If you’re asking the question, How do I know if my deck is dry enough to stain, then this will be the most important article you read today…
Have a look at this deck right here…
This deck has been sanded back, scrubbed with a deck brightener and then finished off with a thorough pressure clean…
Now we should be ready for deck stain right?
We cleaned it yesterday and it looks dry, but is this deck really dry enough to stain?
This is something you don’t want to mess up because you will completely destroy the finished coating on your deck…
If you stain your deck and it’s not dry, it could look blotchy, patchy and even fade and peel within a few months…
And we don’t want that to happen so let’s get into the nut and bolts…
The do’s and don’ts…
How to Tell If Your Deck is Dry Enough to Stain…
Sometimes it’s really obvious that your deck isn’t dry enough…
If you see any damp spots on your deck then it’s definitely not dry enough to stain…
When it’s like this, it’s easy to tell that your deck is still too wet, right?
But how about when your deck looks dry on the surface?
It can be a little bit tricky trying to work out if your deck is dry…
Well, I do have a couple of sneaky tricks you can use and that’s what I’m about to show you…
The 3 “Expert Techniques” to Know if Your Deck is Dry Enough to Stain…
Now there are 3 common methods to check how dry your deck is, but there’s really only one method that is really practical…
But I’ll show you all 3 so you’ll know if your deck is dry enough to stain…
1. Sprinkle water on the surface of your deck…
This is the easiest method you can use to check the dryness of your deck…
Simply splash a small amount of water onto the surface of your deck and then see what it does…
If it absorbs into the surface of your deck, then you know that your deck is dry enough to stain…
If the water beads up and sits on the surface, then it means that there’s still too much moisture in your deck and you need to let it dry out for longer…
Wait 4 hours and then come back and apply the very sophisticated splash test again…
That’s all there is to it…
Anybody can do this test and you get instant results which is really important when you’re trying to get the perfect conditions to stain your deck…
This is a good method but it’s not totally accurate…
And now that you put water on your deck and it’s soaked in, is it still dry?
You just put water on it!!
Wouldn’t that patch be too wet to stain now??
Just a thought…
Anyway, let’s go onto number 2…
2. Cover a section of your deck with a black garbage bag…
The Black Garbage Bag Method is also really easy to do…
What you need to do is, cover a section of your deck with a garbage bag…
Then let it sit there for around 4 hours and then come back to check your results…
If you remove the bag and you see condensation on the bag, then you know that the deck is still too wet to stain…
But if you remove the bag and you see no moisture or condensation on your garbage bag, then you know that your deck is dry enough to be stained…
Now, I do have a couple of issues with this technique…
The first is that it could be a real hassle to wait 4 hours to get a result…
If you need to get your deck stained, it could be too hot in the middle of the day to stain it and you’ll miss your opportunity…
And the second problem I have with this method is that if your deck is close to the ground, the soil underneath your deck could be wet…
When you put the bag on your deck, the moisture that comes through could be from the moisture sitting under your deck…
So the sun may have dried your deck enough for it to be stained but the ground below is covered so it’s still damp and causing condensation to form on your garbage bags…
You’ll be getting a false damp reading…
That’s why I don’t really like this method…
Let’s look at number 3…
3. Check the dampness levels with a Moisture Meter…
This method is probably the most accurate way to test if your deck is dry enough to stain…
The thing is…
Well, have a look at the Moisture Meter…
See those pins at the top of the meter?
To get a proper reading, you need to stick those pins into the surface of your deck…
And I don’t think you really want to have little holes all over your deck…
You don’t, do you??
Well, lucky for you, you can also get a pinless Moisture Meter like this General Tools Meter…
No pins means no ugly holes punched into your deck…
This pinless moisture meter has a sensor pad at the top of the unit so you need to press the sensor against the deck and take the reading…
Here’s how you use the pin-less Moisture Meter…
- Make sure the surface of your deck is visibly dry…
- Make sure the deck is clean and free from dirt…
- Turn the moisture meter on…
- Firmly press the sensor pad onto the surface of your deck…
- See the moisture percentage on the screen…
A moisture reading of 15% or less will mean that your deck is dry enough to stain…
So as you can see, investing around $50 to $60 on a moisture meter could save you thousands in deck resurfacing in the future…
This is an easy and accurate way to know for sure, if your deck is dry enough to stain
So go get yours right now…
Now you know if your deck is dry enough to stain, what’s next??
Well, if your deck is dry enough, then you can go ahead and stain that sucker…
Get yourself a good quality deck stain, a deck brush applicator and stain your deck…
Now at this point I’ve already put together a whole guide on staining a deck and all the equipment you need and all the special techniques you need to know…
So I’m not going to get into all that here…
If you want to know how the experts stain a deck then you should click the blue link a couple of words back…
You literally just saw the blue link above…
Go on, click it…
Oh, I get it…
What do you do if your deck is still too wet to stain it?
Can you dry it??
How long do you have to wait???
Well my fine friend…
I’ve also got you covered…
All of your questions will be answered if you read all about staining a damp deck…
Well, that’s about I’ve I’ve got to say on the topic…
It’s on you now to go and do the work…
I wish you all the best in your deck restoration endeavours…
If you have any questions, leave me a comment below and I’ll do my best to answer your questions…
Good luck and fun…
Peace,
Jason
Need some Expert Advice?
If you’ve been searching the internet trying to find an answer to a specific deck problem and you’ve found it impossible to get a straight answer…
Why not just reach out and ask me directly for an answer?
I’ve got 10 years of deck knowledge crammed into my noggin. I can pretty much guarantee I’ve got an answer to your problem just rattling around in there…
Come on, don’t be shy…
FAQ’s
You can make sure your deck is dry enough to stain by using a pin-less moisture meter to check that the moisture level is below 15%…
Yes, your deck has to be completely dry before stain or you could trap moisture and mould under the stain and make it blotchy and patchy…
If it rain It’s best to wait 24 to 48 hours before you stain your deck…
No you cannot stain a deck if it’s a little bit wet. If you do stain a wet deck, you’re deck stain could peel or fade within 3 months…
0 Comments