Solid stains provide a thick, colored film that can be made to match or coordinate with the colors of your home siding. Just like paint, they must be applied in two coats, and they typically retain their strength and color for 4-5 years.
While solid stain can resist fading from the sun, it won't resist eventual cracking, peeling, or blistering. This is especially true if the wood is often wet or in direct sunlight. No matter how good the solid stain or the painter, solid stain will eventually peel and need recoated.
Many people like using a semi-transparent wood stain better than a solid one—even if it might not last as long—because it allows for more of the natural wood grain to come through. (Solid stain covers like paint.)
It depends on the type. Those with more pigment last the longest: up to 7 years for a solid-color stain. Clear toners, which have the least amount of pigment, need to be reapplied annually.
Hirshfield's offers quality deck care products including: Cabot, Arborcoat®, Ready Seal, Storm System and ProLuxe Sikkens. These products provide varying degrees of UV protection as well as offers a wide selection of colors. Never use solid siding stain or paint on a deck. In this application, these will usually peel.
You don't necessarily have to choose between staining and sealing. Some products can combine both properties, or you can add both to your deck. However, other homeowners choose to either stain or seal their deck.
Apply solid stains in thin coats and semi-transparent stains or clear sealers in even thinner coats. This prevents puddles that don't soak into the wood and cause the stain to flake off when dry. Whatever type of stain you use, apply two coats to ensure there are no missed spots and to get a more uniform finish.
One coat of solid-color stain is only marginally adequate on new wood. A prime coat with a top coat will always provide better protection to the wood as well as promoting a longer service. Optimal performance can be obtained if the wood is primed, then given two coats of stain.
Although solid stain has its benefits, paint offers better protection, durability, and a wider range of colour selection. Solid stain fades faster than paint, meaning that you will need to repaint it sooner.
The difference between a solid stain and paint
Whereas paint sits on top of a surface, solid stain absorbs into it. This means that instead of peeling like paint does, solid stain fades with age. As a result, solid colour stains tend to look better than paint does as time goes on.
A solid stain will last longer than any other stain. The downside is it doesn't show the wood grain's natural beauty. A semi-solid will be more durable than a semi-transparent, but you lose more grain. And the same applies to a semi-transparent versus transparent.
The hotter the surface of the wood, the more quickly the stain will dry. If it dries too quickly, then it simply won't have time to penetrate into the wood, leaving it on the surface to form a film and, you guessed it, eventually peel.
Semi-solid stains are a better choice for decks that have seen their share of cookouts. You'll still see some grain, but you'll hide more of the wear and tear your deck has endured. Solid wood stains are for deck surfaces that have a lot of imperfections, or you just want to add a splash of color.
While all deck stains provide water protection, the more pigment a stain has the more UV protection it provides. A clear stain would provide almost zero UV protection while a solid stain would provide the most protection from the sun.
Clear and transparent stains need a touchup every year or two. Semi-transparent last 2 to 3 years. Semi-solid stains are good for 2 to 4 years of protection. Solid stains on decks may protect up to 5 to 7 years.
A solid stain is, essentially, a paint. Both are films that sit on the surface of a substrate. A penetrating stain differs from a solid stain entirely in that the product actually absorbs into the wood. To determine which product is right for a given project, there are a number of different things to consider.
Preparation. The biggest difference in preparation is that solid stain does not need a primer unlike paint. This will save time and money. On the other hand, you cannot apply a solid stain to a surface with paint on it already.
While you can stain over paint, realize that you are creating a unique look, not an authentic stained wood-grain look. For that, first strip off all of the paint, then apply the stain. Paint with greater gloss means that the surface is less porous. The stain will more easily slide off, resulting in a lighter color.
Transparency: The Best Types Of Stains
The best options for exterior stains for wood homes are semi-transparent, semi-solid, and solid. You can use them on siding and trim. Their main differences are how much of the natural wood and color you can see through the stain and how often they need restaining.
In average conditions, your paint or stain will be dry to the touch within 1-2 hours, but you should not walk on it for probably 4-6 hours. In cooler weather or during periods of high humidity, you will need to wait even longer than this.
For solid colours, wait two to four hours and apply a second coat just as you did the first. After you're done, give the stain between 24-48 hours to dry completely before replacing furniture or walking across the surface.
Deck staining can be done by a professional or as a weekend DIY project. However, a common question that pops up among homeowners who wish to do it themselves is: how long for the stain to dry before it can be safely exposed to rain? Generally, it takes anywhere between four hours to 24 hours.
It may seem like you will get better coverage staining your wood deck or log cabin if you apply additional coats of stain. However, more stain is not always better, and can actually result in peeling stain, less protection and a shorter life span for your project.
Stains lighten as they dry, then return to their damp color when a finish is applied.