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.
I live in PA. I have a 1 year old 500 sq ft cedar deck that I recently stripped of its Pennofin sealer. The deck sees about 6 hours of sun a day with the rest shaded under large mature trees. I was not happy with Pennofin’s ability to resist mildew and tannin staining. It turned black over a short period of time. Two questions:
1-I like the look of the natural cedar look. If given the choice I’d rather keep the natural color vs. staining it. Is your TWP1500 1530-Natural the equivalent of clear? And, if so will using Natural over Cedartone sealer provide my deck with less mildew/tannin stain protection?
2-Does the 1500 use synthetic resins?
Thanks,
Jim
Hi, we applied 1500 Cedartone to a large deck in Chicago. We have some shiney spots, which I understand occurs from either too much stain or poor prepping. Other than that, it looks great. Is there something we can do to eliminate the shiney spots or will they fade over time? Also, when applying a maintenance coat next year, do we need to strip the shiney spots or just prep using a wood cleaner and wood brightener? Thanks.
How long a drying period do I need? (for example, if forecast is for AM rain today and PM rain tomorrow, would that be ok?) I was planning to cover the deck with a tarp during the shower…
I have an 8 year old cedar deck that I have just cleaned with TSP and power washing. I’m looking to get a good stain that will be best for the deck and easy to maintain in years to come. Something that can just be cleaned and reapplied. Any suggestions on what TWP product to use?
Hello,
I have three quick questions:
The wet-on-wet application. Does this mean you can only do a very small portion of the deck at a time? I would imagine if you did a large area with the first coat that you’d have to walk over it to apply the second?
I live in upstate NY. We get a lot of snow in the winter and my deck is located in a wooded area that is often wet and will sometimes go awhile without direct sunlight. Would you recommend the 100 or 1500 for this deck? It is 20+ years old and currently has a semitransparent oil-based stain that has been on for 3 years.
The current stain isn’t really chipping but has left some bare spots. What type of prep should I do? Full removal of the current stain? Even from the railings?
Thank you so much. I almost bought Behr and I’m glad I went online to find your product!
My question was RE TWP 100 or 1500 on a newly sanded five year old porch deck. I am located in Kentucky.
My situation is just like LIsa’s problem below. I put on the 1500 last August after completely sanding the old stain off my deck. Cleaned, brightened – put on two coats – everything by the book.After cleaning the deck yesterday it looks very worn – looks like not much stain on it.
What do I do? Can I clean it and apply more stain now?
At this point I am not happy with TWP stain.
I am awaiting shipment of my TWP stain order, i went with a 5 gallon pail of 1500 in cedartone. Also purchased the gemini cleaner and brightener kit. In regards to this product, i have seen the “wet on wet” application numerous times and that is what i plan on doing. Although, i have seen conflicting suggestions in terms of a “new” deck and doing one coat or two coats of the TWP 1500. I have seen people say if the deck is less than a year old, to prep the deck and do only one coat of TWP. On the contrary I have seen it mentioned for people with a 4 month old deck to do two coats. I believe 4-12 months of seasoning is what i have read before on this site. So all in all, what is the timeline of a deck still being in the “new deck” stage in regards to choosing one coat or two coats?
Time and labor is not an issue here , i just do not want to “waste” a second coat if one coat is sufficient for the new wood followed by a maintenance application next year as well. Thank you for an awesome website to help us out here with staining help. Any suggestions/tips would be great. Thank you
Maintenance coat question: Last year I completely restored a deck, stripping and sanding. I applied two coats of TWP 1500 Redwood. It has held up pretty well over the winter, but I’d like to apply a maintenance coat. Do I simply need to do a quick spray wash with water only before I apply the maintenance coat, or should I use any cleaner/brightener products? Thanks.
I have a porch and deck that is about 1 1/2 years old. The wood is KDAT and was stained with TWP 1500 when it was new (1 1/2 years ago). The outside deck and handrails need another coat so I’m going to stain everything. Do I need to do anything more than power wash and let the wood dry before I apply a new coat of 1500?
Thanks!
Can I apply on masonary chinking as well as logs on our log home??
You can apply TWP over wood, not masonry surfaces.
A company refinished my 20 year old cedar deck in Southern California using TWP 1500. They thoroughly washed it, then the next day sanded every inch of it and applied Natural TWP 1500 the third day. It looks fantastic. However, there are a couple boards that have some wet spots on them even a few days after they have finished. How should I address this? Should I sand, and reapply the stain? How long does the gallon last when stored?
Just wipe off any excessive stain with mineral spirits and a rag. Saturate any oily rags in water when finished and lay flat outdoors to dry.
TWP, a question: We had our deck sealed Saturday by a company using TWP 1500. They started about 9am and finished about 4:30pm, Unfortunately it began raining about 8.5 hours later (around 1am in the morning). Should I be concerned?
It is most likely fine.
I have a log house and I originally treated it with 500 series TWP stain. It’s been re-stained once also with the 500 series stain. The house has been washed and prepped and I’m ready to re-stain the house. Since the the 1500 series has replaced the 500 series do I need to do anything differently?
Also, I still have about 2-3 gal of the 500 series stain left: may I mix it with the 1500 series, or are the two incompatible when mixed?
You can mix as long as the 500 is still good. Nothing different is needed to be done as the 1500 is an improved version of the 500.
I have a home sided with 40 year old redwood RB&B T1-11 type siding that I had power washed about 2 months ago. There has never been any type of sealer applied to the siding. Is power washing enough prep to this older siding before applying TWP 1500 or is it necessary to use RAD and brightener? Also, is there a time limit on how long after the power washing I would have to apply the stain, or is it just a matter of it getting dirty again? The redwood does appear to be darkening again, but I really don’t want to power wash it too much.
You should re-prep again using the Gemini Restore Kit and pressure washing. You should always stain within two weeks of the pressure washing/prep.
Hi, we waited a little long past summer to get our deck ready. We expect a few days of dry weather coming up. However, the temperature is 70F during the day, but falls to 40F at night. Would we still be good to stain? Or with that low of 40F at night mess it all up?
No issues with these temps.
Great thanks!
Hello, We have prepped our cedar deck with the gemini cleaner and brightner. It will have been dry for 48 hrs tomorrow. We would like to stain with TWP 1500 tomorrow but there is a slight chance of rain for the day after tomorrow. It looks like we are running out of the 3 day dry spells we have been having.
if it rains within 24 hrs after staining will the stained surface be damaged?
What is the minimum window of no rain after staining one should try for.
Thank you for your helpful guidance
Typically you need about 12-24 hours of drying before the rain. Make sure that you do not over apply and the TWP fully absorbs into the wood and you should be okay.
I stripped and applied brightener to 2700′ sq ft of vertical cedar siding in Southern California approx 4 weeks ago. The color we want to use is TWP 1502 Redwood mixed 50/50 with TWP 1500 Clear. Why does stain need to be applied within two weeks, and since I wasn’t able to do that, what do I need to do now?
Within 2 weeks is mostly for horizontals as the wood will get dirty and start to oxidize. You can go longer with verticals between prep and stain. 4 weeks is pushing it though. Make sure it is clean and has not started to oxidize. If needed, re brighten all and rinse.
I stripped all the siding, but didn’t have time to put any stain on the last 1000 sq ft. It has been 2 or 3 months since it has been stripped. At this point, shouild I do anything besides re-brighten before applying the stain?
Use the Gemini Restore a Deck kit. It is both a cleaner and a brightener. Brightener alone is not enough.
Can i use the Gemini Restore Kit in my pressure washer, or does it have to be applied by hand? Thank you.
It has to be applied with a pump sprayer or scrub brush, then pressure washed off.
Thanks!
Hi. I have a 3-year old deck made with treated pine, I think. I let it dry out for the first year and then did the cleaner and brightener kit and then stained it with 1503. It looked beautiful. Now, 2 years later, much of it looks almost black (I am in central North Carolina, lots of hot sun). I pressure washed it with just water and found that some parts (rails and some parts of the deck that were more in shadow) still look beautiful and stained, while other parts look like bare wood. I think I have to treat the entire deck with the cleaner prep? Then, can I only restain the parts that look like bare wood, or do I have to strip all the parts that still look good and restain everything? Thanks for your help!
It would be best to prep all with the Gemini Restore Kit and pressure washing. Stain all after. It is normal to have to reapply again after 2 or 3 years, so it is time.
Thanks you. I am relieved that I don’t have to strip the parts that are still looking good!
2 year old cedar deck. Previously stained with TWP 1500 last year. I cleaned and brightened per instructions with RAD. It has been raining non-stop for a week and humidity between 50 and 60%. How dry does the wood have to be? Is there a moisture meter reading? Just leaving a carboard box outside it gets “wet” from humidity.
Needs to dry for 48 hours after a heavy rain. Humidity should not change this. Moisture level below 15%
Stained my deck this week using 1503. Like a newb, I was so excited to get started that I didn’t mix the stain, and just went to town. Result = the first railing I did is a lot lighter than remainder of deck. What’s the best way to solve this? Thanks.
Best way would be to strip and start over. Use the Restore A Deck Stripper kit.
Would I not be able to leave it alone and reapply in say 12 months?
If you do not remove and reapply over, there is no guarantee that it will even out. It will be easier to remove in 12 months.
with backbrush
What nozzle tip do you recommend for TWP 1500 series staining log home?
The wider the fan, the better.
I applied 2 wet-on-wet coats of TWP this morning to half of my deck but waited to do the other half until the evening because of sun and temperature. Although rain was not forecast, it began raining as I finished putting on the first coat to the other half of the deck. It has been raining off and on ever since. I am not sure what to do now since half the deck has 2 coats and the other half has only one coat. I’m also not sure how the rain will affect it. Any advice is appreciated.
Let the rain water dry off and assess the deck. You may need to strip and start over on the second half of the deck where it started to rain. Problem is that it is very hard to strip half a deck without affecting the other half. The whole deck may need to be stripped and brightened to ensure it all dries and applies properly with an even appearance. You can upload pictures if you would like.
Pictures before and after I wiped the rain up. More rain is now forecasted for this afternoon. Thanks for your help.
No pictures
Trying again.
It is still wet so hard to tell. Is the “black” old stain that did not come out when prepped? It might be best to just leave as is and address it next year. It will be much easier to fix after some weathering and besides the “black” in the wood, it does not look that bad.
Yes, the black is old stain. I sanded the deck to take off the old stain (it was not TWP), but not all of it came out and I didn’t want to sand it down too far. If I wait til next year, what would I need to do then? Thanks.
Strip and brighten with the Restore A Deck Kit for the prep.
I just applied you 1502 stain to my redwood deck today. Finished around 3:30 and it is currently 7:45. Some areas are still shinny and when I attempt to wipe off access it has become gummy and dry. How should I clean these shinny areas off at this point?
Use mineral spirits and rags to remove the over applied stain that has yet to dry fully. Make sure you wipe down the entire deck. Saturate all oil rags in water and lay flat to dry in the sun.
The mineral spirits didn’t really seem to take off the shine or extra stain. The shinny spots are not really sticky any longer but still very shinny. Stain looks very un-even. I applied using a garden sprayer then brushed the boards right after applying to smooth the stain. Any other suggestions?
Just leave alone and let it sit. Most likley the shine will go away over time and will even out. Your only other option would be to remove all and start over.
I want to add a second coat, but I let the first coat dry. The wood still looks thirsty. The first coat was very generous. What should I do? Any way to get a second coat on?
Not right now. It may not take and could dry shiny or sticky. Best to wait until Fall or next Spring. Lightly was and apply one coat.
Thanks
We just resided our mountain home with board and batten. The board is new rough sawed fir and the batten is new cedar .Can you advise us on how to best prep the siding before using TWP 1500.
If it is rough wood then you do not need to prep. Just go ahead and stain.
The cedar batten is not rough. What should I do with it? Will what I do to it affect the rough fir?
Since most of the wood is rough we would leave it and stain. Make sure the wood is fully dry.
I need advice please. My painter stained a new deck with TWP and didn’t do a good job, he applied one coat and it’s very uneven. It’s been already a month and now he wants to apply another coat and he thinks he can even it out, is that possible?
No we would not suggest this. See this about new wood: http://www.twpstainhelp.com/prepping-new-wood-for-twp-stains/
Can I thin TWP 1500 for the first coat?
No that would not be a good idea to thin the TWP.
Hello, stain after 48 hours of prep or heavy rain. Try to stain within 2 weeks of the prep. Makes sure to sweep or blow off any dirt.
Perfect – thank you!
I stained my new cedar deck with 1500 late last summer – kiln-dried planks, and the stain went down after 6 months’ seasoning. I put down a single layer with a roller, wiping off excess and it appeared to take well and looked great the rest of the year. As the weather is getting warmer (midwest) the stain is flaking off in spots and leaving bare wood underneath. Advice on how to address this?
Hello, did you prep the wood? TWP is supposed to penetrate into the wood. For some reason something hindered it from penetrating in your wood. May have been mill glaze that was not removed with the prep? At this point you should use the Gemini Restore Kit and lightly pressure wash the deck. Let dry and apply another coat. You could probably get away with only doing the flooring as any verticals should be fine.
Thanks – the verticals do look like they took the stain very well. To confirm – should I use both parts of the Gemini Kit? Also, should I try to remove the full current layer with the pressure washer, or just let it take off whatever hasn’t soaked in?
Just remove what comes off. Use both steps.
Update – used the Gemini restore kit today and most of the stain on the planks lifted right off with the power washing. Most definitely mill glaze preventing the first coat from soaking in. Thanks again for the help, looking forward to getting the new coat down for good!
I stained my deck with the 1500 Cedartone and am happy with the results. I have a few questions as I hope to finish up the last portion before the winter.
– I live in the Chicago area and the weather is scheduled to be nice this weekend – in the upper 50s and low 60s but getting down to the upper 30s/low 40s at night. Am I ok to apply the stain in this weather as long as it doesn’t get down to below freezing at night?
– After I applied some of the stain last month, it rained a couple of hours later. There are some “splotchy” areas when you look close and can see where the rain hit it. What is the best way to fix this? Would I have to strip and re-stain those areas?
– I am replacing some of the wood on the deck – pressure-treated cedar I believe. I understand that it has to age and weather before I can apply the stain. I was planning on purchasing and letting it age over the winter and staining it in the spring. Is that long enough to let it age? Can I keep it inside the garage over the winter or should it be outside to get more “weathered”? In the spring, will I have to clean and brighten the wood before staining?
Thanks for your help.
-Yes you should be okay as long as it does not freeze- overnight. -Probably will need to remove to fix the areas where it rained. It is not possible to “spot” strip though. Maybe sanding would be better but even that is hard to blend.
-The new wood needs to be outside and installed to properly weather. Yes you will need to prep it before staining.
I have a 1000+ sq ft 2 year old deck that I decided to restain with TWP after alot of online research. I live in CA and we are going thru a “lack of rain” period that is well documented “I thought” would give me some time to reseal properly! Of course It now starts to rain…arrg..I broke it up in to 4 sections and powerwashed, sanded and moved on…..Section 3 of 4 I did the same and only waited 24 hours for complete dry (regretting!)…and I noticed during our recent rainstorm that the water is not beading as it is with the other sections…should I be concerned, should I wait for a dry week and redo? Please help…
Does it ll look even? I would leave it alone if it does. “Beading” water is not important for wood protection. You want it to shed water and be able to allow the wood to breathe.
After a coat (or 2) of TWP1500, does one need to apply some type of clear sealant?
No need and you cannot apply a sealer on top.
Just stained a 10 year old deck with TWP and it looks good BUT the weather forecast has changed and 60% chance of rain tonight. I saw someone else ask about putting a tarp over it and someone said no and then continued to say just make sure rain is not in the forecast for 24 to 48 hours. Well since I have no control over the weather but I do have a tarp what would someone recommend???
Do not tarp it. It needs to cure properly and a tarp will create issues with this. Just leave alone and hope that is is dry enough by the time rain comes.
I have cleaned deck and am waiting 48hours before applying twp1500 pecan stain. This time of year temperature will dip down to 30-40’s at night in Iowa, but is going to be 60-70 during day of application. It will be dry. Will this effect drying to have temperatures this low?
It will take longer to dry this way but does not affect overall performance. Make sure that it id does not drop below freezing at night. Also when applying, take care to not over apply. You want the stain to absorb into the wood grain.
My 21 year old deck is being resurfaced by my contractor. Deck measures 15′ x 12′ with one 8′ rail, built in benches on two sides and two steps to a brick surround. It is about 20″ above the ground and attached to the rear of my house.
The guts of the deck were extremely overbuilt with 12 concrete footings, double 2″ x 8″ pressure treated joists undergirding 2″ x 10″ pressure treated joists. Contractor added Tecos as a precaution but the sub structure is fine.
The deck was originally surfaced with Clear Cedar 5/4″ x 6″ boards.
In the resurfacing, all of the old cedar was removed, most was discarded but some boards can be cleaned and resurfaced and will be used for the benches. The cedar skirt around the deck was pressure washed, sanded and looks new. The deck is being resurfaced with C & Better Clear Cedar (looks amazing). Stainless steel screws (instead of nails) are being used to install all visible Cedar boards.
Resurfacing should be completed this week. I am in Metro New York near ocean. Deck was submerged under sea water due to Hurricane Sandy flooding but was cleaned right after the storm. Deck had been treated with Penofin three times over the years.
Want to use the TWP 1500 series in a lighter tint to finish deck and get some moderate UV protection.
Questions:
1. Which TWP 1500 would you recommend to finish this gorgeous Cedar but not mask the beauty of the wood?
2. How long would you wait to apply the recommended TWP (it is now mid Septrmber)?
3. Can the recommended TWP be directly applied or is some other preparation necessary? Please elaborate on that.
4. Should the cleaned and sanded old Cedar surfaces be treated differently than the new Cedar?
5. What are the intervals for reapplication?
Most of the answers can be found here: http://www.twpstainhelp.com/prepping-new-wood-for-twp-stains/
Honeytone is the lightest color. Prep both new and older wood the same next Spring.
Read the article. This clears everything up. Thank you.
Welcome. Please let us know if you have any other questions.
I’ve already stained a fence with much success and now on to the deck. The last time I did something with the deck was well over two years ago with a Thompson’s water seal. I’m noticing in a couple areas including the railing that water still beads up a little bit. Knowing this I did a couple spot tests where the water beaded up and the stain took. Should I just go for it or use a stripper just in case?
Stripper and brightener to be safe.
I already have the cleaner and brighter ready to go. Do I strip it before I clean it and then brighten as a last step?
You strip instead of cleaning then brighten.
There are only certain areas that the stripper would need to be applied. Do I need to use a cleaner between the stripper and brightener? Lastly, I picked a California Redwood for my cedar fence and it looks great. If I use the same California Redwood for my treated wood deck I can only imagine that the color is going to be significantly different. Should I go with the Redwood color if I want to get a closer match?
Not sure how to answer the color question as it will vary based on the wood age and type.
What’s the maintence coat coverage rate for a year old original coat.
About 200-250 Sq. feet
I just stained my deck with TWP 1500. Did one coat last year. This year I cleaned it with defy and used the brightened. Applied 2 layers this year and apparently applied a bit too much. 4 days now and there are still spots that have not dried. Areas are glossy and peeling off. Is this fixable?
Try wiping off the excess stain with rags and mineral spirits. Saturate oily rags in water and lay flat to dry to avoid accidental spontaneous combustion.
Stained my deck in 2008 with Cabot semi solid oil base stain it’s now 8/2015 and lots of fading and worn off stain. Can I use twp 1500 cedar tone over a very fade redish color ?
No you cannot apply the TWP over the Cabot unless you remove the Cabot 100% first.
Just applied stain to horizontal and vertical rails today. It was not supposed to rain, but it did, about 3 hours after application. It is a slow steady rain. I wiped the standing water with a towel. Is there anything else that I can do to make sure it is not ruined?
Nothing you can do now. Leave alone until the rain water dries off. Hopefully you had enough time and the TWP was not harmed. You will be able to tel by looking for water spots.
Only way would be to strip it off and start over.
1. Leaves and sticks will not “stick” do the deck as the TWP dries. Make sure it is free of debris before starting.
2. You cannot stop and start in the middle of a board. You need a very clear defining line if doing in sections.
After brush applying a first coat and then a second wet-on-wet coat on the railings, the stain looked fine (while still wet). After it dried however, there we areas of 0.5-2 inches around knots that didn’t seem to absorb the stain and came out much lighter than the surrounding areas. I believe the deck is made of cedar (though not positive about that). It didn’t rain and the deck was not in direct sunlight on a 80-degree day. Any suggestions on how I can address this when I do the main part of the deck and how I might be able to “fix” the railings?
Knots being lighter in color is normal and is related to the wood density there. Nothing can be done about this and it is normal to have this happen.
I would like to use TWP on a deck that is about 12-15 years old. I have pressure washed it to remove the majority of the oil-based stain/paint that it had previously, but there is still a fair amount of product on the deck. Can I apply the TWP anyway or do I need to get it all off first?
Need to get it all off. Use a stain stripper and pressure washing. Brighten after.
We weren’t able to apply a second coat right away and didn’t realize waiting a week was a no no. Woke up this morning and the deck is shiny. What can we do to take the extra stain off?
You can try to wipe down the excess stain with mineral spirits and rags. Saturate any oily rags with water an lay flat to dry avoid accidental spontaneous combustion.
Thanks!
Welcome!
I have a 5-year-old deck that was cleaned and stained with (unfortunately) only one coat of TWP 1500 three weeks ago. I would like to apply a second coat. Is that something I can do now? Or do I need to wait a certain amount of time? Thanks.
Wait 6-12 months then light rinse the deck to remove dirt before applying a light coat.
In this scenario, will applying a deck cleaner be OK or is it not necessary? Can you apply a cleaner, wait for it to dry, then apply a maintenance coat?
No deck cleaner is needed unless excessively dirty.
About to put TWP 1500 on my cedar deck after doing all the recommended prep. If I get a surprise thunderstorm during the days after application, will it help to cover up the newly stained deck with a tarp or cardboard or ??
No you should not cover it. Just make sure it does not rain on it for the first 12-124 hours and you should be okay.
I have a very large event scheduled at my house in early August. For the sake of getting the deck to look as good as I can for this event, is there anything I can do to these white areas to even temporarily remedy the situation? Eg., sand and restain?
Jim.
It is not possible to spot sand and stain as it will look very uneven. Maybe a very light coat to the entire floor but I am concerned it will dry shiny in spots.