As time passes, seasons change and so do the weather conditions. Exposure to the elements can cause the wood on the exterior of your home to wear out, leading to splitting, rotting or twisting. In order to overcome this problem, most homeowners apply stain or seal the exterior woodwork. Unfortunately, these protective coatings eventually wear out. Therefore, you need to know how often you should stain the exterior woodwork.

The answer to this question can vary with the kind of material you are sealing it with. Also, several other external factors come into play such as the weather and usage, but let’s keep them constant for a while and look at the type of stains.

Transparent stains have some coloration effects on the wood but have quite a low level of protection. Decks with a transparent stain need to be coated with a sealer to extend the wood’s life.

Semitransparent stains provide both color and protection to the wood. They still allow some of the wood grain to show through the deck due to the semi transparent property. Decks coated with these have to be recoated yearly.

Solid stains are like paint and provide protection to your woodwork for several years. They stay on the surface rather than penetrating in to the wood. Due to the color, they do not let the natural grain of the wood to be visible through it. Solid stains should ideally be recoated every four to five years, on average.

Sealers just protect the wood from the moisture and water that could cause rotting and splitting of the wood and do not provide any coloration. Most sealers last one year and have to be recoated every year to ensure continuous protection.

Before you re-stain or reseal a wooden deck, it is important that you make sure it is clean and free from previous application of sealer. You can use a sand paper, a pressure washer or simply a cleaning wash to prepare the deck before it can be coated again with the sealer or stain.

High-Quality Stains

To ensure the best protection, it is important that you use high quality stain. You have to choose between a water-based stain and an oil-based stain. They both have advantages. Water-based ones have the best color retention. They are also easier to use as compared to oil-based stains. They have less odor and cleaning them only requires soapy water.

Another great benefit of water-based stains are that they are not flammable, meaning you will not have to worry about storing them. In addition, water-based stains also dry quicker to oil-based stains.

Oil-based stains last longer once applied, and have better penetration properties compared to water-based stains. Due to their durability, they are a better choice in harsh climate conditions. The fact that they take longer to dry up actually proves beneficial as they give a more even color tone.