Deck Stain Peeling

[snagger]

I built a new home and it was completed in Nov. of 2012. It has a cedar deck. Last August (2013) I stained the deck. It had been extremely dry and the wood was clean. I did not power wash the deck or use a deck wash because it was basically new wood. I used Cabot semi-transparent stain. Now that the snow is finally melting off I can see lots of spots where the stain has peeled off. Mostly it's in areas where water dripped on it or where we were walking. But there are a few random spots where it's coming off. I don't believe it should be doing this. I'm going to have to redo most of the flat surface. Any advice? I'm wondering if I could contact Cabot and have a rep look at it?

[crothmeier]

Typically when stain peels off the product was put on excessively and left to pool, or dry on the surface and didn't soak in. I've also see where someone stained treated lumber too soon, the lumber being too wet not allowing the stain to soak in. Is it peeling off where it was applied over an existing stain or paint being that you didn't prep it first?

[Pat K]

You need to use the deck cleaner to remove mill glazing from new decking before you stain it. The heat from the mill planing & sanding the decking hardens some of the natural resins in the wood. Deck cleaners with oxycilic (sp?) acid removes the glazing so the stain can penetrate. The directions on the cans of Cabot & Behr that I have both instruct you to use a deck cleaner before the 1st staining.

[mwal]

I agree the surface wasn't prepped correctly or it was not actually a true stain. Stain is absorbed into the grain of the wood and does not coat like a paint. If anything was on the wood previous poster mentioned it did not penetrate and dried and will now peel off as it does not have adhesion properties of paint. It would be best to consult the manufacturer of the stain on how to proceed in removing those spots. We went through this at our cabin as my sister replaced old boards with green treated then proceeded to power wash and scrub then only wait a few hours then re paint the whole deck. Everyone told her you cannot paint fresh green treated wood as it is soaking wet plus she didn't wait for the old wood to dry but wanted it done in one trip to the cabin. Now looks horrible and she thinks the paint is dump and she was ripped off. I laugh because the guy at the paint store said not to paint green treated according to my brother in law. He just laughs.

Mwal

[nofishfisherman]

My deck is also peeling although its an old deck that was given a new coat of stain. My father in law tried to be helpful and stain the deck for me while he was visiting but within a couple months it was peeling.

I'm not exactly sure what prep work he did since I wasn't around when he did the work but I can only assume he didn't do much if anything to prep the deck.

[snagger]

Well, the deck continues to peel and i have a feeling some of the replies to this post are correct. Even though it was a "new" deck I should have used deck wash or similar product. But, that's in the past.......what do I do now? My plan is to power wash it and then try deck wash. But, I'm afraid the stain that does stick will prevent the deck wash from removing the film on the wood and sooner or later it will peel. Anybody have any suggestions?

[ozzie]

my suggestion is to go to your local paint store and get some guidance as to what to do and what to use

[nofishfisherman]

Well, the deck continues to peel and i have a feeling some of the replies to this post are correct. Even though it was a "new" deck I should have used deck wash or similar product. But, that's in the past.......what do I do now? My plan is to power wash it and then try deck wash. But, I'm afraid the stain that does stick will prevent the deck wash from removing the film on the wood and sooner or later it will peel. Anybody have any suggestions?

Mine was continuing to peel as well so last night I finally gave in and started removing the old stain. I started by scrapping off anything that was loose and then I hit the entire deck with sand paper. Its an old deck with cupped boards that are full of cracks, splits, knots, grooves and everything else you can think of so it wasn't real friendly to the sand paper. Ended up having to do it all by hand because the paper kept tearing on the power sanders I had. Doing it by hand let me adjust to the contours of the board and work more gently over areas that could tear the paper. At this point I have about 80% of the old stain off and anything that is left sits down in a groove where the paper can't get to.

I plan to hit it with a deck wash and then restain and hope it holds up while I try to sell the house.

[JeremyCampbell]

Get it back down to bare wood and start over.Follow the prep guidelines available on the can.No short cuts.

From most painters experiences,the professional comes back every 2-4 yrs for maintenance.This is the way it is for most people who try to keep there deck in good shape.Not all but most.

Prep is key,Even distribution of stain.Avoid pooling.Back brushing intensifies the saturation for a longer lasting stain job.

Wouldnt be a bad idea to examine your gutters for any hard dripping on deck surface.That go's for all surrounding that can interfere with the life of the stain.