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Last Updated on January 30, 2023 by TWP Help
We are here to help you with your TWP exterior deck or wood restoration project for 2024!
TWP is an advanced wood preservative/protectant registered by the EPA. Performance and longevity can vary though depending on the wood type, how the wood is prepped, the age of wood, and how the TWP is applied. We want everyone who has decided to use TWP 100, 1500, or 200 Series to have the best possible results.
TWP Stain Tips and Help
When asking questions please give us some information about your wood restoration project:
- What structure is your wood? Examples would be: Deck, Wood Siding, Fence, etc
- What species is the wood? Examples: Treated Pine, Cedar, Redwood, Ipe, etc
- Is the wood new or older than 1 year?
- Has the wood been stained previously with a different brand? Please specify brand name and type of stain used: Examples: Solid stain, Semi-Transparent Stain, etc.
- Any additional info that would be useful
Once you supply us with the information, we will able to give you advice as to how to prep your wood and any needed instructions for the TWP application.
Please ask your questions in the comment area.
Thanks
Can I apply TWP 100 over a freshly powerwashed deck that was previously coated with Cabot Australian Timber Oil? It hasn’t been stained for several years.
I have 4 decks with tongue and groove cypress sloping ceilings, so no direct sun. When new 8 years ago builder’s painter applied 2 coats of Sikkens Cetol Door and Window, 003 clear satin. Looked great for a while, but is now VERY dotted with black mildew or mold spots, especially in the grooves. Due to lovely ipe decks underneath, I don’t think chemical stripping is feasible. If I sand and scrape off the gummy existing finish, will 1500 penetrate the dense cypress well enough to last well? If this is a feasible approach, is there a test to be sure I have removed the Cetol Door and Window sufficiently? After sanding, am assuming I need to use bleach to kill any remaining mildew traces. Do I need to also or instead use brightener, and if so will that damage the recently refreshed ipe deck finish underneath? If you don’t suggest 1500 for this situation, what type of product would you suggest?
14 X14 cedar deck; minneapolis, MN
15 year deck..replaced some cedar boards and sanded down to bare wood..washed with woolman deck brightner..waited 3 days..stained one coat of TWP 100 Rustic..looks great but 5 days after staining..watering the grass and the deck got wet..pooled great but when finally dried its leaving these water rings? Please advise. see photo
Love your product! We applied TWP101 to our old pine deck two years ago and it has held up to Colorado extremes great. Some of the horizontals are beginning to wear and the entrie surface looks dry enough that it could use a touch up. What’s the best way to overcoat without going through the full prep routine?
I have used bio wash on my newly built cedar deck and ended up with lighter colored streaks in the w ood surface.will the twp wood presevative blend these streaks as twp has honeytone pigments ? Also dealer tells me use one liberal coat with roller while can says two coats with first coat dry time 15~30 min before applyi.ng second coat .if wood soaks up second app in 15 min do third coat,which rarely necessary. Plan to backbrush or roll areas that remain on surface between coats.
My 3 yr. old fence is off-color due to the lawn sprinkler spraying up on the wood. Could I apply a stain/moisture resistant product to get it back in shape or does it need to be a relatively new fence to make it worth applying?
We have stripped the deck but have the fuzzies. Do I have to get rid of these first before I stain and, if so, what is the quickest and easiest way.
Just moved into ten year old home in Iowa. Three decks:
1. 240 square feet. 105 spindles.
2. 132 square feet. 83 spindles.
3. 78 square feet. 63 spindles.
Not sure of the wood type. It’s been stained in the past with semi transparent stain. Many surrounding trees, so there’s a lot of shade, and a lot of green algae.
What do you recommend? Thanks!
Currently sanding off old sikken dek stain from the deck of my log home. I liked the look of the old stain but looking for something that holds up better. The sikkens color is mahogany. Would the twp 1500 look somewhat comparable and be compatibly with and left over sikkens stain?
Thanks
My fence is exposed to pure sun most of every day. Would a semi-transparent stain be recommended over a transparent? Also does twpstain offer color sample booklets? What stains are offered in semi-transparent. Thanks
I live on the Oregon coast and have 3 decks and a porch built of pressure treated lumber with Trex decking and handrails. I’m thinking of staining the exposed wood and railings with TWP1500 stain. Can I use the stain on the Trex handrails too in order to avoid a lot of masking? I’m going to leave the decking itself unfinished. Thanks.
I have a 1 month old cedar fence and bought 5 gals TWP1500 cedartone. Do i need to prep the fence or can i just apply the 1500?
I would like to recoat our cedar deck which was stripped down and refinished 2 years ago with TWP. It has west exposure so water on the deck does not bead up except for some of the wood under a roof. I am told I can top coat it with TWP without stripping it? How do I clean it. I don’t want to take it down to bare wood and don’t want to end up with blotchy boards. I tried very hot water with Dawn which took off grease stains but other grey stains where a flower pot was and some greenish color on some boards did not come off. I thought of using Oxyclean but wondered if it would partially strip the wood. What would you suggest.
have a 30 yr old pressure treated deck. was stained will oil based solid deck stain about 3 years ago – in pretty good condition now. Located in NJ. Is 1500 series appropriate for this job? Do I need to strip the old stain before applying TWP ?
I have a log home, that was treated with TWP 7 years ago. The logs are white pine. The color of the stain was cedertone. I would like to know how TWP 100 compare to TWP 1500 ?
I had a contractor clean my deck and apply TWP 1500. The next day some areas are shiny and still sticky. Will this go away?
Joe from Vermont again. Thank you for your reply. Attached are the pictures (I hope they come through this time.). There appears to be no stain, but due to beading on the surface I’m concerned that the prior owner used Thompson’s water seal. Should I use a stripper? Should I be concerned about sanding pressure-treated wood?
I have 17 year old cedar deck that was previously stained with a solid stain. I live in Minneapolis, MN and just finished sanding the whole deck.
Should I go with the TWP 100 or 1500? and why?
Thanks!!!
I have a 1 1/2 month old pine treated privacy fence and I want to keep its original colors… it has green and pick hues. I live in St.Louis, MO, fence front faces south. Pls tell me which product to buy for protection and for the above. Also, with the product, do you recommend I do both sides? Thank You, Carla
I have black aluminum spindles with pressure treated tops and bottoms for my deck railing. Will the TWP 1500 cause and reactions with the aluminum?
Cedar wood Deck is 8 years old and is in pretty good condition. Used the TWP 200 Cal Cedar Shingle last time. If I am trying to move to the TWP 1500 series, what is the best color match to the TWP Cal Cedar?
I bought Weather Shield MCA 1x4x8 premium lumber. It has been sitting for 2 days since I bought it and I would like to apply a coat of TWP1500 before I install the boards. I know MCA can be installed and not treated for a year, but only one side of the boards will be visible so I would like to put a coat of the TWP1500 on now and not wait a year. Can this be done successfully?
I have just finished building a new cedar deck Atlanta, GA. The wood was kiln dried but I still plan on waiting a few months before staining. I have bought the Restore a Deck products and will use those before staining. The deck is in full sun for most of the day. Do you recommend the 100 of 1500 series for me? Thanks!
I have a deck 14 x 22. Total spindles is about 120 – 150 with about 15 steps. It is Cedar deck that is ~ 12 years old. It has been stained every 2 – 3 years during that time. Started out with Cabot stain and changed to Sikkens the last 2 stains. Looking to determine what is the proper way to strip/clean (preparation) and how many gallons of stain to purchase.
Just finishing up some building some new cedar deck furniture made from kiln dried, clear western red cedar. The lumber is really dry.
Two questions. Is TWP 100 okay for cedar furniture? And since the wood so so dry do I have to wait the 4 months to prep then stain?
What would happen if I stained now with no prep.
Thanks so much.
Why do you suggest not to tarp my newly stained deck. It’s going to rain and it hasn’t been 48 hours. it has only been 24 hours and I’m afraid the rain will leave spots.
I have a 3 years old pressure treated lumber retaining wall in Georgia. I never do anything until lately I see black mold & cracking on top, so I want to buy twp series 100 to reseal or stain it over. I need to know the correct way to clean & series 100 are the best kind to fit this purpose? Which color is semi-transparent kind? Thanks!
This is a deck that is treated pine that was built in December of 2012 so it has aged to the point that it is starting to get gray. I plan on using your stain but I am trying to understand the difference between 100 series and 1500 series. This deck is in full sun in northern Kentucky.
Which stain would you recommend and what are the differences in the two stains?
Which TWP product is the best and will last the longest on a very weathered pressure treated deck. The deck has been cleaned.
How long does it typically take until it is dry enough to walk on a deck stained with TWP 100? It’s about 75 degrees where I live for the next few days and my deck is covered from the sun.
Thanks,
Greg
HI,
I stained our covered deck 2 weeks ago using 1500 Series in Cedartone. It applied and looks great! We were in the process of spray painting some eletrical conduit, and covered what we though was enough of the deck with plastic. When we took the plastic up, we noticed a fine mist of overspray that got on the deck. Its not like it was spray painted directly, just wind-blown mist that adds a little haze to the top of the wood.
Is there something I can use on the deck to get the spray paint mist up that will not affect the stain? Diluted paint thinner or something similar? Thanks.
I’m on my third application of the 100 series, Dark Oak on a three year old cedar deck floor replacement. I’ve used Behr All-In-One wood cleaner before the initial and subsequent applications. There are several areas where the stain does not adhere completely when restraining….it doesn’t take completely. What do you recommend?
We had our 14 year old cedar deck stripped of many coats of Penafin and redone with TWP yesterday, looks great! We have one problem, the painter got some overspray on casement windows hear the deck, not sure if he used 1000 or 1500 series product. Can you recommend best product to use to remove the overspray from the window glass? We are in Brighton Mi.
Thanks
Tom
I have a large deck. Several years ago I cleaned and treated with TWP100 clear. It’s time for another treatment. Two questions: Do I need to strip away what’s left of the previous treatment before cleaning and applying a new coat? What is the best way to do that? Also, I’m thinking about using a color this time. It is treated pine. What is the best color? I want the closest to clear, so would that be honeytone? Thanks.
New Deck
240 Sq Ft
Pressure treated pine
Installed in June 2013
Myrtle Beach SC
What TWP should I use?
Just used TWP to stain my deck yesterday morning. Unfortunately is started raining last night , stopped and it’s raining again this morning. There is lots of water beaded up on the deck, should I try to get the water off? How long will it take to dry?
Thanks
Yvonne
Leesburg VA PT deck installed early Apr 2012. cleaned/brightened end of Sep and stained with 1500 early Oct. Approx 6+ hrs direct sun daily, minimal use, now has black splotches and faded places on some floor boards and handrails. Before restaining with 1500, should we use full or light solution sodium percarbonate based cleaner followed by brightener (like Gemini RAD), just bleach based (sodium hypochlorite) based product, or some other mixture of bleach/detergent? Why are there faded spots when spray/brush was used for uniform coverage? Thanks.
How to get the cover off 5 gallon pail?
15 year old cedar deck overlooking Lake Huron in Michigan. We sanded completely, and used the cleaner and brightener three days ago. We are ready to stain with TWP 100, but nowhere on the can or on this site (that I can see) does it say how soon you can walk on the stained deck. When it’s dry to the touch? 24 hours? What do you recommend? Thank you.
Will the TWP 1500 stain be suitable for a mahogany deck? I am replacing new boards as well, and the instructions on the new mahogany wood says to seal it before installation on all six sides but the TWP instructions say to wait? Can you advise on both questions?
Deck is 10 yo treated pine exposed to summer sun and harsh northern MI winters. It has been treated 3X with other brand, unstained wood preservatives. I plan to use TWP deck wash. What TWP preservative product would you suggest?
we are staining our deck railing a darker color than our deck floor. Which should we stain first the deck railing or the deck floor.
Installed a new red cedar deck last year and stained using super deck .. Turned out to be a disaster . Power washed with deck whitener this year and white fuzz appeared .
Decided to orbital sand entire deck but due to such a wet spring we have been unable to restain .. Working on this for about a month now a white has reappeared over sanded deck ?
White is worse in sun exposed areas ..
I live in Southern Wisconsin and the deck is on the north side of the house.. Any ideas??
6 year old cedar deck, previous finish wore off (type unknown)
Seattle area
Should I use the 100 or 1500?
Fir fence,6 years old, stained with Olympic semi-transparent stain and stripped earlier this week
What is the drying time so a board can be handled? The weather expected to be in the 80s and I live in a dry, mountain climate.
I live in Pittsburgh, PA and it has been raining everyday. I am trying to stain my PT deck that was built last Sept. I want to use TWP 1500 series but because of it raining what do you recommend on during to protect it until I can apply TWP?
I have an older (18 year old) deck – treated pine. It had been stained with Behr semi transparent which is gone on the horizontal deck floor, faded on the railings. I did some patching with wood filler to some of the hand rails and posts where they were cracking. The painter said he’d sand those areas down and he thought that I’d still be able to use semi-transparent stain, although it might be a little noticeable in some areas of the patching. He’ll also be using a deck cleaner before applying the stain. We’ve had a lot of rain in IL lately. He was going to allow only 1 day for the deck to dry after cleaning. I saw that you recommend 2 days. My questions: Is it necessary to wait the 2 days after cleaning or is 1 sufficient? And If some of the areas of the handrail and posts are sanded, will they still be able to hold the stain properly? I was hoping to go with the pecan semitransparent. Would that look okay with a light sand colored siding with dark brown trim or is there a red tone to the pecan? It’s kinda hard to tell the real color on a laptop as it changes with the pitch of the laptop. Greatly appreciate your help.
IM CONFUSED ON YOUR RESTORE-A-DECK 2 STEP CLEANER KIT VERSUS RESTORE-A-DECK CLEANER 2 STEP KIT BY RAD IS IT THE SAME PRODUCT?
HOW MUCH STAIN DO I NEED FOR 1200 SQ FT ON PT WOOD?
Attached is a photograph of my western red cedar deck. It was installed 2 1/2 years ago and stained with Penofiin Ultra (red label) semi transparent stain. This past weekend I used Restore-A-Deck stripper and brightener. From the looks of the wood I’m not sure if I need to strip and brighten the wood one more time before applying TWP stain. What is your opinion?