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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
We bought TWP 1500 and are prepping the log siding of my sisters lake home at this time. My nephew has decided to use a contractor to apply stain and the contractor would like to put a gloss coat finish over the TWP 1500 for looks and added longevity. Do you recommend a finish coat over TWP 1500? If not, what are the ramifications of using a finish coat?
Thanks,
Joel
Is it necessary to strip, if only a water seal was used previously on the deck? Or just a good power washing? We power washed and sealed the deck 18 months ago and this year it is so dirty and we’ve decided to stain. I found that this is the best brand. However, we will be hiring someone to stain so I want to make sure I know what is necessary to properly apply? We have only been in the home 18 months. I have no idea what type of wood it is or how old the deck is. It is in pretty good condition. My guess is 5 years old. We live in Northern Virginia in a heavily wooded area.
We had a new deck built with pressure-treated wood last spring and had a contractor stain it with TWP 100 today. Despite my explicit instructions, it appears that he did not apply wet-on-wet but instead did one complete coat and then went back and did another. Consequently, we have areas where the TWP is not soaking into the wood and there is puddling. It has been drying in the sun for 4+ hours, and the deck is really large (about 1000 sq. feet); in other words, I’m not going to be out there with a rag and mineral spirits. Is there anything we can do at this point or in the near term? If it is just going to dry and then crack, I can live with it, but if is going to be tacky for months I am going to need to beat my contractor with a stick and figure out some other solution. It is going to be 88 degree (F) and sunny for the next few days.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
I live in Washington State and I want to use a semi transparent stain in the gray tones on a cedar tongue and groove that is be used as a ceiling in an a porch that is not exposed to the sun or rain. The house is located on a salt water bay about 30′ from the water. It was milled from old power poles that are at least 50 years old. It has been milled for over a year and looks like new clean cedar.
What would be the best product to protect the wood and stop any mildew from forming due to the fog.
Should both side be stained before installation? How many coats would be needed?
Thank you,
My deck is redwood, previously stained with a cedar color semi-transparent
oil stain 2 years ago. I cleaned it with deck cleaner and power washed it. Then
I applied two thin coats of TWP1500 Cedartone according to your instructions.
There are some areas that the previous stain had worn off and were bare wood
before staining that now are blackened after staining. There are other areas
that have been protected from the elements for the 2 years, and there the
TWP1500 has an oily residue on the wood 3 days after staining that makes it
still seem wet. What can I do with these areas?
what prep do I need for old deck stained previously with TWP100 3yrs.ago. Duane
Fence: 2100 sq. ft.
1 yr. and 1 month old, Western Red Cedar
Never been stained Shadow-Box Fence
Chicago, IL
– I would like to stain with TWP 1500 Cedar tone within the next two weeks.
1) How many gallons will I need?
2) What other products will I need for prep and, if so, in what quantity?
Thanks, Steve
After stripping and brightening, I understand I need to give the deck 48 hours of dry time, before applying the TWP100. If I’m unable to apply the stain, after that amount of time due to weather, or other extenuating circumstances, is there a maximum amount of time I can wait before having to reclean the deck?
I have a 100 square foot cedar deck facing west toward the surf 100 yards away on the central Oregon coast. It’s three years old and has never been stained or sealed. I have prepared for a stain and am partial to the Cape Cod Grey. Is it available in 100 and 1500 series? And which of those series do you recommend for us?
Deck: 1200 sq ft pressure treated pine 8 years old previously stained with Cabot Semi Transparent Located at 3200 ft elevation in North Carolina mountains: lots of rain and snow 90+ inches per year, brutal western full afternoon sun exposure, some black mold and green algae, cold winters 0 – 20 degrees, cool summers usually no warmer than 80 degrees. More like Seattle than Atlanta. What are your recommendations for prep and stain?
I’m planning to stain the sides of a lake house in New Hampshire; no deck. The house is in a wooded area, but receives a fair amount of sun. The prior stain on the existing part of the house (western red cedar) has been completely sanded off. The western red cedar on the addition is all new, and has been installed for a couple of months. I’m considering using TWP 1500.
– How many coats are required, and what’s the suggested timing for applying a second coat if needed.
– How long should I expect the stain to last before any additional attention is required? (I’m considering using a light shade such as Honeytone or Natural.)
– What type of effort is required when the stain eventually needs attention?
– What would you say are the primary benefits of your product vs. Behr Premium semi-transparent stain?
Can i have other colors mixed than the ones you show in your color charts?
We have several projects in California that we are going to use twp on but have a few questions.
1- we are doing a rough cut cedar pergola, do we have to wait to apply the initial coat?
2- building a outdoor table out of reclaimed old growth redwood, we want to keep the weathered reclaimed look, should we just use clear twp1500?
3- building a new redwood planter that we want to weather slightly to match the table, should beg just let this weather until the look we want and then apply twp1500. The planter will be full sun, what product would you recommend to prevent further weathering?
Thanks
We have a 2nd level cedar deck that was built spring 2013. The boards were all stained (all sides) prior to building the deck. The stain was SW deckscapes semi-transparent oil in yankee barn color. We loved the look but unfortunately the stain is fading very badly in the areas that are most exposed to the weather elements of the great Northeast. The deck gets a lot of sun and since we use the deck year round we do clear the snow off. We had someone suggest a solid stain since it would hold up better in our situation. What do you think of putting solid stain on cedar? Also, if we went with the semi-transparent TWP 1500 what color would best match the SW yankee barn? Will we need to strip the whole deck in order to apply your product or can it go over the top after a pressure wash? The deck is approx 26×26 with trex rails.
How long does it take to dry enough to be tacky? I ask because we have an outside cat whose goal in life is to annoy me by coming on the back deck and staring in the full length glass back door. I plan to do the front half he will be walking on to get to the door first, but I seriously doubt I can keep him off completely for 24 to 48 hours without standing guard the whole time.
Just ordered 2 2ftx4ft unfinished cedar raised planters. What is best to seal the cedar? I live in NW Arkansas.
I used your 1501 cedartone on a custom grill table. Sanded the cedar up to 120 grit. Do you recommend any clear/poly/topcoat?
What is the shelf life of TWP 101 CEDARTONE? I bought 10 gls (2X5 gl cans) in August 2013 with the intention of doing two decks. Only got the smaller deck done. Have two gls left in the opened can and the other can has been unopened. How long are they going to be good? Any particular storage instructions to maximize shelf life?
Back in October, I asked about my treated pine fence that was completed in June – here is the response
Drew, lightly rinse with water for the prep. If the wood is rough sawn, apply two light coats wet on wet. Lightly spray on a first coat and apply another coat immediately with a brush or stain pad.
Unfortunately, I never got around to applying the stain. I am looking to do so this weekend using the instructions per the quote above. My question is whether or not it needs to be stripped or treated prior to application. I power washed it (lightly) a month ago to remove mold from a couple places and the wood still looks new. Should I do anything else to it or simply stain away?
Have a new cedar fence put up one week ago. Wanting to keep the natural look and wondering abot the twp 100, Live in willamette valley of Oregon and entering rainy season soon. Should I stain now or wait ? Have about 660 sq. ft of fence.
I have a Presure treated pine fence up about 2 years. Had some extra boards left which I plan to repair some places in the fence that have warped badly. These board have been in the dry so do they need to be treated like new wood or like the other boards I will have to clean? Also, is this an oil based coating. What are the advantages of using oil based preservatives vs the water based ones out now.
Thanks,
Charlotte
The Restore-A-Deck Stain Stripper worked great for getting the SW semi-transparrent off of my 10 year old pressure treated deck.. I applied 6 gallons of TWP 1500 and it went on beautifully. It is one of the most forgiving stains I have every used. Now the bad news – rain came after only about 12 hours of drying and the main part of the deck is water-spotted. Any suggestions on a easy fix or should I plan on stripping and re-applying , maybe next spring?
I have been trying to get the 5-gallon bucket open for over 30 minutes, is there a trick to it? I really need to get this stain down today due to weather forecast. Help!
In northern VT, we have a 2 year old Desk, pine with an adjacent wood fired hot tub. Applied Sikkens to it after it 6 mo. was finished (2 years ago). By the beginning of the summer coverage was terrible, lots of bare spots, especially where most direct sun and water exposure. We have cleaned it as directed by Sikkens instructions, and most all of the Sikkens washed off. We recently applied another coat of Sikkens. However, in any places where the original Sikkens was not completely washed off it looks terrible – darker and shinnier. We will not use Sikkens again, and wonder about the following questions:
1. Can we apply a TWP product following the Sikkens, either now or in ~ two years after current Sikkens coat has worn?
2. IF we were to apply it now or in the spring (if feasible), what preparation would be needed?
2. If we wait until next time it is due for a recoating, (est. 2 years), what preparation will be needed if TWP application is appropriate?:
My cedar deck grayed nicely over the last 8 years. We cleaned it with bleach and detergent to remove mildew and it is now a light bright pale color brown. I want the most natural finish in the 1500 series. Which do you recommend?
Fence
Rough Sawn Cedar
About 3 month old
Planning on using TWP101
Heard 2 coats wet on wet and also heard 1 coat now and 1 coat next spring, which should i do?
How far will 101 go? Need to figure how much to get.
What is shelf life?
Stripped and brightened cedar deck 3 days ago with restore a deck. Looks AWESOME. Ready to stain with TWP 1500 but deck is on shady side of house and morning dew does not dry completely off entire deck until about 4pm. It is also forecasted to rain heavily in about 48 hours. Temps are highs in mid 70’s and low 40’s at night. Showers predicted on and off all next week.
Is it ok to stain tonight with rain in the 48 hour forecast? Is it also ok to stain in direct sunlight?
New deck – KDAT (Kiln dried after pressure treatment) southern pine.
It is recommended for KDAT to be stained and sealed immediately before or after installation.
I assume mill glaze will be present.
Advice on when to stain and how to remove glaze. Thanks
I purchased a Wagner PowerPro airless sprayer to stain my cedar sided house. What tip size and filter is recommended for TWP 100 series stain? It currently has a .015 tip and yellow pre filter (100 micron).
Hi. I stripped and brightened my cedar deck with Wolmans brand. Can I apply 100 stain without using the Gemini kit?
I live in Boise Idaho, I am interested in ordering roughly 2-3 gallons…..any idea on shipping time? Thank you
Just finishing a 1500 sq foot redwood deck, Con common boards, heart wood, sapwood, knots. In Colorado @ 5700′, 300 + days of sun a year, very dry, not much moisture. Deck help.com rates the 1500 higher than the 100 in greying at the 2 year mark. What is the difference between the 1500 & 100? What color would you recommend for showing the natural grain and color contrast of the heart & sap? From the pictures Cal Redwood would seem to be a good choice, but I want to order some samples to try on a test board. Which samples do you recommend that I order?
I just had a painter stain my new wood deck with TWP 203 Gold. It has had 4 days to dry but it still has a residue that is picked up on shoes and tracked on to our carpets. The painter said that it just takes a long time to dry. Is this true? Is there a way to remove the excess?
My project is sealing redwood posts and rails. Replacing them on my deck. The wood is new, (has no oil or sealant on it) about 3 months weathered at my property. I have sanded it all. Wondering which product to use and if I should use the redwood stain, or clear. It seems now that much of the redwood nowadays has a bit of white in it, which I do, so this wood does not have the preservative qualities of the “red” wood. Also, there is some black mold in the wood which came from the supplier. I have sanded most of this out, but want to make sure it does not propagate when the rains start. I want to seal the wood before I put the black metal balusters on it. Thank you
-tom
I had the a painter show up today to say that he will start a job on Wednesday. There was no prior notice! I have some product to have him start the job and would like to order remainder today for delivery as soon as possible. I will be placing an order for three 5-gallons pails of TWP 1502 (Redwood). I have enter a portion of the order but have not yet seen when the product will be delivered. It may be that the information will appear once the order is completed. I started conversation with you back in June. The painter has been silent until now ( read:delinquent). The question: If I make the order today by 3 PM eastern time, when will the product be delivered zipcode 20721 (Maryland just east of Washington dc)
Will your stripper remove Cabot Decking stain from wolmanized pine decking and cedar posts/railings?applied about 5 years ago it seems to be a semi-solid stain old can says it contains
petroleum distillates 8052-41-3
Alkyd resin 66070-60-8
Linseed oil 8001-26-1
Silica 61790-53-2
Iron Oxide 1309-37-1
What is the proper treatment procedure and products? Will I have to sand it? some areas like shade, old finish over wolmanized pine decking is smooth and adhering well, other areas boards are rough and splitting/cracking. Is your TWP 100 available in IL anywhere?
Thanks,
Todd
aeronca81644@gmail.com
I have a 15 yr old deck. Weathered and in full sun. Had trouble in the past with stains turning black. Stripped and cleaned entire deck and applied 2 coats of TWP 1500. However, deck is now showing lighter areas on boards especially around any knotholes. Is this indicative of a need for additional stain of something else? If I do need to apply more stain what do I need to do first? I applied my second coat wet on wet so I’m not sure the best way to add more.
Does that mean that I cannot put a second coat of even the same color over the first coat without removing the first coat? The wood appears to still be absorbent and I had planned on two coats but did not realize that they needed to be “wet on wet” applications.
Can I use the wood cleaners/bright eners and 1500 stain on my cedar shake roof on my gazebo? It was never cared for by the previous owner.
also if I have used twp 1500 honeytone, can i recoat in spring with twp 100 honeytone? see any problems?
Why does the selector reccommend twp 100 in minnesota? I have used 1500 on my deck for two years, but would my yearly topcoat be better served by twp 100?
Can I use a airless sprayer to apply twp 101?
Just finished (yesterday) staining a 120 sf, 10 year old, cedar deck. I prepared the deck a couple of weeks ago (cleaning, brightening, pressure washing) and waited for good weather to stain. The deck was only treated by the builder its first year. I applied TWP 1500, two coat, wet-on-wet yesterday while the deck was in the shade. I wiped up a couple of “wet or glossy” spots as directed about 30 minutes after the last application. I notice this morning that there are two “wet or gloss” looking spots I missed and want to know if I should just leave them and they will absorb or if I can wipe up the spots with a little mineral spirits. Thank you.
We used SW Decks Scapes (Cedar Color) our deck two years ago, but it’s peeling. What should we use to prep it before using TWP Stain? Also, which stain would you recommend for a hot Georgia south facing treated pine deck that’s about 5 years old?
I am in MN and have about 600 sq feet which is just decking as railing is composite. The deck is cedar (4 years old) and was stained 2 times in the past with Sherwin Williams DeckScapes, but would peel after 2 years. I am cleaning the deck now. Looking for a natural look. What stain would you recommend?
Hi,
I’m in southern NY. I have a cedar deck that was stained with a semi-trans (Cabot I think). Last fall I stripped the stain, and the cold weather came early so I couldn’t stain it. It has grayed and the grain has raised with some cracking on some boards. I think the 1500 would be the best choice for me. Please let me know if in fact it will be and should I just use a cleaner and then brightner to prep, or will I need to do some sanding (I have done a test patch with 80 grit to knock down the grain and it looks/feels better)? If you do recommend sanding, in what order should should it all be done–thanks?
Well, after a long research I finally decided on and ordered TWP. Now I just have to get my deck stained. The guy who built my deck wants $1000 for a stain job and while I’d hate to part with another $1000, I’d hate it even more if I try to do it myself and screw something up.
My main concerns are overapplying and applying unevenly. The guy said he’s charging so much because he’ll need two guys crawling on their knees applying stain between the boards onto the sides with brushes as he’s following them applying stain onto the horizontal surface. I asked him why not just apply more stain onto the surface and let it run down the
sides and that’s exactly what he said – threat of overapplying and leaving spots.
Is there truth to this? I have not seen any instructions how to apply between the boards onto the sides. Also, do I need to sand it before staining?
My deck is 1-month old, pressure-treated pine.
Thank you
Stan
I am installing a new cedar deck. I would like to treat the wood before the installation because I live in Alaska where the wood will be exposed to rain, snow, and cold temperatures. Do you still recommend that the wood sit out for 12 months?
I have a 10 year old cedar deck with old stain, and before re-staining with TWP 100, I purchased the RAD stripper and RAD Brightener. I have a few questions about the prepping process. 1. Do I apply the RAD stripper to dry wood, or do I need to hose down the wood before applying? 2. Do I sand the decking after the stripping is complete and before the brightener, or after the brightener? 3. Do I apply the brightener immediately after the stripping process while the wood is still wet, or do I wait for the wood to dry for several hours/days first? Thanks.
I’m in the process of staining my board and batten shed. The TWP1500 was recommended. The shed has been up for 15 months and was just cleaned. My question is since most of the boards are vertical would one coat be sufficient or do I need to use two coats.
Thanks.