Last Updated on January 30, 2023 by TWP Help
Dry and Curing for TWP Stains. How long does it take?
It is good to know the dry and curing time of TWP (Total Wood Preservative) Stain prior to applying. Some people get in too big of a rush and want to start putting furniture, plants, grills, etc. back onto a wood surface too soon after staining. It is best to allow TWP to fully dry and cure before allowing foot traffic and items to be placed on the surface.
Drying and curing time for TWP may vary depending on climate and weather conditions. Over application can also affect dry and curing times. TWP should dry evenly flat with no glossy areas. Glossy areas indicate over-application of the product and will extend the dry and curing time of TWP. To avoid over applying TWP, allow the stain to soak into the bare wood for 30 minutes then wipe away or back brush any excess stain that has not penetrated the surface. Do not apply TWP if rain is expected within 48 hours. TWP can withstand light rain within an hour or so of being applied but it is best to wait for dry conditions prior to staining.
TWP Drying Time
TWP should only be applied when the temperatures are expected to be between 50-90 degrees. It should not be applied in direct sunlight or high heat conditions. This can cause the stain to dry too quickly before it fully penetrates. Moisture can also affect the dry and curing time. It may be necessary to apply TWP later in the afternoon if there was heavy dew the night before. In perfect drying conditions and assuming TWP was applied properly, the dry time ranges from 24 to 72 hours. After an adequate dry time of TWP, foot traffic and heavy items can be returned to the wood surface.
Applying TWP Stain in dry conditions with proper application methods will result in a quick 24 to 72 hour dry and curing time. Applying TWP in ideal conditions and allowing it to dry as fast as possible will also reduce the risk of a surprise rainstorm that may jeopardize the freshly stained finish.
I have a treated pine deck that is several years old. My contractor applied 2 coats of TWP on the deck and it is not drying. It is wet enough to leave finger prints after 24 hours. What is my best coarse of action?
Let it continue to dry and cure. It may take a few days or even a week.
I will be using a semi-solid stain in northern Wisconsin. So far this summer the daytime temps have been in the 70’s and night time low 60’s. Every morning there is dew on the deck and furniture. I can stain as soon as the deck has dried in the morning. Will that be enough time to then to dry before dew comes in again? In between late morning and night the deck is in full sun.
Yes, that will work.
So from 10am to 6pm it will be sunny and hot (92)…..The deck will be all shaded from 6pm until 6am…..Will the deck be too hot to stain after 6pm when it’s fully shaded? 1st time staining a 14mo. old deck. Wet on Wet is supposed to take only 60-90 min (600 sq ft deck) Thank you
It should be fine if in the shade.
Didn’t do proper wood prep and had my deck stained resulting in poor appearance. I didn’t have the time and resources to prep it properly and was wanting more for protection than apprarance. Do you think how it looks now will protect the deck for 2-3 years or should I redo staining? If redoing stain, suggestions on how to go about doing it. Thanks!
It will be fine for 2 years. Strip and brighten when you redo then.
Just realized having about 1/2 left over from the 5 G bucket of TWP, will probably be not good in 2 years. If I were to redo it and use the left over (so as not to go to waste), how soon can I do it? It is good weather right now for application. Once it is dry from last application (last Friday + 72 hrs?), is there anymore benefit waiting for several more months? I am assuming using the Gemini restore a deck is enough to prep the deck prior to usual application. Thanks.
You can clean and recoat in 6 months,
1. 6 months will be around Dec, probably temp range mid 30s to 70s F in my area. Providing no rain, can i still clean and re-coat in these conditions? 2. Is there a minimum temp requirement for application? Thanks.
You can wait until next Spring then if you want. Cannot be below 50 when applying.
Just applied two coats of TWP 103 Dark Oak a few hours ago. I read the instructions frequently linked about how to do wet on wet and did backbrushing and made sure there were no “puddles, drips, or runs”. However I’m still guessing I put on too much. You look like you respond quite quickly to customer inquiries. Any advice?
You over-applied. See this: https://twpstainhelp.com/twp-stain-is-spotty-or-shiny/
Next morning photo, been about 12 hours. How do I know when it’s dry enough to use a rag and mineral spirits?
Give it 24-48 hours and if still shiny or sticky, wipe it down.
All right. After 48 hours it looks like this. No longer shiny, however there is a gummy/sticky residue on top of the boards that comes off like this when rubbing with a dry cloth. Mineral spirits time? The highs have been mid 70s, lows at 50 degrees. Its a screened in porch so not much sun, maybe give it another day? Thanks for the help.
Try another day or two and then mineral spirits if needed.
Completed two tone deck re-stain 72 hours ago and have a question about the TWP 1500 Black Walnut I used on my flat horizonal sections. Weather has been ideal during staining and afterward (daytime 70s; night time upper 40s). Stained wet on wet and likely put on a little heavy  😬  b/c when testing if ready to walk-on, I put down a papertowel and removed and there’s stain on my papertowl (see attached). Do I need to go back over tacky sections w/damp mineral spirits on a cloth and rub away excess? How far do I go on the removal?
Based on the pictures you excessively overapplied. TWP is not supposed to be shiny. See this for tips: https://twpstainhelp.com/twp-stain-is-spotty-or-shiny/
After some light wiping w/mineral spirits and rags more of the wood shows through (see pics) vs next to those not wiped. Is the area wiped w/wood showing through adequate Black Walnut stain? It almost looks like what I started with?
That is the way it is supposed to be. TWP is a penetrating stain, not a filming stain that dries on top of the wood.
There are some shiny, slightly tacky areas on the top railing 24 hours after applying. Weather is ideal in the lows 70s. I wiped the areas with a rag and took off some of the excess stain. If the weather conditions remain ideal will those slightly tacky areas eventually dry?
Yes.
Looking at my weather forecast — I have the option to stain Friday and then rain expected Sunday morning. Then rain constantly Sunday-Thursday. Is the amount of rain expected a problem?
No issues.
I ordered too much stain. Can unopened cans of stain be returned for credit?
https://www.twpstain.com/refund
I stained my 5 year old (never before stained) and finished last Tuesday night. Everything went well and it looks great. I waited until today, Friday afternoon before steping on it or moving furniture back on it. When i placed my grill back, i noticed that the casters of the grill marked the boards where i rolled it into position. The stain did not came of the boards or stick to the casters at all, is just the marks…
Do you think these marks are permanent and if so any way to remove them? Should i avoid moving the rest of my furniture and wait more time?
Those are dents in the wood. No way to remove them. Probably go away over time.
Struggling with the current weather pattern here in Austin, TX. I’ve stripped and brightened all of my decks. Trying to figure out if there is a “window” where I can apply TWP100 between rains. A low pressure system off of Baja keeps sending waves across Mexico into Texas triggering rain showers (some quite heavy at 2-3″ in an hour) every 12-18 hours, sometimes 24 hours. In between the weather is beautiful. Any recommendations on if/how I can spray TWP100 in these conditions?
We leave for vacation mid June for two weeks. If I cannot get this done by the end of next week it will be roughly 4 weeks after the wood has been prepped. Will the wood still be able to properly accept an application of TWP100 four weeks later?
Frustrated, 🙄
Jim
You have to wait 48 hours after rain and no rain for 12+ hours after applying. There is not a way to shorten this. Also, stain within 2 weeks of prep or you will need to lightly reclean and brighten.
Thanks for the prompt response. Even though that’s not what I wanted to hear 😕
How come you say “no rain 12+ hours after staining” but the article says “Do not apply TWP if rain is expected within 48 hours.” That seems like a lot of variance or is it just a matter of “real world” vs best case/optimum conditions. Looking to stain Friday, but there is a 40% chance of rain Sunday evening. Doable?
ATB,
Sam
You will be fine.
I just finished staining my deck and did not know about the adverse effects this stain would have on plants. I have one small Japanese maple that unfortunately is losing many of its leaves. Do you happen to know if the stain just effects the tree externally or is the stain absorbed and the tree may die. It’s a great stain, and only my ignorance is to blame since I’m new at deck staining.
It may burn the leaves if the stain gets on it but it should not damage the tree permanently.
I had a company stain my deck with TWP. They used a sprayer to apply. Deck had been cleaned prior and was in dry condition. We had rain for 10 hours within 6 hours of application. Should I be concerned about the integrity of this stain application?
Thank you,
Judy A
It should be fine unless you see water spots after the rain dries off.
I have the TWP Preservative in Honey tone, 5 gal purchased last year.
This is an oil based stain. I have prepped with the restore a deck stripper and brightener. What is the proper application of the preservative?
See here for tips:
https://twpstainhelp.com/tips/application-instructions/how-to-apply-twp-100/
https://twpstainhelp.com/twp-stain-wet-on-wet-application/
For the twp1500 stain, what can the temperature drop to the night the stain is applied?
Not below 40.
Thank you for the quick response.
Soooo I’m using 1500 series on a 1400sq ft deck and don’t really have the time luxury to work out of direct sunlight and fairly hot weather. The stain seemed to be penetrating but it did seem to dry pretty quickly. Am I screwed? How deep should the stain have penetrated?
Also, can more stain be applied after it has died for a while?
The TWP needs to fully soak into the wood. Second coats need to go on wet on wet: https://twpstainhelp.com/twp-stain-wet-on-wet-application/
Deck appears dry, not tacky, no shiny spots. However, if I wipe with a cloth, it gets a little stain on it. Is it dry enough for furniture? Carpet? Foot traffic?
Deck is covered and was stained 72 hours ago. There fans on it to circulate air.
Still curing, wait a little longer.
There is an oily residue on deck after 3 days applying TWP 1500 series on redwood.. can I expect that to go away/dry? what can I do to get a clean surface?
Hello, we responded to you prior about this: https://twpstainhelp.com/twp-stain-is-spotty-or-shiny/
Try the wiping it down with mineral spirits method in the article.
I applied one coat of 1500 twp on the old porch floor, and the wood didn’t seem to be “thirsty”. It seems like it absorbed enough. The one coat of black walnut stain looks beautiful and is taking its time to dry. I worked the stain in nicely by brushing it over and over again on each board. Does this mean one coat is enough? My porch gets almost no rain throughout the year and not that much sun either.
Yes, just one coat.
Is all TWP oil base
TWP 100, 1500, and 200 Series are all oil-based.
We applied stain under all the right conditions. We have an awning on our deck and for some reason the stain under it is still glossy and tacky after 6 days. Will it eventually dry? I’m anxious to get my furniture back and be able to enjoy the summer.
Yes, it will dry. See for tips: https://twpstainhelp.com/twp-stain-is-spotty-or-shiny/
So I applied TWP stain and finished around 11:30am No rain was expected but apparently over night or this morning it rained. I don’t think it was a significant amount but the deck was had water beaded up on it. So I took a broom and got as much water off as possible- now what? Will this have a negative effect on the deck or was it such a small amount that it won’t make much of a difference? I know it had at least a 12 hour dry time before the rain? Also, does this mean we wait additional time before moving furniture and grill back onto the deck? Thanks for your help! This is my first time staining a deck (can you tell?)
It is most likely fine. Let it dry and make sure it is fine in another day or two. 24-48 hours for furniture.
Great news! Thanks! We were told by our contractor that this is the best stain there is-40 plus years experience on his end. It looks great so far!
Will this product kill or injure my shrubs that are established plantings?
You should not get the TWP on any plants.
I have had to replace boards on my deck. Will new boards take the stain differently than the older ones with a semi transparent stain
Yes. New boards will be lighter in color as they are less absorbent. They will blend in when you have to redo in 2-3 years, but will not match the first time staining.
I waited for a 5 day window with no rain forecast to paint my 1000sqft deck with twp1500. Day 3 the chance of rain was 0% at 10am when I started painting. Finished the second coat of wet on wet by 5pm and of course it rained at 7:30pm. Will this likely impact the longevity of the stain?
It may wash off the stain and leave it looking blotchy. Post a picture here after the rain water dries off.
The next morning I found the oil pooled up. I used wet rags to wipe it away so the sun wouldn’t bake it to the wood.
The final picture is how it looks 2 days later after wiping away and letting dry. It is blotchy. Would another coat correct this or do I need to wash it with the bleach solution again and start over?
You need to strip it all off and start over. Recoating now will not fix it (make it worse) and bleach will not do anything to prep properly.
See this for stripping: https://www.twpstain.com/restore-a-deck-stripper-brightener-kit-detail
Is this purely a visual issue or is the ability of the stain to protect the wood also compromised. I might wait til next year or even the following year to take on this project again.
Will the stain do a proper job of protecting the wood in its current condition or is that severely compromised as well?
If the primary failure is visual only, I might let it weather and wait a season or 2 before stripping it and starting again.
You would be fine to wait until Spring to strip and start over but going two years would be an issue.
This is a deck on the roof of my building. It is built roughly 1′ above the roof surface. The flat roof below the deck has the typical silver paint finish. Will this stripper damage the roof paint?
It shouldn’t.
I had no choice and applied the stain in direct sunlight. I applied 2 coats wet on wet. is my application compromised?
You should be fine as long as it dries evenly.
We love the TWP product but we just re-applied the TWP 1500 Stain and it is ponding alot even though we wiped it down and even though it was supposed to be dry next 48 hours we have a some pop up thunderstorms in the area. What should we do? Will this harm the finish? It is a re-coat after two years on the deck floor only.
It should be fine if it rains on it by then. Just leave as is.
Do you suggest the the weather stay between 50-90 degrees for the entire time of curring (i.e. 50+ in the evenings too)? Currently we are experiencing highs in the low to mid 60’s, but the evenings, overnights & mornings are in the low 40’s. Should i wait to stain until overnight highs are above 50?
It can drop below 50 overnight but cannot drop below freezing.
What will happen if the overnight temps drop below freezing? Trying to finish a reapplication on my barn. Weather is not cooperating in Michigan.
If the stain has not dried and it freezes overnight you could have an issue with the stain not properly curing. This could lead to the stain being tacky and blotchy.