What are the Best Stains?

Bakers Stain

Over the past years we have used several different kinds of stain;

Behr Latex (After the wood has been stained if anyone moves something on the deck it will scratch the stain and it will start to pull up, also when the customer wants to have the deck redone down the road you will have to strip the old stain off before reapplying.

Armstrong Clark oil based – We stained a picnic Table with some samples (5 gals) that we got, the table looked great for the first several months then after about 8 months the table started to turn black from where the mold was eating the oils in the stain.

Bakers Oil Based – We currently are using Bakers this stain is the best stain that we have ever used, you don’t have to worry about the stain runs on the boards when you are done because the stain soaks into the wood really deep. The best part about this stain is that two years down the road you can go back to the customers and reapply the stain over the old stain without stripping the old stain off. I would Strongly Recommend everyone to give him a call.

David Shelah Phillips<O:p</O:p
Southern Stain and Seal<O:p</O:p
2302 W. College St.
Murfreesboro, TN 37129 <O:p</O:p
(615) 604-5115
 
I have a couple of projects going with Wood Sentry . The original developer of woodtux. After two years pretty good results. Pretty awesome mixed with RS.
 
Ditto on the Baker's. I never offered deck/fence stain & seal services to my customers until I met David and Clint with Southern Stain and Seal. Idiot proof best describes the application, which helps with the learning curve that unfamiliar techs may have. As far as long term durability, David and his guys have been using it for years with great results for their clients.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Good to see him busy

CarolinaProWash said:
Yes, Russell is still most definitely around.....and there is still no better product for hardwoods.

Art.......if you read the previous posts, you will see some really good companies suggesting some really good stains. If you'll notice, Sikkens wasn't one of them (for a reason) and whatever the other stuff is that you were asking about - don't see that there either.

With that said - "I don't ever want to do this again".... is not something you can say about your deck. You will be caring for it every year period. Stripping a b*tch stain - then don't use anything with water in it. Oils can be recoated several times before a strip has to happen - and even then, depending on the stain, a strip is not always necessary.
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I think Pete's response still sums it up pretty well.
In the end, it really comes down to "what type of stain is best" not necessarily "which brand is best". Every job is different, and just like with concrete, there isn't a single product that is perfect for every situation. What works great for one guy may suck for someone else, because of their climate, application method, etc... Choose what works best for you!
 
Hi, my name is Beth,

I work for WoodRich-Brand and I just found this post. Russell is defiantly around; he just does not spend much time at the computer these days. My job is to provide product support to contractors, and DIYers who use our products. I can definitely agree with Pete, it always comes down to what works best for the applicator.
We manufacture a high quality paraffinic stain, WoodRich Brand Timber Oil that I often recommend to home owners who are concerned about ease of use, and contractors who run multiple crews. They too like its ease of use as well as the fact that it not as moisture sensitive as other paraffinic stains. I also recommend our Timber Oil for projects like old, dried out wood siding that has lost most of its natural sugars and oils to the elements.

For the high end jobs, where you are generally dealing with ipe, garapa, or other exotic hard woods, I recommend WoodRich Brand Hard wood Wiping Stain. For dense hard woods that do not allow the deep penetration, you need a binder to hold the pigment in place. If left to age, this type of finish does need to be stripped before being re-applied, however, most discerning homeowners who invest in ipe or the like, treat their decks like they do their hard wood floors. The main thing is to keep the pollen off of the deck, because it is the primary attractor of mold and mildew, so I tell them to rinse the deck with their garden hose any time that they notice pollen on the car or deck furniture. Then, long before the finish fails, when it first starts to lose its luster, they will dip a rag in stain, ring it out until it no longer drips, wrap that around a stain pad on a stick and use this to rejuvenate their deck just like they would polish a hard wood floor. The most important thing is to not over apply the product because you are not really trying to put on another coat, just revive the oxidized resin.

Contractors that service hard wood decks generally try to get the home owner to keep the pollen off of the deck then they will check up on it about every six months to see if it requires touching up. This way they can make several service visits before they ever have to strip the finish and start over.
We also have a lot of contractors who use our WoodTux formula. The contractors who choose WoodTux over Timber Oil generally like the look of the finish that you get from an alkyd stain. While this finish can be maintained on cedar or ptp in the same manner as the hard wood wiping stain, with about a year between service calls as opposed to six months, eventually you will reach a point where it would look better if you strip and re-apply.

When we take on restoration projects here, the guys might use different products on the same project. For example, they might use the Timber Oil on the fence, or siding, and then use the WoodTux on the deck to give it a premium finish. But that is obviously easier when you have every choice available in stock.

I don’t know much about water based finishes, I know that Russell has been testing some formulas since before I came here, but mostly, he just grumbles when I ask about them. I know I do not like the ones that look like paint, and I would not recommend them for all of the reasons that Pete gave about “film formers”. I personally believe that wood is supposed to look like wood, not plastic.

Beth Evans
636-288-5821
Beth@woodrich-Brand.com

www.woodrich-brand.com
 
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my customers are averaging 24-30 months with two coats of Cabots. Ive seen Sherwin Williams Deckscapes that look great after five. I am doing two decks this week with the deckscapes. Ill let you know in a couple of years how it worked as this is the first time I'm using it
 
starbrite said:
my customers are averaging 24-30 months with two coats of Cabots. Ive seen Sherwin Williams Deckscapes that look great after five. I am doing two decks this week with the deckscapes. Ill let you know in a couple of years how it worked as this is the first time I'm using it
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Waterbase or oil base deckscapes? I've seen some bad mildew with deckscapes since its made with veggie oil. Linseed oil has always been a food source for mildew.
 
the water base. Ive sworn by Cabots but recently Ive been running into the deckscapes and have been impressed with how well its aged, we are talking four to six years on a couple of them and it still looks pretty good. My guys are trying to strip some rails with one year old deckscapes solid on it for a color change and it sure doesnt want to come off. I was impressed enough with it to give it a try. I really want to give my customers the best so Im always trying new things
 
starbrite said:
the water base. Ive sworn by Cabots but recently Ive been running into the deckscapes and have been impressed with how well its aged, we are talking four to six years on a couple of them and it still looks pretty good. My guys are trying to strip some rails with one year old deckscapes solid on it for a color change and it sure doesnt want to come off. I was impressed enough with it to give it a try. I really want to give my customers the best so Im always trying new things
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4-6 yrs on a semi trans or a solid? Are you paying the $45/gal i see they sell for on the shelf here in Houston? I don't think a stain that is hard to strip makes it a good stain necessarliy cause if that's the case Behr would be the best stain on the planet! I think the Gray Away has the best color tones of any stain there is on the market but that's me it's easy to use and for the great price it can't be beat!

Well a water base stain doesn't help wood as good as an oil base stain.It may look good but the keeping wood oiled up is the best way to preserve wood. Are these decks still beading water after 4- 6 yrs?

We have been a distributor for Baker's Gray Away for 20 yrs and it's the only stain we have ever used or will use. We are protected in Houston and every surrounding county by Texas Wood Products.I go thru 1000's of gallons in a year mostly as an applicator.TWP has always been consistent with their stain over the years and that's what keeps my repeat/referral business going to not have to advertise.

Wood restoration will never change so I don't see a reason to switch stains to the flavor of the month.The only challenge has been the new ACQ pine which just takes longer to cure to accept more oil.

If you like what works for you and you can make $$ with it that's what counts. I just like to set my company Wood Savers of Texas apart from every other company that will apply any stain a homeowner wants.
 
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