Beginning to Stain a Deck!

Spring weather has finally arrived in Alabama. Of course that means that the rain has picked up as well. But I’ve started to stain the new deck! I selected Harbor Gray from Behr which was actually the absolute lightest color stain without selecting white! Here were my final two choices but Mr. Blu thought the Colony Blue, on the right, was too blue. I mean, is that even possible??? Note: Both of these colors are a bit lighter than they appear. This photo was taken after it had just rained so the colors are more vibrant.

Our deck has full sun all Alabama summer long. So the stain needs to be as light as possible to help keep the deck cool. I selected semi-transparent since you know I am a woods girl and I must see some wood! So we went with Harbor Gray.

Here is a test spot from the sample. This is one coat on dry wood after the stain had dried.

It’s going to rain tomorrow. Actually, we are under a severe weather watch. But that didn’t stop me from getting 2 coats on one section of the deck today! I simply moved all of the furniture (much of it a recent new splurge) to the outside edge of the deck. I decided to stain the area closest to the house first.

Since the deck was new construction last July, I thought I could skip the step where you clean the deck. But there were some spots from heavier traffic (coffee every morning) and the birds also assisted by christening the new area.

So, I hosed off the area and used soapy water to clean especially soiled areas. If your deck is extremely dirty or previously stained or painted, it is recommended that you pressure wash the area.

Of course I am using my Homeright Super Max spray gun. Stain can be applied with a brush, roller, or gun. I opted for the gun, of course, since it’s one of my favorite tools. The gun comes with several spray tips to use depending on the product you are applying. I used the blue tip assembly because it is designed for stain.

I taped and blocked off the edge of the siding and the railings to prevent overspray onto the siding.

I’m using Behr and according to their instructions, you can allow the first coat to dry for 2 hours and apply the second coat. 48 hours is required to cure. So this deck will rest for 2 days. Then I will move the furniture to the stained side and repeat the application to complete the upper deck. Later, we will stain the underside and create a covered patio area.

After applying the stain with the sprayer, I used a paint brush and a long handled brush to even out the stain and ensure smooth and even coverage. This process, on half of the upper deck, took about 3 hours. I applied one coat, allowed that to dry for 2 hours and applied a second coat. I completed one half of the upper deck, the top step landing and half of the upper stairs.

Tomorrow is a severe weather day so I will resume, hopefully on Wednesday with the second half of the upper deck and the outside of the upper deck railings and sides.

Here is the deck so far.

I will post another update once the rest of the upper deck has been completely stained.

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