application annually for the first 3 years
• After that, you should be able to clean and repeat the application every other year

Steps for a new hardwood deck (without a seasoning period)

• Clean the deck
• Use a wood brightener (to help prepare the wood to accept your stain)
• Allow the deck to adequately dry
• Apply proper deck coating per the manufacturer’s recommendation
• Clean and repeat the application within 6-12 months
• Clean and repeat the application annually for the next 2 years
• After that, you should be able to clean and repeat the application every other year

Steps for an existing, previously finished hardwood deck

• Use a wood stripper
• Clean the deck
• Use a wood brightener
• Allow the deck to adequately dry
• Sand the deck as needed, paying careful attention not to sand the heads of your nails or screws
• Apply proper deck coating per the manufacturer’s recommendation
• Clean and repeat the application annually for the first 3 years
• After that, you should be able to clean and repeat the application every other year

We created the chart below to function as a helpful visual resource, reminding all of us of the steps involved when staining or restaining wood decks.

Considering these steps each time you are faced with staining or restaining wood decks in the Pacific Northwest will increase your chances of a quality result. We hope you find this information helpful, and would love to have you send us any before and after photos from your future deck staining projects. Feel free to write me directly at jimc@dunnlumber.com.

We've got even more tips to help you preserve and beautify your deck. Check out Staining or Restaining Your Deck Part 1: Timing and Tips for Best Results and Staining or Restaining Your Deck Part 3: The Myth of Mill Glaze.