My gosh, have you seen how many deck stain colors there are?
It’s crazy to think how many different shades of browns, greys, reds, greens and blues you have to choose from…
How are you ever going to choose the right one??
Oh, I know…
I have a really simple technique to sift through all of the thousands of deck stain colors to find “The Perfect One”…
And, I’ll show you how to see exactly how your finished deck will look before you waste thousands of dollars and commit to covering your deck with a deck stain colour that you absolutely hate…
Believe me, it happens…
That’s why I created this method…
This method that I use to choose stain colors for a deck is the same method that I use with my own clients…
And now, I’m passing it on to you…
First I’ll start off by showing you what 4 of the top brands have to offer and then I’ll show the 5 most popular deck stain colours based on what my clients choose…
Then, I’ll introduce you to my famous “Deck Stain Colour Selection Technique”…
Sounds fancy, doesn’t it?
It’s so quick, easy and foolproof…
It’ll blow your socks off!!
Well maybe not, but it will definitely allow you to choose the best deck stain colors for you…
Without the regret…
Ok, let’s get into it…
Four companies with a large range of deck stain colors…
To help you make your choice, I thought I’d start with 4 deck stain companies that are high quality but also have an extensive color palette to choose from…
Here they are…
- Intergrain
- Cabots
- Benjamin Moore
- Sherwin Williams
Intergrain Deck Stain Colours…
Intergrain is an Australian company and is one of my personal favourites…
They don’t actually don’t have the largest range of deck stain colors but a lot of the decks that I’ve done have been stained with Intergrain…
That’s why I’ve included them here…
You can see their full range of colors here…
Cabots Deck Stain Colors…
Cabots are one of those stains that you can get almost anywhere in the world…
They’ve been around for years and everyone’s heard of Cabots…
A real bonus is that their color range is so extensive…
They have 244 different stain colors which you can check out here…
Benjamin Moore Deck Stain Colours…
Benjamin Moore is another trusted brand in the industry…
With 275 different deck stain colors, you’ll definitely be able to find the one that’s right for you…
You can check out their full color range here…
Sherwin Williams Deck Stain Colors…
Sherwin Williams has one of the largest selection of deck stain colors going around…
They have a list of 284 colors…
If you can’t find a color you like, then maybe you need to take a long hard look at yourself…
Anyway, you can check out their large range of colors here…
With all of the options I’ve just presented to you, you’ve got close to one thousand colors to choose from…
And the aim of this article is to help you find “The One”…
So we really need to eliminate some colors and we need to do it right now…
Hey! Do you have a question?
I know you’re busy reading all about deck stain colors but if there’s something you’re struggling to find answers for, why don’t you just ask me?
Yep, I can be your personal deck consultant…
How to narrow your selection down with opacity…
You’ve probably noticed that you have potentially thousands of different deck stain colors to choose from…
If you pay close attention, you’ll notice that each stain is either solid, semi solid, semi transparent or transparent…
This is why these companies have so many different colors of deck stain…
Each color they make can be purchased with each of these different types of opacity…
Some stains allow you to see the timber grain while others block it out completely…
Choosing which opacity you want for your decking is the first step to narrowing down which color you want…
Let me explain…
Deck Stain Colors come in Transparent, Semi-transparent, Semi-Solid and Solid Stain…
Now there’s a couple of things that determine which type of stain you should choose…
If you like a certain look or if you have an old deck that you want to cover up, then you’ll need to decide which stain works best for you…
To make it easier, I’ll explain what each one is…
Transparent Deck Stain…
Transparent deck stain is more like a clear sealer…
They don’t have any color in them so they bring out the natural color in the timber…
This is great if you love the timber’s natural color but they offer no UV protection…
Transparent sealers will only offer protection against the rain…
If you like that greyed off look this could be an option for your…
Many people use a transparent stain when they want their deck to naturally go grey without being damaged by the rain…
The problem I’ve found with letting your deck grey naturally is that you can’t get an even grey color…
Some sections of your deck will grey while others will keep their natural color…
This is why I rarely use a transparent deck stain on my clients decks…
I usually recommend the next type of stain…
Semi-Transparent Deck Stain…
This is the type of deck stain that I recommend the most and I’ve found it’s also the most preferred by homeowners…
Semi transparent stains allow you to seal your deck, enhance or change the color but still see the natural wood grain and color through the stain…
Semi transparents are great because they allow you to protect your deck from the rain and sun…
The color pigment in the stain gives you that UV protection to help keep the color for longer…
Semi-transparent stain looks like this…
See how the grain of the timber shows through?
If you have a good quality timber deck, why would you hide it?
With that said, if you have cheaper timber or your deck is old and weathered, maybe it would look better if you cover it completely to hide any damage…
In that case you’d use this next type of stain…
Solid and Semi-Solid Deck Stain…
Solid and Semi-Solid deck stain will block out the timber grain…
It’s also great at hiding any pot plant marks or grease stains from the barbeque…
This is a great option if you want to get a uniform color across your entire deck especially if it’s damaged…
Solid deck stain will almost look like paint…
This is what it looks like…
So choosing how much of the natural wood grain you want showing through and how much damage you want to cover up will automatically eliminate 2 thirds of your color choices…
That’s why I always recommend starting out by deciding which level of opacity you want on your decking and then choosing a color from there…
If you’re choosing stain colors from 3 different companies who all have 250 colors each, you’ve just eliminated 500 colors…
Now you only need to decide from 250…
Let’s see if we can eliminate some more by showing you some of the most popular deck stain colors…
The most popular deck stain colors based on my clients…
To make this a little easier for you, I’ve decided to show you some of the most popular colors based on the clients I work with…
I’ll show you the color and a link to each of the 4 brands I listed earlier…
You’ll be able to see how each color looks different across the brands…
Natural Color Deck Stain…
Don’t confuse natural deck stains with clear deck stain…
Natural stain allows you to bring out the “Natural Color” but it has a brown pigment to it which gives your deck UV protection from the sun…
The brown pigment will alter the color of your deck slightly but without it, your deck will be damaged from the sun and turn grey…
Here’s a deck that I did with 3 coats of natural deck stain…
Here’s the variation across the different brands…
Intergrain Natural Stain…
Purchase here…
Cabots Natural Stain…
Purchase here…
Benjamin Moore Natural Stain…
Purchase here…
Sherwin Williams Natural Stain…
This is the closest I could find to natural.
Purchase here…
Brown Deck Stain Colors…
Brown deck stain is a classic outdoor wood color…
When we think of wood we think brown…
That’s why brown deck stains are a safe and popular color…
Brown will always blend in well with the natural surroundings…
Here’s a client’s deck that was stained with brown…
There’s so many different tones of brown and they all have different names so I’ll show a color that’s similar across the brands…
Here’s what it looks like across the different brands…
Intergrain Brown Stain…
Purchase here…
Cabots Brown Stain…
Purchase here…
Benjamin Moore Brown Stain…
Purchase here…
Sherwin Williams Brown Stain…
Purchase here…
Red Deck Stain Colors…
Red is another very popular stain color…
So many decking timbers have natural red tones in the wood that can be enhanced by a high quality red stain…
Here’s a Jarrah color deck stain with red and brown tones…
Red deck stain can definitely look amazing…
Here’s what they look like across the brands…
Intergrain Red Stain…
Grab some here…
Cabots Red Stain…
Grab some here…
Benjamin Moore Red Stain…
Grab some from this store…
Sherwin Williams Red Stain…
Check it out here…
Grey Deck Stain Colors…
Grey deck stains are becoming really popular at the moment…
It’s for those who love the look of a deck that naturally greys off in the sun but want it to be protected at the same time…
Most homeowners go for this when they’re trying to get that beach shack vibe…
Here’s one that I did for a local homeowner…
This is a grey stain on dark brown timber…
You can see the brown coming through the grey color…
But they really wanted that silver look…
And wouldn’t ya know it, they live right near the beach…
Some people just prefer the UV greyed off look rather than a rich brown or warm red color…
If you’re the same, you can check out different grey colors across the brands…
Intergrain Grey Stain…
Pick up in store…
Cabots Grey Stain…
Check it out here…
Benjamin Moore Grey Stain…
Pick some up from Ace Hardware…
Sherwin Williams Grey Stain…
Check it out on the website…
Charcoal Deck Stain Colors…
Now charcoal is a colour that is a little less natural and common in decking timber but it is becoming pretty popular…
I get at least 1 call a week for someone who wants to apply a charcoal stain to their deck…
I actually posted a before and after video online of a charcoal deck that I completed and I constantly get calls saying they saw the charcoal deck on my website and they want their deck exactly the same…
This is the deck here…
It’s a Merbau deck so you can see some red tonnes coming through underneath the charcoal stain…
It’s one of those colors that you either love or hate…
If you love it, you can check out the charcoal stain across the different brands below…
Intergrain Charcoal Stain…
Purchase from Bunnings…
Cabots Charcoal Stain…
Check it out on the Cabots website…
Benjamin Moore Charcoal Stain…
Order from your local Ace Hardware…
Sherwin Williams Charcoal Stain…
Check it out on their website…
How to choose stain deck colors…
Now, I’m about to give you a really simple way to decide which color you really want on your deck…
And believe me, this is something you wanna get right before you commit to a color…
Because once that deck stain is on your deck, you’re stuck with it for at least 5 years…
Imagine completely messing up your color choice and then having to look at it every single day for the next 5 years…
Don’t think because you brought home some color samples that you know what your deck is going to look like…
The thing with color samples is that they are completely wrong…
Your deck stain will change color based on the type of timber your deck is made from…
That’s why I’ve developed a simple system to know exactly what color you want and how it will look on your deck before you commit to staining…
This is what you need to do…
Use Pinterest to help you choose a style you like…
Head over to Pinterest and do a search for Deck stain color ideas”…
Scroll through and save any pictures that take your fancy…
You might end up with a couple of different colors that you think you like…
Let’s say you like a natural stain and a walnut stain…
This is perfect because now all you need to do is test out the colors to see which one you like the best…
This is how I always find the perfect color for my clients…
Purchase sample pots in each color that you like from 2 different brands…
You can’t just choose a deck stain color from the color chart and think “that’s how your deck is going to look”…
It never works out like that…
You think you’re getting a natural stain but it looks way too yellow on your species of timber…
Check out this is a natural deck stain on a pine deck…
See, it’s very yellow…
This owner really loved the color so we’re still winning with this one…
But it just highlights why I always recommend trying out 2 coats of a sample pot so you know exactly how your deck will look with each color before you commit to one…
Look, this is really simple to do and it’ll save you a lot of heartache going forward…
This is how I do it…
How to test your color choices before you stain your deck…
Now the first step to testing your stain colors is to make sure your deck has been sanded back or stripped back, ready to stain…
You will have raw timber that has been cleaned and brightened ready for stain…
You need your deck completely ready for stain if you want to get a true idea of how the color will look…
But don’t worry, fresh stain like this will sand off in 30 seconds with 80 grit sandpaper and an orbital sander…
Trust me, I do it all the time…
Anyway, once your deck is ready to go, all you need to do is use a paint brush to coat a small section of one decking board…
Right next to that, apply your other stain of choice…
If you have another brand or color, stain that right next to the others…
And then keep going until you have all of your color choices on your deck…
Now, this next step is very critical in getting a true indication of color…
What you need to do is wait a couple of hours for the stain to dry and then apply a second coat of deck stain…
Trust me…
One coat won’t show you the true color…
You need to give it two sample coats…
You’ll notice how the color looks deep and consistent now…
At this stage you’ve probably got your favourite already chosen…
Hold on, not so fast!!
You can’t choose a deck stain color just yet…
What you’re looking at is wet deck stain…
And wet deck stain will look completely different to dry deck stain…
So what you need to do at this point is to go grab yourself a cup of coffee…
Or a glass of wine…
Go on, you deserve it…
You’ve done everything you can do to choose the right stain color for your deck…
But you need to be patient…
Go away and wait at least 2 hours…
But I don’t recommend drinking wine for the full 2 hours…
You’re about to choose your favourite color…
It’s going to be one of the most important decisions you’ll ever make in your life…
Right up there with “Should we have kids?”…
I don’t think you want to make that decision while under the influence…
Even though that’s how most people decide to have kids…
Either way, I don’t recommend it in this case…
Just wait 2 hours and stick to coffee..
This will give your stain samples time to be at least touch dry…
And after 2 hours, you’ll see the true color of your deck stain samples…
Now is the time to choose your favourite deck stain color…
Cue the Jeopardy music…
Look hard…
Take your time…
Time’s up!!
Do you have a favourite?
You do??
Congratulations!!
You did it!!!
And that my friend is how to choose a deck stain color…
Now all you have to do is stain your deck in your chosen color and…
Hang on a second…
You have all of have these weird stain samples on your deck…
I didn’t think this one through did I?
I’m sooo sorry…
I completely ruined your deck!!
No, relax, I’m just messing with you…
All you need to do now is grab your orbital sander and sand off the stain samples with 80 grit sandpaper and then stain your deck with your chosen color…
That is pretty much all there is to it…
Now don’t listen to the “Others” who claim that you need to remove the stain samples with a chemical stripper and not a sander or you’ll be doing double the work…
These “Deckspurts” claim that if you sand the samples off, you’ll have unevenness where you sanded…
That’s how I know that they’re content creators and not deck restorers…
You need to watch out for these types…
Think about this…
If you use a chemical stripper to remove the samples, you need to blast it off with a pressure washer…
Thats’ how the chemicals work…
And they work pretty good…
The thing is, whenever you use a pressure washer to strip anything off your deck, you create damage to the surface…
Have you heard of the fuzzies?
This is not a problem but you need to remove it with none other than an orbital sander…
Go figure!!
So either way, you’ll be getting the orbital sander on your deck and sanding those section where you tried out the colour samples…
And you’ll be lightly sanding your deck, not gouged divots into it…
Look, I’m just ranting and it feels fantastic…
But I’m just saying, be careful who you listen to…
I think I might just leave it there…
I can’t think of anything else to say on the matter…
Hmmm…
Yep, I think I’m done…
How about this…
If you think of anything I’ve missed or if you have any questions about the different deck stain colors, leave me a comment below and I’ll do my best to answer any question that you have…
I hope you’ve enjoyed your time with me today…
And I hope you can now go on to choose the right color…
Best of luck…
Peace,
Jason…
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FAQ’s
The best color to stain a wood deck would have to be the color that suits the style of your home. Ultimately, the best color is the one that you test and prefer the most over your other tests…
I’ve found that the most popular deck stain color in 2023 would have to be a natural stain that allows the color of the timber to show through. I’ve seen a swing towards more brown colours over reds…
The best colours for decking stain are dark colours for old and damaged decks or light deck stain colours for newer decks…
If you want to hide dirt, you should go with a dark colour decking stain like a chocolate brown or a charcoal. If you choose a solid deck stain you can go with any color you want because the satin will cover the dirt like a paint…
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