Re-applying deck stain after 2 years?

[gtc]

I refinished my girlfriend's deck two summers ago... stripped and sanded every damn inch of the thing. Refinished with two coats of semi-transparent Behr from Home Despot. No doubt not the finest product available, but that's what had been used before, and she wanted it to match. Now it's beggining to show age. I suspect if I didn't touch it, it would start peeling this fall or winter and I would have to strip and refinish again next year, giving me a three year lifespan.

Question is this: Could I clean and restain, and expect another two years? Or am I asking for adhesion problems or some other issue?

I would gladly clean and restain yearly if it meant avoiding the sanding nightmare.

Photo below for reference. (side note: LMK if anyone wants to buy a paddleboard)

[RWebb]

Behr sux; Home Despot sux

it looks ok to me, but if redo it use a good oil based stain - oil soaks in and will not peel

did you use a water based stain? (the chemists have created great water based house & car paint, but not yet good stains)

SuperDeck is pretty good (used to have a red duck on the can before Sh-Wms bought it)

TWP is the best I've found

I'm in the PNW, so results in Az, etc. may differ (OTOH we get 5 months of constant sun)

[LakeCleElum]

I wouldn't sand it unless it was peeling.

Every year, I pressure was and new stain using a pad on a long handle. Under an hour for that deck. I've had good luck with Cabot stain.

[gtc]

But would it be ok to apply a different stain over this one?

[RWebb]

the manfs. tell you to strip all the old stain off

[Evans, Marv]

I've said it before, & I'll say it again - TWP (Total Wood Preservative) Get the oil base (if you can), not the water base like we have to in Cali.

[Tobra]

Marv makes an excellent point

[Zeke]

If the wood feels dry, if it will absorb any water, then you can recoat it. Wood needs to be very dry and a warm day for best results. Apply, let sit for a minute and wipe off the excess. That's for penetrating stain. You don't say what Behr you used. I can't see a 'surface' on the stained deck that would "peel." Is that the case? And Behr does not suck.

[spuggy]

Wifey used various products on the (then) new deck. All of which proved to be short-lived - and provided no actual protection against weathering to the wood at all.

I did some research - and used Outdoor Defense Oil. Blend of 100% Tung oil, pine oil and added zinc as a mold/mildew inhibitor/UV protection. Just clean/prep and keep applying until the wood won't absorb any more.

After, it looks like wood - except a richer/darker color, with the grain very evident. It pretty much glows in sunlight. When it rains, water beads up on it. Insects really not keen on it either.

[stealthn]

Have to agree Behr is the worst paint/stain.
I got tired of painting our deck and went full composite, sooo nice to walk on it with bare feet and not worry about anything.
In the long run it will be well worth it

[RWebb]

oh no - lots of worse stuff than Behr

I just put it below the sux line; Milt doesn't (but he spelled out sucks, so...)

Agree - I don't see a problem on that deck (yet)

[gtc]

Ok, thanks for the advice. I'll give it another coat and see what happens. Couldn't hurt anything, i suppose.

[cairns]

I went composite too. Well worth it.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Behr paint is actually quite good, don’t know about their stain.

Went through something similar this summer, our new cedar posts and handrails were already flaking due to cheap Menards stain that the wife picked. We went with a high end Sherwin Williams stain that was less transparent. The more transparency the shorter the lifespan. Hopefully this one lasts longer.

[rusnak]

I had to power wash, sand, and re-stain the family beach house probably every 2-3 years. Seems I'm always washing the house down and re-painting everything that is metal too. Finally got tired of it and hired a painter to just paint the whole house, including the deck. I probably should have looked into the TWP thing, but I was fed up. On the plus side, have not touched it in almost 5 years now.