How to Stain After Power Washing a Deck

Staining your deck helps keep the wood from rotting, prevents weather damage, and helps maintain its new wood look. You should always sand before painting or staining, but it is particularly important for an area like a deck, especially if you use it frequently. Make sure you have a good weather window, when it's not too damp or so dry and hot that the stain bakes on as soon as you apply it. Let the deck dry after power washing, giving it at least two sunny and warm days before sanding and applying stain.

Things You'll Need

• Work gloves
• Facemask
• Goggles
• Sanding sponges of varying grit
• Electric sander
• Sandpaper
• 4-inch dusting brush
• Dustpan and broom and/or shop vac
• Stain
• Bucket
• Small metal paint buckets
• 3- or 4-inch paintbrush
• 2-inch paintbrush
• Small roller
• Roller screen

Instructions

1. Sand the deck thoroughly. Use sanding sponges (60- to 80-grit) for the dowels and railings, and an electric sander for the deck floor. Make every surface on the deck as smooth as possible. Wear gloves, a facemask and goggles while sanding.

   Sand the deck floor, stair treads, and all flat surfaces with an electric sander. A mouse type sander is best. Change the sanding pads frequently. Use sanding sponges to smooth all the dowels on all sides or all the way around if they are circular. Swift and aggressive strokes work best. Use sanding sponges on any rounded railings. Whatever you can't get with your electric sander, at least give it a few scuffs with the sponge. For hard-to-reach areas, take a small sheet of sandpaper and fold it in three.

2. Remove the dust from the deck. You may need a shop vac, but a 4-inch dusting brush and a broom and a dustpan may be enough.

3. Combine individual cans of stain into one bucket. Stir it all together to ensure an even and consistent coat. If you are working out of one 5-gallon stain bucket, shake it thoroughly before pouring it.

4. Pour some stain into a small metal paint bucket. Use a 2-inch brush to cut in the areas you will not be able to reach with the small, thin roller. Use this brush for any lattice. Depending on the types of dowels your deck has, you may also have to cut in or entirely brush out all the dowels as well. The same goes for railings. Make sure any area you brush out is even and completely covered. Cover the entire outside boards. Cut in one small area at a time and then roll it out before the stain dries. If one area dries before another, darker stains will not cover evenly in certain areas.

   If possible, use only 2- and 4-inch brushes, especially if it's a dark stain and you are dealing with deeply textured wood. If you are in no rush, brushing out an entire deck will typically give you the best results. Use a 4-inch brush to stain the middle surfaces of the deck. Use a 2-inch brush for cutting in and detail work. Police your drips when you see them and brush them out before they can dry.

5. Use the roller for flat surfaces. Pour 3 to 4 inches of stain into a 5-gallon bucket, and put your rolling screen in place. The worst thing you can do with a roller is leave visible lines with every pass. Using a "slim Jim" type roller helps minimize this problem. Make sure the roller cover is evenly coated before applying stain with it. Each time you dip the roller in stain, roll it up and down the screen a few times and let it spray all the excess stain off inside the bucket rather than on your deck. For dowels that have flat surfaces, use a thin roller to coat most of the surface area and touch up later with a brush.

6. Allow the deck at least a day to dry before using it. You can add another coat or two of stain, by sanding lightly between coats.

Tips & Warnings

• Spray areas like extensive lattice work with an inexpensive garden sprayer. Brush these areas out for the best result.

• Always wear a protective mask over your mouth when sanding to prevent particles from getting into your lungs. Depending on the degree of sanding, a set of goggles is also a good idea.