How to Stain a Deck

Stain wood when it hasn’t rained for three days and when the forecast calls for at least two days of dry weather (or two and a half days if you need to apply two coats of stain) with temperatures between 50° F and 90° F and low to average humidity. This allows the stain to soak in and dry properly.

But be mindful of sunlight, too. Our experts say that direct sunlight can cause the stain to dry too quickly, before the wood can absorb it. If you’re working on a project that gets direct light, pick a time of day (usually early morning to midmorning or late afternoon) that will give the stain several hours to permeate and dry before the sun hits it directly.

If you’re working on a previously stained deck, fence, or outdoor furniture, you need to remove old stain to ensure a uniform appearance and proper penetration of the new stain.

Start by using a stiff-bristled nylon brush and deck cleaner—sold at home centers and hardware stores—to remove any flaking or peeling stain. For the remaining stain, coat your deck, fence, or furniture with wood stain remover (also called wood stain stripper) and allow it to work for the time specified on the packaging, typically about 20 to 30 minutes. Then use the nylon brush and water to clean away the stripped stain, revealing the bare wood below. Repeat the application for any spots that don’t come clean. Allow the wood to dry for a day before sanding and prepping.

But you may not need to strip the old stain if it’s in good shape and you are planning to apply the same or a compatible product. In that case, you’ll still want to clean the deck using a pressure washer and give it a good scrubbing with a stiff nylon brush, or perhaps a light sanding.

The best brushes and rollers allow for smooth, even layers. So make sure you have:

A synthetic-bristle brush. These brushes work best with water-based stains (the only type we test because they’re easier and safer to use than oil-based stains). Synthetics maintain their integrity, whereas natural bristles can become limp as they absorb the water in the finish.

A short-nap roller. A ¼-inch or shorter nap allows each stain layer to adhere to the wood and prevents pooling. Rollers with a longer nap will apply too much stain at once, making it hard to get even coverage.

These extra steps, taken before you even open the can, will help make your stain go on more easily and help ensure a frustration-free experience and seamless results.

Sand the wood, starting with coarse-grit sandpaper. You can use a belt or orbiting sander, but renting a drum sander may be more effective for very large decks. Smoothing out any blemishes, splinters, or splits will help ensure an even application.

If you’re staining wood made from pressure-treated lumber before 2004, consider hiring a professional to sand the surfaces. That’s because the wood may contain chromated copper arsenate, a chemical that releases toxic arsenic into the air and the surrounding soil.

If your wood deck, fence, or furniture was built from pressure-treated lumber made after 2004, you can sand it yourself, but you should still strap on a respirator or N95 mask to avoid inhaling dust. Start with coarse sandpaper to remove damaged spots, then progress to finer grits to create a smoother surface before staining. Remember to sweep or wipe down the wood surfaces once you’re done. Use a putty knife to clean between deck boards.

Make sure the surfaces are clean. If you have an old, unstained deck or one where the stain has worn off, use a deck cleaner, scrub brush, and pressure washer to clean it at least a day before you plan to apply the stain. Let the wood dry for as long as directed by the instructions on your can of wood stain. For newly built wood structures that don’t require cleaning, wait 6 to 8 weeks after installation for the wood to fully dry before applying stain.

Read the instructions on the can carefully. That will tell you how much coverage you can expect from a single can, and whether you’ll need more at the ready. It will also inform you of the product’s required drying time. This can vary by stain type and manufacturer.

Protect the surroundings. Water any plants and shrubs near the project and cover them with plastic sheeting. It will protect them from overspray or runoff, and watering beforehand will help keep their roots from soaking up any spilled stain.

Protect yourself. “Use a combination of chemical-resistant gloves, aprons, and even a face shield to prevent stain from getting on your skin,” says Bruce Brod, MD, a clinical professor of dermatology at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine.

Evenly applying the stain across all surfaces will prevent water and UV rays from penetrating the wood. To achieve this, apply a thin coat with a brush or roller. Don’t stop in the middle of a board or let puddles form because the excess stain will dry on top of the wood and flake off. (Plus, it will look splotchy.) Stir the stain as you go to keep it well blended.

Decide between a roller and a brush. Rollers are best for large, flat surfaces, such as a flat deck railing or a fence panel. Brushes can help you get into tight spots, such as between deck boards or individual fence pickets, but they also make it easier for the stain to pool in one spot.

Or try back brushing. An ideal balance can be a process called back brushing. That means using both your brush and roller. Start in tough-to-reach spots with a brush, working quickly to ensure even coverage. Then go back over the entire surface with a roller. In addition to helping you avoid pooling, the roller will ensure complete coverage and prevent brush marks.

Some spills are inevitable, but wood stain can be difficult to remove from your hands. “The most important advice is to protect your skin from exposure to stain in the first place,” Brod says. If you do get stain on your hands, he says washing them with soap and water should be the first step, and use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if that’s not enough. Don’t use solvents like turpentine because they’re toxic, flammable, and not intended for skin contact. He also advises against rubbing your hands raw to remove the stain. “Over-washing hands can irritate the skin, leading to a condition called hand dermatitis.”

It can take 1 to 48 hours. That range may seem wide, but fast-drying clear sealants typically take as little as an hour, while some solid stains, which contain a lot of color pigment, can take a day or longer to dry. The stain packaging will usually include three crucial pieces of information.

Time to dry: This is how long the stain takes to dry, after which you can walk on the surface of a deck or sit on a newly stained chair. But note that newly stained surfaces are still vulnerable to damage until the stain is fully cured.

Time to recoat: If you’re applying multiple coats of sealer or stain, this is how long you need to wait between applications.

Time to cure: Even once a stain dries, it may take several days or even weeks to fully cure before providing maximum protection. This is how long you should wait before throwing a party on your recently stained deck, or before dragging grills, a firepit, or heavy furniture across the surface.

CR members can read on for reviews of three of the best wood stains from our tests. Below are top-rated products in all three wood stain categories: solid, semi-transparent, and transparent. For more options, check out our full wood stain ratings.

CR’s engineers apply two coats to pine boards, then place them on the roof of our headquarters in Yonkers, N.Y. They face the boards south and angled down, as on a roof, to intensify the effects of the sun and weather for up to three years.

Because manufacturers periodically reformulate their products, we retest samples regularly to ensure our ratings reflect the most up-to-date information available.

One year of testing tells you how a stain will do after a year on your deck or about three years of weathering on vertical surfaces (siding or fences), as you’ll see in our wood stain ratings.