Is there an easy way to stain a large deck & 30-foot wheelchair ramp?

Klaire
by Klaire

I attempted the staining with Thompson’s Sealant...using sprayers, mop heads, and rags. The project was a huge mess and unsuccessful. Any suggestions?so frustrating, but it needs to be completed. Thank you so much.

  13 answers
  • Tere Tere on Feb 21, 2019

    Hi Klaire. Have you tried paint rollers? We helped my son do his deck & it was pretty simple. For the floor of the deck we used one with an extender, like the one you'd use to paint your ceiling. For the rails we used the smaller hand held rollers, just be sure not to have the roller too saturated or you'll have alot of drips. Good Luck :)

  • Dwp7470b Dwp7470b on Feb 21, 2019

    That is too huge to expect: Simple, Easy and Fun. Do it little by little and reduce fantasy of your expectation to: Very Time Consuming. I assure you, you will get better results with realistic expectations than you ever will with Unicorns, Elves, Fairies and Rainbows.

  • Jen Jen on Feb 21, 2019

    Sorry to say..there is no "easy" way to do decks. Just take your time! We have two and I expected to finish them both this past summer. Reality? One done and one more to go. Prep is 99% of success. Do it right the 1st time or do it again way too soon! Behr failed me horribly and wound up redoing ours less than 1 year later. Australian Timber Oil for the win...no come on Summer so I can start the back deck!

  • Marty Phelps Marty Phelps on Feb 21, 2019

    Thompson's did not work for us either. I would suggest another product Maybe a darker stain that would still show the grain of your wood. Your deck is beautiful! Maybe you could just do the floor and leave the railings more natural. You have put a lot of work into this already.

  • William William on Feb 21, 2019

    Paint roller on a broom stick. Get a smoother finish. 4" paint brush for touch ups.

  • Oliva Oliva on Feb 21, 2019

    Hi, Klaire,

    Did you use treated lumber for the project? If so, did it cure for a year before you attempted to stain? You can test for "cure" by dropping some water on the boards. If it soaks in, you can stain. If water beads up, wood has not sufficiently "cured".

  • Dianna L Dianna L on Feb 24, 2019

    I used paint gloves from Lowe’s. Worked perfectly. One on each hand got the job down fast and easy. Finish up with sponge mop on floor. Worked great for me. I do mine every other year. Happy staining.

  • Liz Liz on Feb 24, 2019

    I use a garden sprayer to apply and an old string mop to spread out puddles. Buy the best stain you can afford...do a google search and read reviews.

  • We've never has success with sprayers, they always over spray and make a bigger mess. Those spindles are rough, unfortunately, a brush is best. For the floor, I'd use a roller. I'd also use a semi transparent stain, that will give you a little color so you can see where you've stained. It helps so you don't keep going over the same spot and you can see where you've missed.

  • Mogie Mogie on Apr 13, 2023

    Paint sprayers are great for applying stain also which can be done in a hour or two depending on the size of the deck.

  • Johnavallance82 Johnavallance82 on May 01, 2023

    I think if it were mine, I would cover the walkway floor with a NON Slip rubber. That would be safer and less yearly work. Then I might leave the railings alone but stain or paint the top rail.

  • Mogie Mogie on May 06, 2023

    Wait at least 6 months and then stain and seal.

  • Johnavallance82 Johnavallance82 on Aug 21, 2023

    Best to use a Wood Preserver!