If you’re sitting there wondering, “How long does deck stain take to dry?”, then this quick guide will show you exactly how long it’ll take

Here’s what you need to know…

How long it takes deck stain to dry depends on the type of stain you use and the time of year you stain your deck…

You see, water based deck stain will take between 1 to 4 hours to dry…

Whereas, oil based deck stain can take 12 to 72 hours to dry properly…

In the warmer months your deck stain will dry quicker. 1 to 2 hours for water based deck stain and 12 hours for oil based…

In the cooler months your deck stain will take 4 hours to dry for water based and 24 to 72 hours for oil based deck stain to dry…

The best way to know how long your deck stain will take to dry is to…

Look at the drying time estimate on the back of your can of deck stain…

The thing is, each deck stain is different…

And each deck stain has a different drying time…

But most quality deck stains will actually tell you how long it takes to dry right there on the back of the tin…

Check this out…

This is a deck stain that I used on the last deck I stained…

When I stained the deck it was on an overcast day with no rain and no sun…

I applied the first coat at 10am in the morning and came back 3 hours later for the second coat…

The recommendation on the back of the can was to let the deck dry for 3 hours before a recoat…

When I came back 3 hours later, the deck stain was completely dry…

So I applied the second coat…

But how do you know if your deck stain is dry enough for the second coat…

Well first up, the instructions on the stain said recoat in 3 hours…

So I was always going to wait at least 3 hours, even if the day was hot…

But when I came back, here’s how I could tell the stain was dry…

When I touched it with my hand and then walked on it, it wasn’t even slightly sticky or tacky…

If you walk on your deck and it’s sticky underfoot, you’ll need to give it more time to dry…

When you apply more stain to a sticky deck stain, it could take weeks to dry…

The key to getting your deck stain to dry quickly is to only apply a thin layer of deck stain…

You want to only apply as much as the deck can absorb and no more…

There’s a whole staining technique to it that you really need to know if you’re gonna do this properly…

It’s my famous, “Brush on, Brush Off Technique”…

Anyway, when you do it the way I teach, your deck will be dry within the recommended time…

You won’t have a deck that is tacky a week after you stained it..

In fact, your deck won’t even be sticky 24 hours later…

And trust me, you want it to dry as quickly as possible…

Because if you stain your deck and then it rains a few hours later, your deck could be completely ruined…

And while we’re on the topic…

How long should deck stain dry before rain?

First up, please do not stain your deck if there’s a chance of rain…

Wait for a clear day…

It’s just not worth the risk…

But with that said, if you stain your deck and it does happen to rain afterwards, you will need your deck to dry for at least 3 hours before rain…

That is 3 hours for a good quality water based deck stain…

I’ve been caught out in the past and it started to rain within 1 hour of staining…

Let me tell you that 1 hour isn’t long enough…

The deck stain started to get blotches wherever the rain landed…

It was only light rain but it was enough to ruin the coat of stain…

Then I’ve had rain come down after only 2 hours of staining a deck and the stain was fine…

It was enough time for the stain to dry so it wasn’t affected by the rain…

Now, if you’re using an oil based deck stain and then it rains, that is a different story..,.

With oil based, if there is any chance of rain in the next 2 days, do not even think of applying stain…

You will need at least 24 hours to let the oil based deck stain dry before it rains…

Oil based takes so much longer to dry…

So to sum up, you’ll need 2 to 4 hours drying time for water based and at least 24 hours drying time for oil based before it rains…

Now let’s assume you’ve followed all of the drying time recommendations…

And your deck survived the rain…

It isn’t sticky…

And it looks fantastic…

The next question is always…

How long should deck stain dry before putting furniture on it?

Well some people say you need 2 days before you put your furniture back on your deck but that’s completely wrong…

Your deck stain will take at least 7 days to completely cure before putting furniture on it……

It may be dry in 1 to 2 days but it’s still very easy to damage and scratch it…

So definitely keep your furniture off for one whole week and give your deck stain a chance to cure properly…

I’ve had customers in the past who had organised parties for only 2 days after I completed their deck and some had no problems at all…

But I’ve also had a couple of customers who called me back because certain sections of their deck had started to get damaged only 3 months after we restored it…

If you look closely you’ll see the scratch marks and swirls across te decking…

The culprit?

Furniture sliding on the deck, scratching the surface and allowing the rain to get in under the stain…

It’s just not worth it…

Make sure you give your deck a chance to dry properly between coats…

And to dry fully before it rains…

Then don’t forget to allow your deck stain to dry for 7 days before putting any furniture on it…

That’s about all I have to say on the matter…

I’m outta here…

Peace,

Jason…