Decks, Patios, Porches and Docks - New wooden Deck - Stain ???

Hello all. So I will begin my deck in the weeks to come and will be prepping the wood and staining right after. I will be using Homer's Behr's products, the cleaning, prep and then stain. I recenlty did these steps at my inlaws deck and was not impressed with the feel of the wood after it was complete. Was not very smooth to the touch as a sanded wood would be. I went ahead and sanded a piece of wood and then stained it and it was very nice and smooth. So my question is, should I sand down the would with a fine grit paper after the cleaning and preping, right before the stain or first sand and then clean and prep? Also if there are better products to use then homer's, which one should I look for? Any info appreciated. Thank you

How are you cleaning the wood? Too much pressure or holding the tip too close with a pressure washer can/will chew up the wood leaving it rough.

Behr coatings aren't the best products available. While it will cost more, buying your stain from a paint store will give you a longer lasting job.

I did use a pressure cleaner and as for distance it was about 8 inches from the wood. I just read on this post about this happening when pressuring cleaning it. So if I do pressure clean it then go ahead and sand it after or just use a regular hose instead of the pressure cleaner. From my test runs with spare wood, I think the feel of the wood, treated or untreated (cleaned or uncleaned) still feels much nicer when sanded down. I have been using a sheet pad sander but just invested on a random orbital sander since I also read it is better. Now as for a paint store, someplace like Shermin Williams etc...? Thanks

Both SWP and B. Moore sell quality coatings.

The biggest problem with sanding decks is the nail/screw heads can really chew up some sandpaper. 8" is too close to the wood with a pressure washer although a lot depends on how high the pressure is and what tip is being used. You want the PW to aid in rinsing/cleaning but not damage the wood. If using bleach - to strong a solution will also damage wood fibers.

I agree with not using Behr. I also think you should reconsider wood altogether and look into composite materials. More initial cost, but I believe well worth it.

Thanks everyone. As for composite material, too late since materials have been purchased. Now as for the screw head, I was planning on drill them in a bit not to surface the top of the wood and then put some wood putty (not sure what it is called) to cover the hole. Is this a good idea?

It may not be as easy as you would think to drive the screws in a tad further. I've used wood putty and glazing under exterior paint but don't think I've ever had a call to fill nail/screw heads on a deck. Make sure the filler is rated for the exterior and that the color of it won't affect the look of the stain [if you use clear or semi-transparent] solid stain should cover most fillers with no problem.

You can buy colored screws so they match the sealer you're using.

Don't use a filler unless you don't mind a polka dot deck. Even if you decide to use a solid stain to hide the filler, its still a lot of work. I take it, you are going to use pressure treated wood for decking. Within a year or two, you will get small cracks along the length of the boards and these cracks will effect the filler and break it loose.
My existing pressure treated wood deck is 5 years old and was treated with Behr products and now I am sorry I used both. Next time I will go for a composit deck. Use the colored screws as recommended. Some places will allow you to return unused lumber with no questions asked.

Thanks everyone for all input. So if I am able to return all this lumber, where would I get composite material?

Let me ask you experts something, galvanized exterior screws or nails? What looks better?

You can buy the composite boards most anywhere PT decking is sold. Nails might look a little better but screws hold a whole lot better.

btw - you shouldn't need to pressure wash a new deck prior to stain. PT does need to weather/dry some before coating. Composites can be stained [solid stain] or left like they are.

Screws look better because they hold better. Part of the joy of composite, IMO, is not having to stain it. No way I get near it with a paint brush.

Hello all. So the deck is complete, finally. Visited my local SW store and they said to wait about 4 weeks for the wood to cure. Now since this is new wood, pressure treated wood, do I ?need to do any type of wash or prep before staining or just give it a minor cleaning with a pressure cleaner and then stain? Also how good are the semi transparent stains from SW? Any info appreciated. Thanks

As long as the deck is clean it should be fine for stain - a quick pressure wash wouldn't hurt, be sure to let it dry good before applying the stain.

I've used a lot of SWP's semi-transparent stains - never had any issues :)

How do I go about removing the factory marks on the wood. Looks like ink stamps to say what kind of wood it is. Does that come off with the pressure cleaner or need a deck wash solution?

You might try scrubbing the ink marks with denatured alchol.

Pressure treated wood should be allowed to dry to under 20% moisture content before being sealed, which should happen in a month or two. I agree with the SWP dealer.

So I tried denatured alchohol and it was a mission to just take off one stamp. Any other products that can be used? Thanks again
Hector