We've stripped, sanded, and cleaned our porch deck down to the bare wood.

We planned on putting stain on the deck, as we were told that would last longest, but another neighbor is now advising us that painting is better, specifically applying a coat or two of oil based primer, and then applying a coat of oil based paint, or even latex.

Any thoughts on the best procedure?

Thanks!

Not sure about the prepping before painting, but the June 2012 issue of Consumer Report seems to say that the longest lasting deck stains are solid stains. And they gave Behr Solid Color Deck, Fence & Siding Wood Stain a rating far above other stains. If you're familiar with Consumer Reports, this paint had a solid red dot (best) appearance after 3 and 6 years, and a 1/2 red dot after 9 years. So it seems they did some thorough testing. Available at Home Depot, and I'm sure other places.

They gave the Behr and Sears Weatherbeater Deck, Fence & Siding Solid Best Buy ratings. LyleH

......I've STAINED [accidentally] many decks....but I don't think you mean that way.....

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I reject your reality and substitute my own!

It's all about UV degradation. Paints block UV better than stains - more opaque.

Stain is the way to go.

Easier than paint, looks better, won't chip. I stained my house and I like it.

I WOULD NEVER PAINT A PROPERLY PREPARED PORCH! Sorry to yell, but you get the idea.

My sister has a huge deck and it is painted. It is a bear for maintenance.
The house is multiple shades of tan/cream stain, the deck is white paint. Looks nice, it's just a LOT of work to keep it that way.

My mom has a tiny deck and it is solid stain. It's not quite so bad. The house is painted but the house paint outlasts the stain.

Clear preservative every year in a pump spray can is easiest. A quick clean every Spring or every other Spring isn't so bad either.


If it's a covered porch then the worst place for paint will be from the steps to the door. A carpet runner of some sort is often recommended to save wear and tear on the paint and as a non-skid rather than non-skid/sand/grit.

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Stain stain stain. With stain, it gets absorbed into the wood, paint on the other hand only covers it. Stain and seal.

Solid stain

Stain, the more opaque the better.

For exaplanation...

"paint' flakes off.
Transparent stain also wears off, but it LOOKS like it's just 'disappearing'.
Solid stain wears off as well, and usually does not flake unless it was poorly applied.
And as noted.. sunlight damage goes through transparent stain more than solid stain.

Refinishing cycles with transparent are about 1-3 years.
Refinishing cycles with good quality solid stain are about 3-5 years.

It's all about what kind of pain you're willing to suffer.

Once the stain goes away and the wood grays there are products to mostly bring back the original color of the wood.

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Saint Cloud, Minnesota, where the weather is wonderful even when it isn't.

We had a 20 year old deck that was looking crummy. I was going to replace the boards and a friend suggested that I flip the boards--great advice! After I flipped them, I used Behr cleaner and then the Behr Semi Transparent stain that Consumer's Reports said was great. So far, so good.

Please use stain. Our deck paint chipped off, pealed, etc. a couple years after we bought the house, and I had to take all the crap paint off and stain it. Much better with the stain. kj.

Solid stains are definitely better than paint or sealers, but if it starts to peel in a couple years, you are in for a major job of stripping and starting all over again.

Years ago I was swayed by some articles by the Tim Carter, the "Ask the Builder" guy syndicated in newspapers. He was touting an epoxy-fortified penetrating stain called "Defy" that sealed the wood without forming a film that would peel or flake. Having read some Consumer Reports studies that indicated that almost any major name brand sealer was a piece of crap, I was intrigued.

I had a new cedar fence, but the application seemed to require a lot of prep and careful following of directions...a pricey oxygenate bleach (like Oxy Clean but without all the fillers), a whitener and then the stain itself. I just didn't have the time, and I never got around to it. The fence weathered naturally, and I figured I could put up a whole new fence in 10 years for what it would cost me in product and labor to stain and maintain it. I don't regret that decision, but before the 10 years was up, the fence was in pretty awful shape, and it really did need to be replaced. One big summer storm and half the thing fell down in an instant.

In the meantime, I had tried the Defy on a new pergola and was pleased with the results. I did a maintenance coat after 3 years, but it held up beautifully for 3 more.

So when I replaced the fence last year, I decided to do it right this time. I went looking for Defy again at the high quality paint store I purchased from in the past. They professed no knowledge of it but tried to steer me to their Benjamin Moore brand. With a little research, I found another good paint store about 15 minutes away that was listed as a Defy dealer. Went there and the saleslady pleaded ignorance once again. I resigned myself into thinking I just needed to move on...but upon checking with the owner, she indicated that they did stock small quantities because he said "it's the best."

It took me several weekends, and I bought out all the stock of the color I needed on a couple of occasions, but the fence looks awesome. I don't have a deck, but if I did, this is what I would use.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/11/2012 10:49PM by datbeme.