Decks, Patios, Porches and Docks - staining deck

Hello. I have a deck i would like to stain. It is 10x19 with railing all around it. The deck is a year old and i'll be staining it for the first time. I plan on using Cabolt. What should i clean it with before staining? The deck doesn't look dirty. Should i spray or roll it. I have a wagner stain sprayer. Approx how much stain will i need. Cabolt is about 28$ per gal so i don't want to buy too much. Any help would be greatly appriciated.

How much stain depends on how many coats you're going to apply. I would think 2 gallons would be sufficient - I have a 12x12' and used a little more than a gallon for two coats on vertical surfaces and three on horizontal ones.

Application: the sealer needs to be physically pushed into the surface of the wood with a roller or brush and spraying can be a messy endeavor, so I just skip that step and apply it with a brush.

Cleaning: there are deck cleaning products available, otherwise a cup or two of bleach in a gallon of water works pretty well.

Cleaning: there are deck cleaning products available, otherwise a cup or two of bleach in a gallon of water works pretty well.





Be sure to rinse well!

Be sure to rinse well!

Thank you, mark, for mentioning something I should have but failed to.

Hey guys. I tried the bleach method. First i put 2 cups of bleach in one of those lawn feeders, attached it to a garden hose, sprayed it on the deck, waited 10 minutes then rinsed. The deck cleaned up nice. The stain i am going with is Cabot Australian Timber Oil Mahogany Flame. The can says to only use one coat. I'm going to have to wait a day however cause of rain in the forcast. Thanks guys.