Deck stain sound off

[Ben H]

I'm fixin' to stain my 2 year old deck this spring and want some feedback on what to use. I don't care about cost, just quality.

I've inly stained a handfull of decks, normally using Cabot, but is there something better?

Also, to pressure wash first or not?

[Jim Morrison]

What kind of wood(s) is your deck made from?

[Ben H]

Oh, yeah duh.... ACQ PT Pine.

[mgbinspect]

I can't imagine not pressure washing first, simply to get the surface as clean as possible to receive whatever you plan to apply without sealing crap into the surface. And, of course, I would imagine it best for that surface to be bone dry when applied so it will penetrate well. As far as woods and compatibility, I yield to someone more knowledgeable.

[Jim Morrison]

Ditto that.

[Bill Kibbel]

A nice thick coating of algae has worked very well on mine.

[Mark P]

I read that if you paint your rocks with butter milk you'll get a nice moss growth.

[mgbinspect]

A nice thick coating of algae has worked very well on mine.

[:-thumbu] Mine too... "The cobblers children have no shoes..."

[Mike Lamb]

Whatever you choose, don't use water base no matter what the warranty says. I have used oil based Behr on a pressure treated porch recently and after 1 plus years it looks OK. Consumer reports rates this stuff. Maybe you can get a recent copy from the library. Stick with oil base.

[Rocon]

I have used Cuprinol on a deck in Salt Lake City, It worked well for four years while I lived at the house and still looked good when I sold it. so 90 - 100 degree temperature swing during the year and snow sitting on it for weeks at a time during the winter. Cabbots also works well.

[Ben H]

I've used Cabbots a few times in the past with fairly good results, just curious if anyone had another brand they swore by.

[Rob Amaral]

I've used Cabot's for 20 years... do so every 3 years ... works great.

[Tom Raymond]

If you plan on pressure washing first, I would suggest paint rather than stain. That way you can spackle the scars from the pressure washer.

Hmm, you need a license to cut hair but they'll let any idiot run a pressure washer...

Tom