Stained my deck last summer - what's wrong...?

Question

I stained my cedar porch last summer, and it is wearing already (actually started wearing like 6 months after). We have no porch covering so rain, sun, and weather hit it everyday. AND, the most wearing is where the most foot traffic is (obviously).

Did I put it on badly... should I have put on some sort of protectant or urethane?

AND... how should i correct... Do i need to sand and redo the areas, or sand and redo entire porch. If I do redo it, any tips (e.g., stain and urethane?)

Help..

Answer 1

Did you use a semi-transparent oil stain or a solid color stain? Was this a new cedar deck or aged a bit ?

If you used one of those 'clear stains' trying to protect the look of a new cedar deck, you got what mostly happens when using them.

Answer 2

First off, did you JUST stain it?
No polyurethane or protectant?
If you did only stain it, that's your problem. Stains don't really protect the wood (I say 'not really' because they DO protect, but certainly not at the level you need).
What you need is high quality exterior polyurethane. I redid my redwood deck about a year ago with Behr exterior polyurethane. Also, make sure you use more than one coat- the first penetrates into the wood, but others after it sit ON the wood and protect it.
One more thing: the more transluscent the stain is, the less it protects (think sunscreen vs sunblock vs a wool sweater). So if you don't have any luck with stains, consider painting your deck. Make sure you choose a color you like (I got stuck with a really ugly orange when I bought my house :x )

Best of luck!

Answer 3

Stain just colors the wood, its not a protectant, unless you got a combo product.

You need to sand it down and either restain, but then seal or polyurethane. My deck does not have a cover either, doesn't get all day full sun, but exposed to all the elements. I sealed last year with Thompsons water seal and water still beads, although I will reseal it again.