If you really want to know what the best deck stain is in 2024…
If you want to get the stain that will look the best, last the longest and never peel or fade…
Then you need to read this guide before you waste your money buying a stain that is all hype and lies…
Let me introduce you to…
My top Rated Deck Stains
3 Best Deck Stains From the Ones I’ve Used…
Best Oil Based…
Best for Damp Decks…
Best Budget Stain…
Best For Old Decks…
Best Solid Deck Stain…
I get asked all the time “What is the best deck stain?”
“I read that this ultra expensive deck stain is twice the price but will last 10 years longer than any other, is it true??”…
I come across so many frustrated homeowners who used a stain and after 9 months, it started to fade and wear off…
So now of course, they think that whichever one they used is the worst product going around…
I have to be completely honest with you…
I’ve used a tonne of different deck stain brands and I’ve sanded and stripped off some of the highest quality and most expensive deck stains on the market…
And the one thing that I can truly say when it comes to choosing the best deck stain…
There’s NO best deck stain…
There is no magic deck stain that will last you for the next ten years, where you will never have to clean it or recoat it…
It doesn’t exist…
I’ve seen cheap stains wear off after only 6 months…
And I’ve seen the most expensive, highly rated deck stain fade within 3 months…
I know this because I’m the one who gets called in to fix the deck after the homeowner has paid thousands for a deck restoration that only lasted 6 months…
I think it’s really important that you understand this…
Most of the reviews on the internet for the best deck stain are biassed…
They get paid to recommend that certain product…
So they recommend a stain based on the company who pays the biggest commission…
Now, I don’t see anything wrong with getting paid to refer customers to a product as long as they actually use the product and then rate it honestly…
So take those ratings with a level of caution…
Now with all of that said, I’m going to list out how to find the best deck stain for you…
How to Choose The Best Deck Stain For You…
There are four things you need to consider when choosing a deck stain…
This is what I look at…
- What does the stain look like on your deck?
- Can you get sample pots?
- Can you easily get more of the deck stain?
- Does it fit into your budget?
The answer to these four questions will lead you to the right stain for you…
Let me explain why…
1. What does the stain look like on your deck?
I can tell you to get a certain stain because it’s the best but then you give your deck 2 coats and you absolutely hate the colour…
Or do you like to see the timber grain or not?
You see, there’s solid deck stains that look more like a paint and there there’s semi transparent ones that let the grain show through…
Do you know which one you want?
Here’s what I suggest you do…
Choose 2 different brands and look at their colour charts…
Choose 1 or 2 different colours that you think will look good on your deck and buy the sample pots of these colours..
Then choose a small section of deck and apply the stains in a sample section to see what the colour will actually look like on your deck…
You see, the finished colour will be affected by the type of timber you have and every specific batch will have a slightly different colour…
So when you apply the stain, it will look different to the colour chart…
The only way to choose the right deck stain for you is to apply 2 coats in a small sample spot to your deck and then choose the one you like the most…
This leads nicely into our next topic…
2. Can you get sample pots?
When choosing a deck stain, you really need to test the colour on your deck before you commit to buying it…
The last thing you want to do is buy a tin of stain for $50 to $600 just to test the colour…
So if you purchase one online, see if you can get some samples sent out to you…
Or if you buy it from a hardware store, they should have different size tins including a tiny sample pot for around $12…
The right deck stain for you will have samples of each colour you want to test so you don’t blow your budget or get stuck with an ugly colour decking…
3. Can you easily get more of the deck stain?
This is pretty important when choosing a deck stain…
Once you stain your deck, you’ll need to maintain the deck by re-staining every year…
Here’s the thing…
You have to apply the exact same product for the re-coats or the stain could potentially peel off…
It’s no good if you get a good deal on a certain deck stain because that company is closing down…
When you need to re-coat your deck, you’ll have to strip it back and start again…
Each brand of has a different formula so there’s no certainty that appling one stain onto another will be compatible…
That’s why you need to choose a stain that you know you can get more of…
4. Does it fit into your budget?
Most people think that higher price means higher quality, and to be honest, most times it does…
But when it comes to deck stain, higher quality still WON’T last forever…
It may not even last 2 years…
The way I look at deck stain is to make sure you’re happy with the colour and happy with the price because either way, it will eventually need to be stripped off and done again…
There’s no getting around it…
A more expensive option could possibly last longer but in my experience, you might get a couple of extra months…
I think it’s more about how it looks on your deck, rather than how long it lasts…
How long your deck stain lasts has more to do with the abuse it copes everyday rather than the quality of the stain…
Nobody can control the weather that will pound it every day…
Or the kids and animals that will scratch it day in, day out…
These are the things that control how long your it will last…
So my recommendation is to make sure you buy the highest quality deck stain that you can afford…
But don’t think the expensive stains will last for 10 years and save you money in the long run…
Ok, now let’s look at some of the deck stain that I recommend…
The best deck stain in the world won’t stop your deck from peeling…
If you want to make sure your deck stain won’t peel, this guide is for you…
The 3 Best Deck Stains From the Ones That I’ve Used…
These are the 3 best from the stains that I’ve personally used…
1. Intergrain Deck Stain
This is that standard deck stain that I use whenever I quote a decking job…
Intergrain is in the middle of the price range so it gives a great balance between quality and price…
They’re not the cheapest but they are also not the most expensive…
These guys are owned by Dulux who also own Cabot’s…
You can think of Cabot’s as the entry level product and Intergrain as their higher end product…
Now one of the main reasons I like Intergrain is because I can always get my hand on it…
It’s sold in Bunnings and it’s always in stock…
I don’t have to wait 4 days for it to be delivered to me…
And if you remember, that’s one of the important factors to choosing a deck stain…
You can also get a sample pot for $15 in any colour on their colour chart…
This makes it really easy to test the colours on your decking so you know exactly how it will look before you commit to staining your whole deck…
It’s such a tiny investment to make sure you’re happy with your deck colour…
What I also love about the Intergrain water based stain is that it’s water based which makes it so easy to wash up…
And of course, the wait time between coats is only 2 to 4 hours for this one…
And check this out…
This is 2 coats of a Charcoal stain from none other than Intergrain…
You would not believe how many people call me after they see this deck on my website and say they want their deck to look exactly like this one…
That’s why Intergrain is one of my favourites…
2. H2 Oil Timber…
Here’s what I really love about H2Oil Timber…
Choosing the right colour for your deck can be one of the hardest decisions you’ll ever make…
Right up there with, should we have kids…
Well, some clients make it that difficult…
Anyway, whenever I’ve used H2Oil, I’ll call the sales rep on the phone and he sends out 4 free sample pots of stain so we can test the colour and find the right one before committing to anything…
Now, I can’t guarantee that they’ll always send out free sample pots, but the fact that they have sample pots that you can order online and have them sent to you within 2 days is amazing…
I had this one client who couldn’t choose a colour after testing 6 different stains…
The sales guy from H2Oil made some colour recommendations and sent out 4 free sample pots…
2 days later, we had the sample colours on the client’s deck and he went with the natural colour…
Testing the colours before you commit to a stain is really important…
If we couldn’t get sample pots to make sure the client was happy with the colour, I’m 100% sure this $8,000 deck restoration would have left the client regretting his purchase…
The guys at H2Oil made this really simple and the finished product was perfect…
3. Haymes Dexpress…
Haymes Dexpress is another one that I highly recommend…
I’ve used this Hayme for just over 5 years and the results have been amazing…
We applied 3 coats to achieve this for one of my clients…
This deck is one that cops a lot of abuse as it’s up on a hill, right opposite the beach…
So we have to clean and recoat every 8 months…
It’ll start to fade slightly and then come back to life with a fresh coat…
Now you might be thinking that 8 months isn’t a long time for a deck coating to last…
Well, the deck company before me used a deck oil that only lasted 3 months…
Yep, this client paid a company for a full deck restoration, it lasted 3 months, then paid me to strip it off and do it again…
So whatever product they used only lasted 3 months…
So for this reason, I rate the Haymes Dexpress as one of the best…
Other Deck Stain That’s Worth a Mention…
So you’ve just been introduced to 3 of my selections for the best deck stain but I know there’s a million other brands out there that are just as good…
So here’s some other deck stains that I’ve either used in the past for different situations or that come highly rated by others…
So without further adieu, here’s some more deck stains you should try out…
Introducing the best oil based deck stain…
If you want to know what is the best oil based deck stain, then you’re lucky you found this article before you got duped into buying an inferior oil based deck stain…
Here’s what you need to know…
There’s not many true penetrating, oil based deck stains left on the market…
Most companies have switched over to a water based, latex hybrid mix…
The idea is to give you the best qualities of an oil based and water based mixed together…
But with that, you also get the worst qualities of both as well…
So if you truly want the best oil based deck stain, then Ready Seal is the best…
Ready Seal comes in 8 different colours and the great thing is, you can order all 8 colours in a sample pack right from their website…
And the best part is…
The samples are free!!
Zip…
Zilch…
Nada!!
That is $0.00
Once you’ve made your colour selection and when it comes time to order a gallon or two, you can head over to Ace Hardware and pick up a gallon for $49.99 all the way up to 5 gallons for $199.99…
I need you to know that the reason I say Ready Seal is the best is because they are one of the true oil based deck stains still available…
Most of the “Oil Based” competitors have changed their formula to a water based latex type of hybrid mix…
They’re still sold as oil based deck stains but they act a little different…
Ready Seal oil based stain is thinner than a water based or hybrid mix so it can absorb a lot easier…
This is one of the benefits of an oil based stain over a water based stain…
Plus, did I mention that you only need one coat??
You see, because Ready Seal absorbs deeper into the surface of your decking compared to a water based stain, you actually need less stain…
You only need to apply one coat or your deck could become sticky…
So less stain is better and obviously cheaper as well…
If you compare Ready Seal to any high quality water based deck stain, the water based stain will require two to three coats just to get proper protection…
If you’ve read any of my guides on staining decks, you know that I’m a water-based fan…
And that’s for a number of reasons…
Mainly due to the fact that I live in an area of the world that has crazy weather…
One moment it is way too hot then 5 minutes later, it’s way too wet…
Oil based deck stain is less forgiving in these types of conditions…
You know, because they need 24 to 48 hours to dry properly…
But that doesn’t mean that oil based deck stains are no good…
In fact, oil based deck stains could be the best opinion for you…
In most cases, you’ll only need one coat of oil based deck stain…
Which will save you a ton of money and decrease the amount of work you need to do…
And, because they take longer to dry, it’s easier to get a nice smooth coat without lap marks…
Also, Ready Seal oil based deck stains don’t peel…
No, they fade…
If you see some peeling like this on your deck…
This is because you either applied too much stain or it was a water based deck stain that was applied…
With an oil based deck stain like Ready Seal, you should only notice it fading, never peeling…
So the maintenance is easier than with a water based stain…
The moment you see it starting to fade, all you need to do is give your deck a clean and then you can apply another coat with the same oil based deck stain…
Then your deck will look as good as new…
The benefits of using Ready Seal Oil Based Deck Stain…
One thing you need to know about applying deck stain is that the weather is critically important…
It can’t be too cold or damp…
And it can’t be too hot either…
If you try to apply deck stain in direct sunlight in the middle of the day, it will dry before it has a chance to absorb into the surface of your decking…
The problem with this is that your deck will eventually peel…
And it usually won’t take very long for it to happen…
Now this is another reason why I believe Ready Seal is one of the best oil based deck stain brands available…
You see, Ready Seal can be applied in direct sunlight, right in the heat of the day and it’ll still absorb into your deck…
It’s because the formula is thinner than water based or the latex hybrids which increases its ability to absorb into wood and also slows the drying process so it completely absorbs before it has a chance to dry…
Now as great as Ready Seal is, there are some downfalls to using an oil based deck stain…
Some of the problems with using an oil based deck stain like Ready Seal…
From the moment you open the can of Ready Seal, you’ll notice that the smell is quite strong…
That’s because it’s not as environmentally safe as the newer water based deck stains…
That’s why so many companies are switching more towards a water based hybrid blend…
There’s so many restrictions when trying to ship oil based deck stains that a lot of companies are not offering delivery on these products anymore…
You have to pick them up in store…
That’s no real problem but it does start to limit your options if your mind is set on using an oil based deck stain…
Just something to think about…
Anyway, oil-based deck stain is still a really great option…
It’s not perfect but neither are any of the water based stains…
Either way, that deck stain is either peeling or fading…
But if you want one of the best oil based deck stains available, then you should definitely take a look at Ready Seal…
The Best Deck Stain for Applying to a Damp Deck…
1. Flood Spa-N-Deck…
Spa-N-Deck is a deck stain that I’ve also personally used on a client’s deck…
The unique thing with this deck stain is that they actually recommend applying the first coat of stain to a damp deck…
So that’s exactly what I did…
And I have to be honest, it came out looking pretty good…
Unfortunately, I don’t have photos for this one because I did it about 9 years ago and couldn’t find amongst the thousands and thousands of before and after pictures that I have stored on my hard drive…
I have to say, it was quite strange applying a deck stain to a damp deck. It goes against everything I know about staining a deck…
Anyway, it did look pretty good when it was finished but I don’t know if staining a damp deck affects how long the stain will last…
We did this deck so the owner could sell their home so we never had the opportunity to do the maintenance on it and see how long it lasted…
But as far as choosing a stain to apply when your deck is wet, this is the only stain I’ve had direct experience with so it’s the first one that I would recommend…
2. Restore-A-Deck…
Now Restore-A-Deck is one that I have not personally used…
The reason I list it here is because it is one of the only other stains that I’ve come across that will allow you to apply it when your deck is wet…
And it has a tonne of great reviews online and from other deck restoration companies…
So, while I can’t personally recommend this stain, it is definitely worth looking at…
One of the benefits to being able to stain a damp deck is that it can make the staining process quicker…
Best Budget Deck Stain…
When it comes to buying a cheaper deck stain, it’s hard to go past Cabot’s deck stain…
I’ve used Cabot’s on quite a few decks over the years and to be honest, it does a pretty good job…
The thing you must remember when purchasing cheaper deck stain is that there will be a tonne of bad reviews…
And your neighbour across the road has probably used Cabot’s and their deck and now they tell you it’s the worst…
Well, I have hundreds of stories about homeowners using the most expensive deck stain and now they say that it is also the worst…
The truth is, all deck stain, cheap or expensive, will eventually fade and wear off…
The thing that determines how long it lasts will be how well you look after it and maintain it…
So if you try a Cabot’s stain and you really like the way it looks on your deck…
And you really love how it fits into your budget, then Cabot’s deck stain is the right choice for you…
I really like Cabots for the range of colours they have…
So whenever I have a treated pine deck and the owner wants to change the colour of the natural timber, Cabot’s is a great option…
The Best Deck Stain for Old Decks…
So you committed one of the biggest crimes in deck ownership did you?
And now your deck looks something like this…
You know what I’m talking about…
You wouldn’t be here trying to find out which is the best stain for old decks unless you allowed your deck to weather then crack and split and now you’re trying to cover up your mess…
Don’t worry, I’m not here to judge, I’m just messing with you…
It can happen so quickly that it can sneak up on you…
I get it…
Here’s the thing, before you stain any old decks, you’ll need to make sure that there’s no soft or rotten boards…
If your boards are rotten, there’s no amount of deck stain that will make them strong again…
The best thing to do is to replace all of the rotten boards and replace all of the rusted decking screws…
Once you’ve done that, you’re ready to apply your stain…
How about we have a look at some of the stains that will be perfect for you…
Armstrong Clark Stain…
Do you see how your old deck has cracked and split?
Yeah well, that’s because it’s dried out and lost most of its natural oils…
Years of rain, sun, rain, sun blasting down on your poor-old-deck has really dried it out…
But, this stain from Armtrong Clark contains conditioning oils as well as dry oils mixed into their special formula…
The conditioning oils penetrate into the old timber to replace some of what has been lost over the years…
And the dry oils protect the timber from further damage…
It sounds pretty cool right?
But don’t get confused with these conditioning oils…
They won’t magically repair your old, weathered decking boards…
They simply stop it from getting worse…
Plus they make it look a whole lot better than it currently does…
And that’s exactly what we want with old decks…
You can grab yourself a gallon of the Armstrong Clark deck stain for $50 from this website here…
One thing you have to keep in mind though, is that if you’re replacing damaged boards, those boards will look really weird once you stain your deck…
Brand spanking new boards alongside old weathered deck boards will never blend in…
Check out this deck that I restored…
You can see how the new boards stick out like a sore thumb…
So a lot of people in this situation opt to apply a solid deck stain to cover the deck and hide a lot of the differences between the boards and even cover up most of the damage…
Now, I’m not one to usually recommend a solid deck stain but in the case of an old deck that is badly split and has a mix of old and new boards, this could be a great option…
So if you want a solid deck stain to cover up your “crimes against decks”, then this next one’s for you…
The Best Solid Deck Stain…
Solid deck stains are great when you want your deck to look one even colour…
Kinda like this…
Transparent and semi-transparent deck stain allow the natural timber grain to show through which highlights the different colours in the timber…
If you don’t like the variation in colour then a solid deck stain is definitely what you need…
Plus, if you’ve let your deck maintenance go for a few years, you’ll probably have some “Sins” that you’ll want to hide before any judging eyes see…
Well lucky for you, there’s a lot of people out there who prefer a solid deck stain to a transparent one…
And there’s also a whole range of solid deck stain to choose from…
Honestly, you can choose so many different deck stains and get the outcome you want…
So how about I show you one of the best solid deck stain options on the market…
Defy Solid Deck Stain…
There’s a lot of good quality solid deck stains out there but I’m just going to focus on the solid deck stain by Defy…
The reason I chose Defy is that they are one of the better known and trusted brands…
Plus they tick all of the boxes that I listed out earlier in this article…
And most importantly, you can easily get your hands on a gallon or two…
Another thing…
They have 7 different colours to choose from…
Which doesn’t sound like a lot but they cover the most popular colours across the range…
They have a red, a light brown, a dark brown, almost charcoal, a grey…
How many is that?
1, 2, 5…
Ok they also have a white and an in between brown and greyish colour…
You can pick a gallon for $66.61 from the Defy website…
Like I said earlier, there’s a ton of brands that do a great solid deck stain…
And Defy is just one of the many…
So if you don’t like their colour range, check out something from another trusted brand like Cabots, Intergrain, Cutek, Benjamin Moore, Sherwin Williams or even Armstrong Clarke…
You’ll definitely find a colour that you like in their solid deck stain range…
The thing to remember with deck stains is that there is no magical deck stain that will last forever…
It’s more about proper preparation, proper application and ongoing maintenance…
So don’t expect miracles from your deck stain…
It’s just not realistic…
Things to Remember When Choosing a Deck Stain…
The first thing to remember is that there really is no best deck stain…
I can say Intergrain is the best but then you coat your deck and you can’t stand the yellow tinge…
Now you have to look at this yellow tinged deck every day…
So the best deck stain for you is one that looks good when applied to your species of timber…
That’s why you need to get sample pots and test them first…
Secondly, you want to make sure that you can easily get more when you need it…
That’s pretty important because you can’t apply a different deck stain onto your current stain…
You’ll have to strip it off and start again…
When you break it down, the best deck stain is the one that looks the best on your deck and also fits into your budget…
The stain itself has very little to do with how long it lasts…
Look, I’ve been staining decks for over 10 years now so I know what can go wrong and all the little mistakes that cause deck stain to peel and flake…
It’s the little things you do when sanding your deck or when you clean your deck or even how you apply the stain that will cause it to peel…
Not the stain itself…
And in all honesty, the mistakes that people make that lead to a peeling deck can easily be avoided…
I don’t have some special skill or talent…
I’ve simply made the mistakes, learned from it and now I don’t make those mistakes anymore…
Over the years, I’ve worked out that there’s 11 mistakes in total…
And it only takes one of these mistakes to cause your deck stain to peel…
So you wanna make sure you know what they are so you can avoid them at all cost…
If you want, I can show you exactly what the 11 mistakes are so you can skip all of heart ache of a peeling deck and get it right the first time…
I’ve actually put together a guide where I break down exactly what causes a deck to peel so you don’t make the mistakes…
It’s as simple as me saying, “Wait for this to happen before you apply the stain” and then you know you have to wait…
Make sense?
Perfect…
If you want to grab a copy of my guide, click here and I’ll tell you all of the details…
Anyway, I think we’ve come to the end…
I’ve got a couple of other resources that you should probably read if you’re planing on staining your deck…
The first is my post on how to stain a deck properly…
This is where I go through all of the basics of deck staining…
I lay it all out for you, step by step…
There’s a whole technique to this deck staining thing…
And don’t forget to pressure wash it before you stain…
Anyway, now it’s in your hands…
Best of luck choosing a stain and getting your deck coated…
Peace,
Jason…
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FAQ’s
There is no best decking stain brand. It really depends on which colour you’re like on your deck rather than which brand you use. Each brand will have a diff ent shade of colour so choose the one you like best…
When choosing a stain for an old wood deck, you need to consider how weathered and split the timber is. A dark stain will hide the blemishes better than a natural or semi transparent. So most times a semi solid or solid stain might look better…
The best oil based deck stain is Ready Seal. It is one of the few remaining, true full penetrating oil based deck stain still available on the market. It comes in 8 different colours and it provides UV resistance, water resistance and it can be applied in full sun and extreme heat…
Water based deck stain has come along way in recent years, so my pick is to use a water based stain over an oil based. Water based dries quicker which makes it som much easier to use in harsh weather conditions…
I was recently recommended to use Cabot’s Deck Correct on my super old, degraded deck. I was originally hoping to not use a solid stain, but because our wood has quite a few imperfections, the stain rep said this is what I should do. Is this what you would recommend? The deck has been sanded with 20 and 60 grit sandpaper, pressure washed, and cleaned with an oxalic acid brightener. Is there some other conditioning step I could do to help get the wood back to good shape?
I appreciate any insight you might have! Also, your website has been so incredibly helpful in barking upon this project. Thank you so much!
Hey Alexandra, once your decking gets weathered and old, there’s not much more you can do. What you’ve done sounds pretty good.
What you do next all comes down to your personal preference. If you hate the imperfections then cover it with a solid stain. If you don’t mind seeing the imperfections then go with a semi transparent.
You can always buy a couple of sample pots and try them out first. The samples spots will sand off really easily.
The thing to remember with a decking is that it will never be like indoor timber floors. There will always be imperfections that will get worse with age. Old decks with damage and dark stains can still look really good, it just comes down what you prefer.
Hope that helps