If you’re fumbling around on the internet trying to find out how to stain a deck with a roller, then this warning has come just in time…
Here’s the thing…
I’ve been staining decks for ohh, I don’t know…
Maybe 8 years…
And one thing that I picked up pretty quickly is that staining a deck with a paint roller is a bad idea…
You’re lucky you found my site before you committed one of the worst crimes against deckings you could ever commit…
Oh come on…
Don’t look so defeated…
I know you wanted to get that deck staining done really quickly…
It’s a real pain in the “you know what” isn’t it?
And yes, staining your deck with a roller is one of the quickest ways to do it…
But I can’t let you do it…
Sorry…
Look, just come take a seat and hand me that roller…
Ok, ok…
You can hang onto it for the moment….
Just listen to what I have to say and then you can make your own decision…
Sound good?
Ok, let’s get into it…
Why you should never stain a deck with a roller…
Looky here, there’s a sweet science behind applying a high quality deck stain and everything we do is to make sure the finished product looks amazing and stays that way for as long as possible
And one of the most important ways we do this is to apply only as much stain as your deck can absorb and then brush the excess off…
I call it the “Brush on, Brush Off Technique”…
This brush on, brush off technique can only be done with a brush…
Get it?
It’s not called roll on roll off, is it??
You see, a deck brush applicator like this one…
Is designed to brush on a layer of deck stain…
Then when you pull back, or brush back, any excess stain will be removed…
This is so much harder to do with a paint roller…
The only way to get consistent coverage with a roller is to apply more stain…
And more stain is a bad idea…
The deck can only absorb a certain amount of stain…
Any stain that isn’t absorbed will just pool on the surface and dry like a film…
Do you know what happens next?
That film will peel off your deck like a snake skin…
That’s why us “Deck Experts” use a deck Brush Applicator to apply 2 to 3 thin coats of stain…
The emphasis is on the THIN coats…
That’s how you get that perfect finish on your deck…
Does this make sense so far?
Great, because there’s another reason why I recommend a deck brush over a roller…
A paint roller can’t stain down the side of the deck boards like a deck brush applicator can…
Do you see all of those spaces between your deck boards?
If you stain your deck with a roller, the roller can’t stain in between the boards…
A deck brush applicator can…
And as you can imagine, this provides that extra protection from the weather…
The brush is just so much more superior at staining decks than your sloppy old roller…
But by all means, feel free to stain your deck with a paint roller if you like…
But just know that you can stain your deck pretty quick with a deck brush applicator…
And there are other ways to stain a deck quickly that don’t include using a paint roller…
I’ve already written an article all about speed staining…
You can read more about it by clicking here…
Now, I’m not saying that the methods I use are as quick as using a roller but they are far superior…
The quality of the finished deck and the level of protection your deck gets by staining it the right way, can’t be achieved with a roller…
With all of that said…
I make my living from delivering the highest quality deck staining around…
That’s what I do…
But maybe you don’t give 2 sh!ts about how your deck looks…
Maybe you just want to get that damn thing coated and move on with your life…
It hurts my soul that you said that and I hate you so much right now…
But I get it…
So if you really want to fight me on this…
How to stain a deck with a roller…
If I ever went crazy and decided to use a roller to stain the deck of some “Unsuspecting Fool”, this is how I would go about it…
- Get yourself a nap roller with an extension pole and paint tray…
- Clean your deck with a brightener…
- Allow it to dry…
- Cut in around the edges with a paint brush…
- Stain the bulk of your deck with the roller…
- Repeat for a second coat…
As for the technique…
Have you ever painted a wall in your house?
Yep, same technique…
Dip the roller into the tray and remove the excess stain so it’s not dripping…
Then roll 2 to 4 boards at a time for the full length of the board…
It’s that easy…
And that’s the heart wrenching steps I’d take if I was to stain a deck with a roller…
But that’s all hypothetical, because it’s never gonna happen…
My gosh man!
Your deck will look hideous!!
It would be much quicker if you bought 4 cans of stain and just tipped them on your deck…
Much quicker and the end product will look just as sloppy…
This is not how you stain a deck…
This is how you paint a deck…
Two very different processes…
Now hand over that paint roller!!
Give it!!
Hang on…
Let go!!!
It’s for your own good…
I can’t let you do this to your deck…
What’s that over there?
Ah ha!!
I got it…
No, no, stay right there…
It’s going to be ok…
Take this deck brush applicator…
Then head over to my deck staining resource page and I’ll show you everything you need to know…
It only takes 15 minutes to get through…
It’ll be the best 15 minutes of your life…
I’ve got your back…
It’s ok…
You can do this without a roller…
Trust me…
Are we good?
Can I trust you to do what’s right for your deck??
Great, I knew you’d eventually come around…
I didn’t want to have to call your friends and family to have an intervention…
I know you’re not a bad person…
You’ve just made some questionable deck restoration choices, that’s all…
You’re on the right path now, so that’s all that matters…
I think I can leave you now…
Whenever you have that urge to stain your deck with a roller, come back here and get a friendly dose of reality…
If you have any questions, please let me know in the comments below…
I’ll do my best to get back to you…
That’s it from me…
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
Yes, you can definitely apply deck stain with a roller but I would never e recommend it. You should use a deck brush applicator and use the Brush on, Brush off technique instead…
It’s way better to apply deck stain with a brush rather than a paint roller. The deck brush applicator is designed to apply a thin layer of stain and then remove any excess by brushing back. A roller will apply too much stain…
The best method for applying stain to a deck is definitely using a deck brush applicator and using the brush on, brush off technique…
0 Comments