Good morning sunshine! I’ve been checking things off the list this week and setting the stage to relax on our outdoor porch. But before any of the furniture can be set out, the entire deck needed to be stained. Let’s talk about the best stain for outdoor decks and porches.
Staining an outdoor deck or porch here in New England is always a timing challenge. You have to wait until the snow melts and the weather warms up to about 60 degrees which is usually sometime in April. Then the April rains arrive so you have to watch the weather for at least three consecutive dry days. Shortly after the rains end in early May, the pollen starts and a blanket of green coats everything for three weeks straight. In June, the humidity kicks in.
As you can see, staining an outdoor porch is an enormous timing challenge, but I was lucky enough to find a few consecutive dry days. This past Monday, I began staining the porch floor at 7:00 am. It took about an hour but was completely back-breaking in that hour. Lots of bending and moving. A pretty good workout though.
Staining a Porch Floor
We stain the outdoor porch floor every other year. It may be a covered porch, but between the sun beating down on the outer edges and our beagle scraping it with her nails, it needs a refresh every two years.
There are two types of stain we prefer. The first is Cabot Gold. We’ve used Cabot several times and really like the way it covers. Cabot Gold is a line of pre-mixed stains that leave a nice satin sheen. We really like the Moonlit Mahogany, a dark brown with red undertones. It’s a really nice contrast against the bright white railings. The stain is a semi-transparent. Unlike the solid stains which have the look of paint, the semi offers intense coverage and the true look of a stain.
The other outdoor floor stain we really like and have used is Olympic Maximum. It also covers really well and holds up well, but as I remember it took much longer than the Cabot to dry. The Olympic was tacky for several days. The Cabot was completely dry and could be walked on in just 48 hours.
Applying porch/deck stain is a little back-breaking so be prepared. I applied the stain with an inexpensive soft bristle brush from the Dollar Store so I could just throw it away when done.
Simply dip the brush into the stain and brush it on. Work on just three or four tongue and groove boards at time and cover the entire length of the board with stain so you don’t get lap marks. Allow at least 48 hours to dry before walking on it.
Staining a Porch Railing
The white wood railing hadn’t been stained in more than five years. We have always used Olympic Maximum semi-solid white on the railings. It holds up really well and stays surprisingly white.
Eventually I hope to replace the wood railings with white plastic that won’t require staining every few years. It’s a ton of work to paint and I’m all about low maintenance products.
Look at that morning sun streaming onto the porch! The pollen hasn’t quite hit us yet so I may be able to actually enjoy sitting out here this weekend.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links to products I love and use myself. This is not a sponsored post, I just wanted to tell you about a great product used on this week’s project.
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