How to stain wood deck?

first I would use a pressure washer and get rid of any problems the old stains might be causing. believe it or not, this will get basic wood to rise and most of it will be about the same color to start a new stain. Might want to try a cedar or a stain with a medium color to help blend any differences.

Get cleaner made for decks, and use a stiff brush and mop. Or pressure wash lightly. There are lots of stains that can be colored and semi-transparent or solid.

Whatever method you decide to use, don't forget to use some type of water resistant wood seal on your deck every couple of years. It will significantly prolong the life of the deck.

Thomson's WaterSeal is a good one

I have always used Minwax products with excellent results.

Meticulous preparation efforts are important to a sucessfully finish.

In my experience-I find the Sikkens to be the best for wood toned seals and have also had great sucess with Behr transparent and solid stains. I cant emphasize the proper prep and cleaning enough. Behr and Valspar have excellent customer support if any question or problems, and have provided replacement product when a product failure has occurred.

Any good top brand UV deck stain will work. Cabot, Olympic, Behr (not the deck over product), Thompson's, Sikkens. Sherman Williams Super Deck.

First decide if oil based or water based is right for your situation:

Less long-term maintenance