# Stains for treated decks



## HydroMan (Apr 21, 2018)

I know there are some extremely knowledgeable folks here so I’d like to pick your brains a little. 
What brand and types of deck stains would you consider to be the best for treated decks? Oil or water based? Transparent, semi, or solid? 
I’ve read about all of them but looking for real world experience and not marketing hype.


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## kmp (Jan 30, 2011)

What are they treated with and how old are they? Pressure treated that is kind of green in color needs to age to loose some of the color or they look funny with stain.Oil, as much as I hate it is going to penetrate better than any water base product. Semi trans hides more flaws in aged but in still good shape wood.I only use solid if it has been coated with an opaque finish product because around here nobody wants to pay for a full strip of a deck. To be honest I don't want to do a full strip of a deck, makes my knees hurt just typing about it.


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## HydroMan (Apr 21, 2018)

Oh man I hate stripping decks!! 

Yeah just typical pressure trested decks. 
Typically in the past we’ve always preferred to have our customers choose and buy their own stain. This way if they weren’t happy with it, they could only blame themselves. But the more I think this out, as the professional doing the job, I should be steering them to what is the best product and then letting them make their decision based off the education I’ve given them. 
So I’m just looking to learn more about stains. Which brands are better. I know oil penetrates better but I read that it fades quicker than water based stains. 
From what I read, Water based go on easier, don’t fade as quick, look good, but doesn’t offer as much protection. It’s also easier to clean up. 

I’m a power washer by trade but the demand for deck staining is really imcreasing so I need to become well versed in it.


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## Woodco (Nov 19, 2016)

My vote is for waterborne stains on pressure treated. These days, they are rated to last longer. They have a bit more film on the surface. I've switched to Flood pro series acrylic/oil for most staining.


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