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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
TWP 1500 Help
We build a flooding boat dock (12×12) and attached it (with an aluminum gangway) to a 5×5 deck with railings on shore.
It was built with pressure treated southern pine around 5/25/2013. Located in Piedmont of North Carolina.
We are ready to stain and need your best solution.
Barry
Barry, best for you area would be the 100 Series. Make sure to prep the wood correctly first.
#1: I got too aggressive with my power washer and now have raised wood fibers in my untreated T & G knotty pine siding on porch ceiling. I want to sand with orbital sander but one of the posts said TWP does not recommend sanding. Please advise.
#2: Also, because of the blotching I got after using TWP-100 on the first part of this same pine siding I used Minwax Pre-stain Conditioner on the next area. It did significantly reduce the blotching. Is this OK?
Dave,
1. You can sand just do not use finer then 60 grit.
2. It may reduce penetration of the TWP which can create premature wearing.
I bought 2 five gallon containers of the twp….i have quite a bit left over in the five gallon container…..what would be the best storage container to transfer the remaining product into to allow it to be kept until next year? Could i put it in clean plastic milk containers or a plastic five gallon bucket with a better seal?
Transfer to either metal single gallons or a plastic 5 gallon.
– New untreated mahogany covered porch decking and stairs installed about a month ago. The surface has been sanded.
– Being a front porch there is a good amount of foot traffic
– Glenside, PA – near Philadelphia
– Approximately 360 sq ft
– Would like to use TWP 1500 Dark Oak stain
We are in November and it’s cooling off highs: 40-50 lows: mid 30’s.
Should I treat the porch now or wait until spring?
Chas, waiting until Spring would be best.
I used the honeytone stain and it is not a good color for my house. Will it eventually greay with time and if so, how long will that take. If not, can I remove or lighten it?
TWP will fade over time. If you really do not like the color then you can use the RAD stripper to remove it.
Deck: 500 SQ FT
New Knotted Cedar.
Somerville, New Jersey
Bought the decking board 2 months ago (in august) and I left it outside near project site. I just completed the deck. Because the winter is coming, should I coat the deck with something to protect the wood? Or just leave it and apply TWP in spring? some boards have splits and cracks. I am worry that during the winter months, water and moisture will damage the wood where the crack and split areas present.
Currently, I am thinking of clean the deck to remove all mill glaze and mildew etc. then rough sand the deck with 30 grits to level the deck then apply TWP. I have a very short window of opportunity to work before the winter arrive (weather drop below 40 day time)
Please help me in decision and advise.
Olivier
With TWP you should allow the wood season after install for 4-12 months. It would be best to wait until Spring then do the prep and stain. If you did it now you would most likely need to redo in the Spring.
I have a cedar sided house in southern Oregon. We have hot dry summers and damp winters. The house was previously stained with Woodguard which has mostly faded away. I was going to clean and pressure wash the siding. Would the 100 or 1500 series be more appropriate? Thanks!
Dave, use the 1500 Series for the vertical siding.
I have unused stain in the 5 gallon container. The inner rubber seal is stretched out do shape. What is the best way to store the stain? How long can I store the stain?
Cheryl, seal the can 100% so there is not air evaporation. If it is sealed well it will last a year or so. If not it will go bad inside a few months.
I have I new redwood deck.Rain is coming. Do i still need to wait the 4 to 12 months before applying the stain?
Steven, yes you should wait until Spring.
TWP Stain Help Staff,
Good morning. Just finished staining my cedar siding & deck. Almost 25 gallons! Wanting to launder the clothes worn during application (probably 1 gallon! of stain on various clothes worn!!). Any helpful hints for cleaning clothes with 1501 on ’em?
Thanks,
Brian in Olympia, WA
Brian, the TWP will not come out of the clothes. Just wash normally if you want to keep them for other painting projects. Hope everything turned out great!
Hello, I am looking to stain a new covered exterior porch. It is Douglas Fir T&G. We live in CT, and are hoping to stain before the winter. Can we use your products on new wood? Do we still need to clean the wood if it is new?
Lindsey, please read this article on new wood: http://www.twpstainhelp.com/prepping-new-wood-for-twp-stains/
We have cedar siding that was originally treated with Thompsons 21 years ago!! Have not done a thing since then. Yes, we’ve been BAD! We had black mold on the West side primarily. We have sprayed Chlorine/water solution and the change was amazing. We are letting house dry completely before applying sealer stain. Were ready to purchase 30 gal of Baker’s Gray, but I did a “which is better” search and TWP scores much better. Which product do you recommend for our neglected wood? We live in Hempstead, Tx.
Ruth B, I would go with the 1500 Series for the older wood. Two coats wet on wet is the proper way to apply for this. Thanks!
I have some new rough cut pine logs that I will be using as seating around a fire pit which I plan on finishing with the TWP 1500 series stain. How long should I let the wood season before applying the stain? I live in Tucson Arizona where it’s very sunny/dry most of the year which I think should be taken into consideration. Thanks!
Netgrue, since it is rough cut wood you can stain right away. I would do one coat now and then a light maintenance coat next year.
Installed a cedar picket fence on treated posts and rails about three months ago. Customer wants stain: how long do i need to wait and can I run the twp 100 series through an airless? If I pump-spray and back brush, will the cheap pump sprayer do or do I need something higher-end?
Mark, since it is three months an a vertical fence you should be able to proceed now, TWP can be applied with a airless sprayer. Spray on first coat lightly then apply a light second coat with a brush or stain pad.
My house is sided with rough surface tight knot cedar. The house was built in 2012 (exterior is now 15 months old) and the wood was stained with TWP 100 Honeytone. I live in Whidbey Island, Washington. We have rainy and damp winters and lots of sunshine during the summer. The painter recommends that the TWP 100 Honeytone be reapplied annually for the initial three years to best protect the wood. How often do you recommend I restain the wood? Is there any distinctive appearance characteristic that would indicate a need to apply a new coat?
Terry M, the first time staining new wood with TWP it will not last nearly as long as the second time. I think doing a coat the first three years is excessive.. TWP Honeytone is the lightest tint and it will fade the fastest because of this. My suggestion is to get a light second cot on within a year or two of the first coat then reapply in the future as needed. Probably every 3-4 years for vertical siding.
Thom, I would use the 100 Series. If the wood is rough sawn then you can stain now. if smooth you should wait until Spring.
There was no rain on the forecast but of course my luck it starts raining (lightly) about 7 hours after we finished staining our deck with the TWP 100. It is pooling on some of the boards with a oily look. What should we expect when it dries and how do we fix if the stain is compromised?
Thanks,
Lacey
Lacey, since it was 7 hours later I am pretty confident it will be alright. Just let the rain dry off the wood and make sure there is not any severe blotchiness.
Stain with TWP 1500 about a year and half ago. Power washed my redwood deck is that enough to be re-stained again .
As long as it is clean it should be good to proceed.
Mineral spirits are unavailable in California. What else can be used for TWP fence stain clean up? Thanks.
Molly, paint thinner will work as well.
I built a 400 sq.ft. P.T. pine deck about 3 years ago in middle Georgia. About 2 years ago, I had a painter apply TWP 1530 after using steps 1 & 2 of the Restore-a-deck products on the bare wood (no previous seal or stain). Apparently installation was incorrect because all areas not in direct sunlight never fully cured and mildew developed shortly after, and all sun exposed decking turned blackish. Not sure about weather conditions during installation; late spring so not real hot, but may have had rain in the process (I was not on site).
Anyway, I just completely stripped the deck with the Restore products (stripper and step 2) and removed all mildew and previous stain. I then applied new TWP 1530 with an airless sprayer and back-brushed. Stain appeared to go on well and absorbed properly. I have 2 questions:
1. Will I need another coat?
2. Do I need to apply a sealer after fully cured? (already been a week since installation).
Thanks.
Jeff,
1. TWP is to be applied wet on wet if you want two coats. Do not apply another now but you could apply a light coat in the Spring if you want.
2. No you cannot apply another product on top of TWP.
Am planning on a maintenance stain on an already TWP stained deck this week.Will be using TWP 101.Live in the Sierra-Nevada mountains at an elevation of 4500 feet.Currently the tempature is ranging from highs of 65 to 68 degrees to lows of 26 to 30 degrees.Will the freezing night temps hamper or inhibit the staining or should I wait until spring?
Ernie, if you get the stain on early and it has 3-4 hours to setup in the warm part of the day then it should not have any issues. If for example you finished at dusk and it did not have any chance to dry in the sun and froze shortly after, you would have potential problems.
I have a cedar deck,older than a year, 3 years ago treated with Thompsons waterseal. I have cleaned it with wolman deck and fence brightner, and pressure washer, still has greenish tint to wood, but all lichen and surface mold and dirt are gone. Southern Michigan, has 50 percent to 100 percent shade.
Want to use twp stain, but unsure of next step and what to use. Do I need to use more brightner or cleaner, and which stain, 100 or 1500?
Bradley
Bradley, sometimes that green is imbedded in the wood and will not come out with a cleaning. I would go ahead and stain. TWP 100 Series for Michigan would be best.
Our only question is how to remove the plastic rim on the can. We finally used a hacksaw, but there must be an easier way.
Benson, pliers and pry inwards.
We were only able to get the first coat on the deck this fall (TWP1500). Will the leftover stain still be usable next spring when we do the second coat?
Dawn, as long as the lid is closed 100% so there is no evaporation then the stain will be still good in Spring.
How long after application of TWP101 before I can walk on it?
Ron, usually the next day is fine for foot traffic.
Painters applied 2 coats of TWP, dark oak, 2 years ago on our 3 year old deck that was in rough shape. It was a fairly wet month and they were having trouble getting the stain to completely dry on the deck. The deck is really showing signs of wear. We have pressure washed, bleached mold and cleaned in preparation for re-staining the deck. Plan on using TWP 1500 series. Should we have any problems applying the TWP 1500 over the existing stain?
Linda, has the old stain worn evenly and has it cleaned up evenly? You may only need one coat this time.
can I buy and use TWP 100 in NY State?
No it is not not compliant for your area. Only the 1500 Series.
Charlotte, just prep the new boards by cleaning. TWP is an oil based stain. Oil based stains will penetrate deeper into the wood grain then a water based stain. Less chance of peeling.
I have TWP on my new deck. I notice some blackening occurring. How can I get rid of that
Mike, what is the blackening? Dirt, grime, mold on top, etc? You could just try lightly clean with soapy water.
I have a cedar side house that has been stained with 100 cedar tone. I live in PA and you have to use 1500 now. Can 1500 be mixed with natural to lighten up the honey tone or cedar tone? What will that do to the life of the stain?
TWP 1530 Natural was designed to be the same color as the 101 Cedartone Natural. I would use that.
Does TWP have a solid stain (dark brown)?
Marty, TWP does not come in solid colors.
Julie, pry the tabs open with a flat head screw driver.
Thanks, I was trying to pry them from underneath, that is why it didn’t work! Now I have another question. I finished applying the stain Friday at about 4pm. Rain came the next day around noon, but only for an hour or so. Today (Sunday) there are water spots on the deck after I swept away as much of the standing water as I could. Is this going to go away? I am planning to do another maintenance coat in the spring. Thanks!
Julie, it should be fine and will go away.
MC3, are the water spots on top of the stain? Sometimes they wipe off with a wet rag. 12 hours should have been enough drying.
It looks like the water displaced the stain. Wet rag doesn’t work, but I tried a rag with mineral spirits and it helped some but it removed part of the stain too. This old Wolmanized lumber has always seemed to be dense and slow to accept stains plus the humidy was really hgh too.
Ok another question: this will be put on siding of a vacation home that is rented a lot. Is residual odor a problem 2-3 days after application?
Stan T, odor usually goes away in a few days.
I have applied TWP 101 cedartone stain to my deck. Do I need to apply a sealant on top of my stain?
Miranda, no you do not and cannot put a sealer on top of the TWP.
Recently stained a cedar deck that weathered for 2 years and was sanded down and cleaned using TWP 1500 Pecan. Unfortunately it rained heavily about 8 hours after for the next couple of days. It was dry and warm before that and 90% of it for the most part looks good but I have some water spots on the sections I finished staining last. Should I lightly sand and put another coat on the boards with water spots? 60 grit? The stain is about a week old.
Zarian, it is very hard to spot sand, stain, and blend. Have you tried to wipe off the water spots with a little but of paint thinner?
I have a 1st quality pressure treated pine deck that was built in March 2013. It is gray now and ready to accept stain in most places but I am worried about doing it at this point because we have a tree over part of the deck that is secreting a black film and dropping leaves that cause everything to be black as well. Would it be better to wait until next spring when the leaves and the sticky residue are not a problem or should I go ahead now? I do have quite a few split boards that happened almost immediately after the deck was installed.
Thank you,
Gracie Lutz
I would wait since you are having issues with the tree. Prep first in the Spring with the Gemini Restore Kit.
I have old wood siding which had previously been stained with Behr solid stain. The TWP stain that I am using is a similar color, or darker than the Behr stain. I am having an awful time stripping this old stain. I have tried your “restore a deck “stripper, as well as a Behr stripping product. How much will the result suffer, with my TWP stain, if I don’t get every bit of the old stain off? Any further suggestions?
Thank you
Beverly, stain stripper swill not remove solid stains. You will need to sand off the Behr solid. You need to remove 95-100%.
I want to order the Wood Prep product featured on your video before staining my new deck. I cannot find it to order. How do I order this, and will it remove the ink stains from the lumber mill?
WE do not sell that anymore. We replaced it with the Gemini Restore Kit. Neither products would have removed ink stamps.
Can you use this stain for a front door?
Yes you can use it on all unfinished exterior wood.
Hi TWP, I have a few questions: First, I live in St. Louis and put up a new cedar deck two months ago. Might be a bit early to stain it, but I’d rather not leave it unprotected against weather over the winter. What’s your best product for this type of wood? Also, we have carpenter bees here. Can I mix a repellent into your stains? Do you recommend a specific brand of type of repellent for these bugs? Many thanks.
Kurt, please read this about new wood: http://www.twpstainhelp.com/prepping-new-wood-for-twp-stains/
100 Series would be best. Not sure on what brand of bee repellent.
I live in Atlanta. I am staining several items:
– an older (20 years) treated pine deck that was sealed with TWP 100 four or five years ago
– a new treated pine fence and
– a new treated pine arbor
Should I consider TWP 100 or TWP 1500 for those applications?
Thank you,
Bill S
Bill, I would use the 100 Series for all the areas.
Dock: 400 sq ft
new
6×6 pressure treated posts which are exposed directly to freshwater.
main structure is 2×10 pressure treated.
Cedar 2×6 decking.
Need to know what the best product to be used. Should I have a separate product for the posts vs the joists and decking?
I am interested more in structural durability from the elements than I am in color.
Wes, 1500 Series but please read this about new wood and TWP: http://www.twpstainhelp.com/prepping-new-wood-for-twp-stains/
Hi. Can you please advise on this color problem?
My contractor
built a cedar staircase and two decks at my home in Austin Texas. It
was built with all new cedar, of a *very* whitish color. It was built
about 4 months ago and stained 2 months ago (the wood was already
extremely dry when stained). The color problem occurred when the
contractor sampled the #120 Pecan on an already *very* *very* dark piece
of wood, and the sample came out brown, exactly like I wanted it. The
problem is the rest of the wood, being very light colored, came out
completely different (just about yellow). Only one piece of wood matched
the brown sample. The contractor agreed to fix it for free. My dilemma is I want all the woodwork to match the
brown on the sample. What’s the best way to go about changing the color
(the sooner the better preferably) and how should we go about selecting
the proper stain to get the brown? I think you can see a picture of it
here:
http://www.manthedan.com/deck/stain.jpg
Dan, when staining wood you are basically enhancing the natural grain of your wood. If your wood is “very light” then the final color will be much lighter then a darker wood. You cannot get Pecan to look dark brown on wood that is naturally very light. If you want to switch then you should remove the Pecan with a stain stripper and brighten the wood. I would get some samples and test on the lighter wood. Dark Oak may be your best option.
Thanks. Should I not be a fan of chemical stain strippers for some reason? What are the options for just applying a dark oak without stripping?
Dan, not prepping correctly and the stain will not penetrate. It will fail. In addition you stained your wood to early I believe. You are supposed to wait 4-12 months after the wood is installed: http://www.twpstainhelp.com/twp-stain-wet-on-wet-application/
Planning to use the restore a deck products. Will the cleaner or brightener damage the finish on powder coated aluminum spindles?
RobH, it should not but you should test first as all manufacturers have different coatings.
Thanks
BuzzB,
1. You will need to remove the Sikkens 100% before applying the TWP. 2. Strip, sand if needed, and brighten for the prep.
3. Either way you will need to strip as it does not just go away completely in 2 years.
Scott, as long as the deck is clean and free of other coatings you will be okay.
ScottB, that should be fine.
Scott, new Kdat should not be stained right away when using TWP. You need to let the wood weather some, prep correctly to remove mill glaze, and only apply one coat of the stain.
Hmm. This presents a dilemma, since supplier states KDAT will absorb moisture and begin swelling/cupping if not sealed. Perhaps I need to go with another product and come back with TWP after a year?
Scott, you can but you will need to remove the stain if switching.
Sam, you should be okay to stain later and in direct sunlight. Make sure there all the stain absorbs into the wood and that there is no puddling.