Last Updated on April 16, 2024 by TWP Help
Update on Best Application tips for applying the TWP 1500 Series
TWP 1500 Stain
First, measure your wood surface to determine the square footage. TWP 1500 Series Wood and Deck Preservative covers approximately 150-300 sq. ft. per gallon. Buy a little more stain than you need just to be sure you do not run out at the end of the project.
Prior to using TWP 1500 Wood and Deck Stain, clean the wood using a brush or pressure washer along with a quality wood cleaner. Preparing the wood properly will ensure your new TWP Wood Stain will perform optimally.
Once the wood surface is cleaned it must dry for a minimum of 48 hours before any stain can be applied. Be sure the temperature is at least 50 degrees and that dry weather is forecasted for the next several days.
Remove any leaves or debris that may have collected while the wood was drying. Wear protective gear like rubber gloves and safety glasses while completing your wood staining project. Thoroughly mix the TWP 1500 Wood Preservative using a paint stick until it is well blended. Be sure there are no clumps at the bottom of the pail. If the TWP stain has been sitting for some time, a paint store can shake it up for you.
Use plastic to protect any windows, landscaping, concrete, or siding that you do not want to stain. Begin staining the higher areas first. On wood siding, gazebos, wood shakes, and playsets start at the top and stain your way down. On wood decks, it is best to start with the railings and save the deck floor for last.
TWP 1500 Series can be applied in several ways. Use a brush, stain pad, or pump sprayer to apply. With TWP 1500, the first coat is a saturation coat. It should soak in fairly quickly with the exception of new wood which may take longer. If the wood absorbs the first coat with no problem, a second coat of TWP 1500 Stain may be applied. The more stain that is absorbed the better. Apply a second “wet on wet” coat within 30 minutes of the first coat.
Be wary of over-application of the stain. If you see puddles or drips of excess stain that isn’t absorbing into the wood, wipe them away using a brush or stain rag. Do not stop staining in the middle of a board. Doing so can leave lap marks. Finish each board from end to end once you begin staining.
TWP 1500 Series Wood and Deck Preservative is the only wood preservative registered by the EPA. It is designed for all exterior wood surfaces. It has outstanding penetration properties and excellent UV resistance from wood graying. It has superb color retention and is not prone to cracking, peeling, or flaking. TWP 1500 Series will only fade in time and can simply be cleaned and reapplied as necessary for maintenance.
A month ago I pre-treated with your recommended cleaner to remove mill glaze on new pine deck, let dry for 48 hours, then applied 1.5 coats of 1500. Surprise thunderstorm put 1/2 inch of rain on the deck less than 12 hours. Besides some spotting, there are several areas where the more “sappy” wood is showing nearly pure white color. How do I deal with this?
Jim,
Did you read our article on new wood?: http://www.twpstainhelp.com/prepping-new-wood-for-twp-stains/
At this point you will need to remove with the Restore A Deck Stripper and Brightener then restain after. You might want to wait until Fall or next Spring to do this. It will be easier to remove.
Coated teakwood tables with other top name brand product customer complaining fading is happening faster than normal(2 months). Factory rep says, Pgh. Weather is bad f there product, I sày horse hockey, will twp help our cause? Thank you, mike
Problem is your wood (teak) type. It will need to be done every 3-12 months.
Stained ~20 hours ago, rain is starting to drop. Should it be OK or are we in trouble? Will the stain get washed away if not fully dry yet? What is the worst that can happen?
It is probably going to be fine. Worst case you would have to strip and start over.
Project is 95% completed! Overall, I am happy with the application of the 1520 Pecan and the two-tone style you recommended after painfully removing layers of a Behr stain that was paint like.
I had a sample of the pecan and although the final application looks great, I don’t think it looks as nice as the sample board I did. The first coat didn’t soak in right away and I could still see a shine from being wet for a few hours after the first coat, so I left it and opted out of the wet on wet. I am thinking the wet on wet would have given me that richer look I was after from my stain sample.
1. Will a maintenance coat help even out and darken the stain to the real pecan color?
2. When can I apply a maintenance coat, this fall in a few months or should I wait until next Spring, ~8 to 10 months out?
3. When applying again, all I need to do is a clean and powerwash, right? No brightener?4. Can I apply 2 maintenance coats wet on wet, right over the top of the old stain when I do this?
1. Most likely
2. 6-12 months after initial application.
3. For maintenance coat you can just clean lightly to remove dirt and reapply. Just one coat, not two.
If rough sawn then yes you can pre-stain with one light coat prior. TWP 1500 for Ohio.
Just leave it as is. Worse case scenario you will have to redo next year do to the over application.
Understood. And, good news is this morning it appears dry for the most part and a lot of the ‘sheen’ has settled down. Still a lot of shiny, but so be it. While my head is in this, when you say ‘redo’, would that just be your cleaner prep and a light coat of stain?
Side question: Storage of the stain: We rarely get below 32 deg F here, can I keep it in my garage (don’t have a basement)?
No you will need to remove when you reapply. Do not allow it to freeze in storage.
Try a very light mixture of 1 part bleach to 5 parts water. Apply the mixture to the entire deck and rinse well after 15 minutes. Let dry for 1-2 days then stain.
We like the deck staining pads: http://www.twpstain.com/brushes-stain-pads
How do you use the pads on 5 1/2″ boards and only do one board at a time end to end? The smallest pad is 7″ wide.
You can over lap slightly.
Just had our 1100 square foot cedar deck that is 8 months old stained yesterday afternoon. How long should I wait till get on the deck and move the chairs and such back on. It was 90 degrees F when it was stained.
24-48 hours. Just make sure it is dry.
You will be fine.
wll the stripper hurt vinyl sidding or the basement walls below
It should not.
what would the proper steps be to remove and get the deck ready, and which prducts should i use only want to dothis once ,, thanks
It varies depending on which Sikkens you used. Either strip with the Restore A Deck Stain Stripper or sand it off. Brighten the wood when done. As for the stain series, that depends on which state you are in?
i have a deck done last year in sikkens srd can i just clean and restain with twp 1500
No you cannot apply TWP on the Sikkens. The Sikkens would need to be remove first by stripping or sanding.
I am so stupid! I failed to read all the instructions, now I have a huge deck that is shinny and sticky. I don’t mind the shinny and am thinking of waiting until next year to strip and start over as we missed all last summer having it built. But how long do you think it will take to dry and be not sticky, if ever?
It will stop being sticky eventually. It could take 3-7 days.
Thanks
I too didn’t see the wipe away excess part until after the
fact. I put it on pretty thick on a five year old cedar deck (stained once 3 years ago) that while the rails are not rough cut, it isn’t smooth either. 24 hours later in all sun and high eighties (Lynnwood WA) it is still tacky and shiny. I’m afraid of wiping it with a mineral spirited soaked rag as it will snag and leave cloth everywhere me thinks. The deck boards are smooth.
Should I try anyway? I’m primarily worried about the job I just did ‘failing prematurely” if I don’t. Otherwise, I don’t care if takes a few more days to dry. It was prepped with your stripper and power washed and had 72 hours ++ of dry time.
Hi I’m getting ready to stain a pretty large cedar fence installed 1 year ago. It just barely started greying. Question is, can TPW 1500 be sprayed with an airless sprayer and backrolled? Does it need thinning to do so? It’s about 50 sections of 8 x 6, so hand apllying will just take too long. Thanks
You should not thin TWP. Yes you can spray and and pad wipe for an even application.
I applied one coat of TWP1500 series stain to kiln dried knotty cedar decking Sept 2014. The decking was new, and I used the Gemini Restore Kit per instructions. After a cold and snowy Winter, I notice a few spots where the stain is flaking and the areas around the knots are noticeably lighter than the rest of the decking. The vertical railings and balusters look great. I plan to apply a second coat this Spring. Do I need to use the Gemini Restore Kit again, or can I just wash and rinse with water to remove dust and debris? Also, should the second coat be lighter than the first, or should I apply as much as the wood will absorb? Thanks.
Just wash with soapy water to remove dirt and reapply. Apply a light coat, as much as the wood can absorb. Too much and it will peel if it does not soak in.
Thanks for the quick reply and guidance.
Welcome!
Scott Paul
OPW/TheSealerStore
248.299.2512
Scott, I am finally getting decent enough weather with no pollen in the air to apply the second coat of TWP 1500 stain. Recently, I noticed that the areas where the stain did not take are showing signs of mildew. Any advice before on how to mitigate the mildew before applying the second coat of stain? Thanks in advance.
We have a pressure treated deck with some additions ranging from 20 to 7 years old in Vermont., It has just been stripped of Sikkens SRD, brightened/neutralized, sanded and power washed. It is now drying and will be ready to finish. We are considering using TWP 1500 because of the ratings we have seen particularly concerning durability and ease of reapplication. Would this be a good finish to use under our conditions? Would you recommend 2 wet on wet coats now or one now and another after a power wash in the fall,or next spring? Any advice would be appreciated.
The 1500 Series would be a good choice. Apply one coat now and another light coat next Spring to the horizontals only.
What is the average life span for the TWP 1500? It is for a 2 tier deck on a house in the mountains of NC.
About 2-3 years for the horizontals and 3-4 for the verticals.
I applied TWP 1500 two years ago on my deck. It has faded in direct sun. I plan on reapplying another coat. Do I need to strip it before applying another coat?
No need to strip but use the Gemini Restore Kit of the prep.
Yes the proper prep is the Gemini Restore Kit and no need to sand.
I just put down som new pressure treated deck boards. How long do I need to wait before applying TWP 1500
Please read this: http://www.twpstainhelp.com/prepping-new-wood-for-twp-stains/
We had our contractor apply the 1516-1 stain over our outdoor pine deck (Austin, TX). Three days later it is still tacky, and some parts have a noticeable sheen. Our contractor didn’t “wipe away excess” instead applied what I assume to be a thick coat.
Would another light application of stain, to soften the tacky already applied coat, and then wiping away the new coat work to solve the problem? or do we need to purchase mineral spirits and some sponges?
Adding more TWP will not help and will most likely make it worse. Best to wipe it down with rags and mineral spirits to help speed up the drying. Make sure to saturate any rags with water when done to avoid spontaneous combustion.
We have purchased TWP 1500 to use on two tongue and groove pine porch ceilings (new wood). Any tips on overhead application?
Tarp the floor below well and wear cloths and a hat they you are okay with getting stain on. Do a very light coat. Only one is needed. Watch for drips that will form within the hour. If you see any, wipe them with a rag or brush. If you use a rag, saturate that with water when completely done to avoid any accidental spontaneous combustion.
What is the highest allowable moisture content of wood to apply TWP 1500
18% or less.
I had a cypress deck installed about 6 months ago here in Memphis. Unfortunately, the boards show a lot of planner marks and these worsen upon application of the TWP (I tested on a spare board with samples I ordered). So I intend to sand the whole deck with 80 grit. I tested this also on a spare board and it gave a much nicer and more uniform finish. can I apply immediately after sanding and removing dust? Seemed to work fine for the test board.
After sanding you should use the Gemini Restore Kit for prep to remove sand dust and open the wood grain so the stain can penetrate deeper.
Hi,
I’m in the midst of a siding project on my house using Red cedar (rough sawn out) Im in WNY and the siding came from out of state prestained at the factory with TWP 1515 Honeytone. Unfortunately we are going to fall about 20 boards short. We’ve been able to located our pattern at a nearby lumber yard but it won’t be stained. Thus the issue…
I want to stain this before we finish installing it, however due to board length its proving difficult to find a spot to get it indoors and warm..I can get it in my garage but its uninsulated/heated.
Our temperatures are now in the 30’s/40’s and 20’s overnight. I know their is a recommend temperature for which to apply but is this just to achieve the quickest cure time??
I have a few weeks time before the contractors will be back so if I stain it and it takes a few days to fully cure instead of several hrs will this be detrimental to the ability of the stain ?
Any others recommendations? If what I’ve read through our postings here is right, since this is rough sawn , 2 coats or “wet on wet” is NOT required.. Correct??
That is really to cold for it to set up properly. I would strongly suggest getting a space heater in the garage so it is at least 45+. You can rent them at local rental yards. Just one coat should work but shoot for matching the other wood that was pre-stained.
That crossed my mind however the original siding was stained, sat for 2 weeks before it shipped, then I had in a building for a week with outside air recirculating system and when I went back the fumes were incredibly strong. So I was worried about putting a salomander heater in with that aroma. I’ll keep looking at options, thanks.
Welcome
Forgot to ask before, in other postings I’ve noticed you tend to frown upon the action of staining all sides. However I’ve not seen where you give any explanation for that.
It seemed like a no brainer good idea to me, however I would like to hear the negatives of it from someone in know..Thanks..
There is no advantage to staining sides. TWP protects exposed wood from rain, sun, etc. The only reason to stain all sides is if exposed or for appearance. Example would be the underside of a deck that has a walkout and you wanted to stain the bottom so it looks better.
What is the best method for applying to teak furniture? Are two coats necessary for exotic hardwood decks like Ipe?
Only 1 coat. Apply with brush and back wipe all excess stain that does not absorb after 10 minutes.
We just had our deck floor replaced with redwood boards a couple weeks ago. I would like to use the 1500 series redwood color stain on them. I read on here that I shouldn’t do anything for 4-12 months, but I’m concerned because the deck is uncovered and we’re coming up on the rainy season. Supposed to get rain this weekend actually. Should I not worry about it and just let the wood “season” for a year? This is in San Diego, California by the way. Thanks!
Yes you need to wait and prep before staining.
If I don’t use the full gallon, how long can I store the remaining stain for later use?
Please read this: http://www.twpstainhelp.com/shelf-life-of-twp/
You should get off as much as possible. 95% or more would be best. Sand only lightly if you have splinters. I would suggest some samples of Pecan, Rustic, and Redwood to test first to make sure.
I am all set to stain my 15 yo deck with 1500 cedar tone. Stripped old stain and it has been drying for 3 days. Sunny with no rain predicted for next 3 days with high temps about 60. But the low temps will be around 40. Is this ok?
Yes that is fine for applying the TWP.
Best to not apply another coat now but rathre a light coat next Spring. Prep by washing off dirt. You can try to remove the excess stain with mineral spirits or lacquer thinner.
I keep seeing recommendations for using a car wash brush to apply the stain. Is that recommended for TWP 1500?
You can do that with TWP.
You need to remove the Sikkens. You need a pressure washer and the Restore A Deck Stripper fooled by the Restore A Deck Brightener. The Gemini restore kit will not remove the Sikkens. For application you will need temps above 50 degrees. It is okay if it fall below that over night but do not stain if is falls below freezing and it has not had at least 6 hours of drying during daylight.
Use an exterior stain pad, not a roller for application. Much better. Please read this about storing: http://www.twpstainhelp.com/shelf-life-of-twp/
We stained our cedar deck with the 1500 Cedartone two days ago using a large paintbrush. I can see some serious lap marks right in front of the sliding glass door. Is there anything I can do to repair the lap marks?
Not at this point there is not much you can do. It is very hard to spot fix. You could try wiping the over lap marks with some mineral spirits and rags to see if maybe that helps.
Do I need to allow 48 hours for the fence to dry whenever it gets wet; rain, sprinkler, etc??. I let it stand for 48 hours after power washing and cleaning but it rained a couple of days later.
Depends on the severity of the rain. Heavy rain and you should wait 48 hours. Light rain and 24 should be enough.
You need the 1500 Series for Ohio. Please read this about new wood: http://www.twpstainhelp.com/prepping-new-wood-for-twp-stains/
Thanks
Staining all sides prior to install does not have any benefits. Best to install and stain the exposed wood after install. Since the wood is mostly rough sawn, you can go ahead and stain right after install.
The Western Red Cedar Lumber Association talks about back-priming as being important for cedar siding:
http://www.realcedar.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/installingsiding.pdf
http://www.realcedar.com/siding/finishing/ (click Application tab)
It will definitely cost me more money and time to back-prime the smooth unexposed side (and it sounds like the wood won’t absorb much on that side anyway). Nevertheless I do not want to deal with cupping or restaining more often than needed. If I don’t back-prime, are there alternative tips you advise (like put a second coat of prime after the first year and then every other year after)?
Thanks
They are wrong when dealing with TWP. You do not want to 100% seal all sides of the wood. Just install and stain as suggested. Reapply a light coat when it starts to fade.
Best to use a stripper while pressure washing to remove all old Cabot first. The TWP 1500 is an oil based stain.
We had a deckinstalled last year. We allowed it to dry out and then used the Gamini 2 part prep system per instructions. We live in the Seattle area so we had to wait a couple of weeks for it to dry. We applied the 1530 stain and it looked great. That very evening clouds moved in and it rained (wasn’t supposed to rain for 72 hours, but it did). We left it alone until this summer. I had a contractor do it this time. He used the Gemini and then applied the stain 3 days later…no rain this time. It is very shiny now and feels sticky 3 days after it was done. There are areas that have small bubbles in it. What caused this and how do I fix it? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Shiny means it was over applied or not prepped correctly resulting in it not being able to penetrate into the wood. The only way to fix this is to strip it down and start over. it will dry so you might want to just leave it alone foe now and strip it off next year.
I was afraid of that. Thanks for the information.
Sorry about that 🙁
For a cedar rough sawn fence is it best to apply with a sprayer over a brush to ensure better coverage? If so will a garden type pump sprayer work?
Best to spray then back brush the second coat. Pump sprayer work for this.
Go ahead and stain now since most of the wood is rough and it is vertical wood. No way to remove the green tint.
We would prefer you use an exterior stain pad over a roller. Much better application and penetration.
Do not apply the second coat now. Best to apply another maintenance coat as needed 1-2 years down the road.
We want to apply the stain with a sprayer – what type sprayer do we use?
A pump sprayer or a airless sprayer will work.
Not much you can do now for lap marks. Wipe off excess stain with mineral spirits and rags for the shiny spots.
I have no experience with wood deck treatment but TWP 1500 is highly rated, The deck I want to treat for the first time is over one year old, pressure treated wood. It is time and the wood looks dry.. I want to apply the TWP 1500 and looking for a clear stain, is it available?
Yes there is a clear in the 1500 but clear has not pigment and hence it will have zero UV protection from preventing graying. The lightest tint that prevents UV graying is the Honeytone. Make sure to prep first with the Gemini Restore Kit.
Hi we stained the deck and the railings on the upper deck, but are thinking we would like to paint the railings and leave the floor stained. Can I use an oil based primer over the stain or do I need to prepare the surface in some way. And, if so, how?
That would be more of a question for the manufacturer of the deck paint you will be using.
I have a deck that has been treated with TWP in the past what prep should I do for a new coat of 1500 the old stain was the old I believe 100.
Prep with the Gemini Restore Kit for this.
Thanks!