Expert Reveals The Best Deck Stain in 2023! Don’t Get Ripped Off
If you really want to know what the best deck stain is in 2023…
If you want to get the stain that will look the best, last the longest and never peel or fade…
Then you need to read this guide before you waste your money buying a stain that is all hype and lies…
Let me explain..
I get asked all the time “What is the best deck stain?”
“I read that this ultra expensive deck stain is twice the price but will last 10 years longer than any other, is it true??”…
I come across so many frustrated homeowners who used a stain and after 9 months, it started to fade and wear off…
So now of course, they think that whichever deck stain they used is the worst product going around…
I have to be completely honest with you…
I’ve used a tonne of different deck stain brands and I’ve sanded and stripped off some of the highest quality and most expensive deck stains on the market…
And the one thing that I can truly say when it comes to choosing the best deck stain…
There’s NO best deck stain…
There is no magic deck stain that will last you for the next ten years, where you will never have to clean it or recoat it…
It doesn’t exist…
I’ve seen cheap stains wear off after only 6 months…
And I’ve seen the most expensive, highly rated deck stain fade within 3 months…
I know this because I’m the one who gets called in to fix the deck after the homeowner has paid thousands for a deck restoration that only lasted 6 months…
I think it’s really important that you understand this…
Most of the reviews on the internet for the best deck stain are biassed…
They get paid to recommend the deck stain…
So they recommend a stain based on the company who pays the biggest commission…
Now, I don’t see anything wrong with getting paid to refer customers to a product as long as they actually use the product and then rate it honestly…
So take those ratings with a level of caution…
Now with all of that said, I’m going to list out how to find the best deck stain for you…
How to Choose The Best Deck Stain For You…
There are four things you need to consider when choosing a deck stain…
This is what I look at…
- What does the stain look like on your deck?
- Can you get sample pots?
- Can you easily get more of the deck stain?
- Does it fit into your budget?
The answer to these four questions will lead you to the right stain for you…
Let me explain why…
1. What does the stain look like on your deck?
I can tell you to get a certain stain because it’s the best but then you give your deck 2 coats and you absolutely hate the colour…
Here’s what I suggest you do…
Choose 2 different brands of deck stain and look at their colour charts…
Choose 1 or 2 different colours that you think will look good on your deck and buy the sample pots of these colours..
Then choose a small section of deck and apply the stains in a sample section to see what the colour will actually look like on your deck…
You see, the finished colour will be affected by the type of timber you have and every specific batch will have a slightly different colour…
So when you apply the stain, it will look different to the colour chart…
The only way to choose the right deck stain for you is to apply 2 coats in a small sample spot to your deck and then choose the one you like the most…
This leads nicely into our next topic…
2. Can you get sample pots?
When choosing a deck stain, you really need to test the colour on your deck before you commit to buying it…
The last thing you want to do is buy a tin of stain for $50 to $600 just to test the colour…
So if you purchase deck stain online, see if you can get some samples sent out to you…
Or if you buy it from a hardware store, they should have different size tins including a tiny sample pot for around $12…
The right deck stain for you will have samples of each colour you want to test so you don’t blow your budget or get stuck with an ugly deck stain…
3. Can you easily get more of the deck stain?
This is pretty important when choosing a deck stain…
Once you stain your deck, you’ll need to maintain the deck by re-staining every year…
Here’s the thing…
You have to apply the exact same product for the re-coats or the stain could potentially peel off…
It’s no good if you get a good deal on a certain deck stain because that company is closing down…
When you need to re-coat your deck, you’ll have to strip it back and start again…
Each brand of deck stain has a different formula so there’s no certainty that appling one stain onto another will be compatible…
That’s why you need to choose a stain that you know you can get more of…
4. Does it fit into your budget?
Most people think that higher price means higher quality, and to be honest, most times it does…
But when it comes to deck stain, higher quality still WON’T last forever…
It may not even last 2 years…
The way I look at deck stain is to make sure you’re happy with the colour and happy with the price because either way, that deck stain will eventually need to be stripped off and done again…
There’s no getting around it…
A more expensive deck stain could possibly last longer but in my experience, you might get a couple of extra months…
I think it’s more about how it looks on your deck, rather than how long it lasts…
How long your deck stain lasts has more to do with the abuse it copes everyday rather than the quality of the stain…
Nobody can control the weather that will pound it every day…
Or the kids and animals that will scratch it day in, day out…
These are the things that control how long your deck stain will last…
So my recommendation is to make sure you buy the highest quality deck stain that you can afford…
But don’t think the expensive stains will last for 10 years and save you money in the long run…
Ok, now let’s look at some of the deck stain that I recommend…
The 3 Best Deck Stains From the Ones That I’ve Used…
These are the 3 best from the stains that I’ve personally used…
1. Intergrain Deck Stain
This is that standard deck stain that I use whenever I quote a decking job…
Intergrain is in the middle of the price range so it gives a great balance between quality and price…
They’re not the cheapest but they are also not the most expensive…
These guys are owned by Dulux who also own Cabot’s…
You can think of Cabot’s as the entry level product and Intergrain as their higher end product…
Now one of the main reasons I like Intergrain Deck stain is because I can always get my hand on it…
It’s sold in Bunnings and it’s always in stock…
I don’t have to wait 4 days for it to be delivered to me…
And if you remember, that’s one of the important factors to choosing a deck stain…
You can also get a sample pot for $15 in any colour on their colour chart…
This makes it really easy to test the colours on your decking so you know exactly how it will look before you commit to staining your whole deck…
It’s such a tiny investment to make sure you’re happy with your deck colour…
What I also love about the Intergrain water based stain is that it’s water based which makes it so easy to wash up…
And of course, the wait time between coats is only 2 to 4 hours for this one…
And check this out…
This is 2 coats of a Charcoal stain from none other than Intergrain…
You would not believe how many people call me after they see this deck on my website and say they want their deck to look exactly like this one…
That’s why Intergrain is one of my favourites…
2. H2 Oil Timber…
Here’s what I really love about H2Oil Timber …
Choosing the right colour for your deck can be one of the hardest decisions you’ll ever make…
Right up there with, should we have kids…
Well, some clients make it that difficult…
Anyway, whenever I’ve used H2Oil, I’ll call the sales rep on the phone and he sends out 4 free sample pots of stain so we can test the colour and find the right one before committing to anything…
Now, I can’t guarantee that they’ll always send out free sample pots, but the fact that they have sample pots that you can order online and have them sent to you within 2 days is amazing…
I had this one client who couldn’t choose a colour after testing 6 different stains…
The sales guy from H2Oil made some colour recommendations and sent out 4 free sample pots…
2 days later, we had the sample colours on the client’s deck and he went with the natural colour…
Testing the colours before you commit to a stain is really important…
If we couldn’t get sample pots to make sure the client was happy with the colour, I’m 100% sure this $8,000 deck restoration would have left the client regretting his purchase…
The guys at H2Oil made this really simple and the finished product was perfect…
3. Haymes Dexpress…
Haymes Dexpress is another deck stain that I highly recommend…
I’ve used this deck stain for just over 5 years and the results have been amazing…
We applied 3 coats to achieve this for one of my clients…
This deck is one that cops a lot of abuse as it’s up on a hill, right opposite the beach…
So we have to clean and recoat every 8 months…
It’ll start to fade slightly and then come back to life with a fresh coat…
Now you might be thinking that 8 months isn’t a long time for a deck coating to last…
Well, the deck company before me used a deck oil that only lasted 3 months…
Yep, this client paid a company for a full deck restoration, it lasted 3 months, then paid me to strip it off and do it again…
So whatever product they used only lasted 3 months…
So for this reason, I rate the Haymes Dexpress as one of the best…
Other Deck Stain That’s Worth a Mention…
So you’ve just been introduced to 3 of my selections for the best deck stain but I know there’s a million other brands out there that are just as good…
So here’s some other deck stains that I’ve either used in the past for different situations or that come highly rated by others…
So without further adieu, here’s some more deck stains you should try out…
The Best Deck Stain for Applying to a Damp Deck…
1. Flood Spa-N-Deck…
Spa-N-Deck is a deck stain that I’ve also personally used on a client’s deck…
The unique thing with this deck stain is that they actually recommend applying the first coat of stain to a damp deck …
So that’s exactly what I did…
And I have to be honest, it came out looking pretty good…
Unfortunately, I don’t have photos for this one because I did it about 9 years ago and couldn’t find amongst the thousands and thousands of before and after pictures that I have stored on my hard drive…
I have to say, it was quite strange applying a deck stain to a damp deck. It goes against everything I know about staining a deck…
Anyway, it did look pretty good when it was finished but I don’t know if staining a damp deck affects how long the stain will last…
We did this deck so the owner could sell their home so we never had the opportunity to do the maintenance on it and see how long it lasted…
But as far as choosing a stain to apply when your deck is wet, this is the only stain I’ve had direct experience with so it’s the first one that I would recommend…
2. Restore-A-Deck…
Now Restore-A-Deck is one that I have not personally used…
The reason I list it here is because it is one of the only other stains that I’ve come across that will allow you to apply it when your deck is wet…
And it has a tonne of great reviews online and from other deck restoration companies…
So, while I can’t personally recommend this stain, it is definitely worth looking at…
One of the benefits to being able to stain a damp deck is that it can make the staining process quicker …
Best Cheap Deck Stain…
When it comes to buying a cheaper deck stain, it’s hard to go past Cabot’s deck stain …
I’ve used Cabot’s on quite a few decks over the years and to be honest, it does a pretty good job…
The thing you must remember when purchasing cheaper deck stain is that there will be a tonne of bad reviews…
And your neighbour across the road has probably used Cabot’s and their deck and now they tell you it’s the worst…
Well, I have hundreds of stories about homeowners using the most expensive deck stain and now they say that it is also the worst…
The truth is, all deck stain, cheap or expensive, will eventually fade and wear off…
The thing that determines how long it lasts will be how well you look after it and maintain it…
So if you try a Cabot’s stain and you really like the way it looks on your deck…
And you really love how it fits into your budget, then Cabot’s deck stain is the right choice for you…
I really like Cabots for the range of colours they have…
So whenever I have a treated pine deck and the owner wants to change the colour of the natural timber, Cabot’s is a great option…
Things to Remember When Choosing a Deck Stain…
The first thing to remember is that there really is no best deck stain…
I can say Intergrain is the best but then you coat your deck and you can’t stand the yellow tinge…
Now you have to look at this yellow tinged deck every day…
So the best deck stain for you is one that looks good when applied to your species of timber…
That’s why you need to get sample pots and test them first…
Secondly, you want to make sure that you can easily get more deck stain if you need it…
That’s pretty important because you can’t apply a different deck stain onto your current stain…
You’ll have to strip it off and start again…
When you break it down, the best deck stain is the one that looks the best on your deck and also fits into your budget…
I could go on and on about this, but I’ll leave it right here…
I hope the tips I’ve provided in this guide will help you to choose the deck stain that is right for you…
And remember…
The key to a stain that lasts is the maintenance…
It’s the yearly clean and recoat…
It’s monitoring how your deck looks throughout the year and applying another coat of stain before the damage goes too far…
That’s the key…
And when you coat your deck, you really need to know how to stain a deck properly …
So make sure you go through my guide…
I lay it all out for you, step by step…
There’s a whole technique to this deck staining thing…
And don’t forget to pressure wash it before you stain …
Anyway, now it’s in your hands…
Best of luck choosing a stain and getting your deck coated…
Peace,
Jason…
Originally published at https://deckrestorationco.com.au on May 16, 2023.
