In all of our years of DIYing, I don’t assume we’ve ever used a stable stain earlier than. However we lately had a venture that was *completely* suited to it and, nicely, stable stain shortly received us over. It was beneficial by an expert home painter to us, particularly as a result of he thought it might be nice for our outside bathe. And we discovered it straightforward to use, it gave us nice protection, and we acquired an even-better-than-we-expected outcome (which is all the time one of the best type!). So right here’s a publish that covers all the professionals & cons and hows & whys of stable stain.
As you may see, the “canvas” for this staining venture was our outside bathe. We gave it a mini-makeover proper after transferring in, however we knew it could want extra consideration and care down the road. Truthfully, we dreaded the duty of stripping and restaining it – so many nooks & crannies! – however utilizing a stable stain ended up being a reasonably painless course of – and there was no sanding required. The whole venture took two afternoons and we had been utilizing it once more a day later!
Not solely was it straightforward, it’s going to be a lot extra sturdy for us. We must always’ve completed it years in the past!
Strong Stain Earlier than & After
Earlier than we dive into the stable stain FAQs, listed here are some earlier than & afters – as a result of they actually present you what it could do. As a reminder, this bathe seemed fairly unhealthy when we first toured the home. We had been a bit nervous it was a misplaced trigger – particularly after our contractor instructed ripping it off the home. Fortunately we instructed him we needed to revive it.
Cleaning it up with a pressure washer helped rather a lot, and we’ve been doing that yearly to maintain it from getting too scummy together with oiling the wooden in an try to guard it. It has all the time been a considerably weathered and timeworn look, which has a lot attraction to us, however we lately needed to face the music that it was time for some spongy, rotten, and damaged cedar boards to be utterly changed. And we knew we would have liked a greater long-term answer to maintain that from occurring once more.
You may see the changed boards wanting brighter & much less grey within the image on the left beneath, which prompted our stable stain replace (proper photograph beneath). It’ll find yourself being a lot much less upkeep and can preserve any extra boards from rotting like those we needed to have changed, so it seems like an enormous win. Extra on all the stable stain perks in a second.
Listed here are those self same images, a bit larger so that you can see. Once more, this primary image was taken just a few days earlier than we utilized the stable stain. You may see just a few new boards among the many extra worn sunbleached ones (prime and backside on the best aspect, and a bunch on the left wall within the center and backside). There have been additionally different boards that had been changed on the door wall, which is behind me on this photograph.
The repairs turned out nice however they left the bathe wanting mismatched. Many seams and holes needed to be crammed with wooden putty or outside caulking, which led to an excellent patchier outcome. We additionally knew we needed to do one thing to seal the brand new cedar, however an everyday stain wouldn’t conceal the colour variations.
Fortunately we consulted with an area painter (and buddy!) who came to visit to have a look at it with us in particular person and strongly beneficial stable stain. We had been nervous at first, having by no means used a stable stain, however he instructed us we might simply do that ourselves. And he was proper. Now we’re 1,000% satisfied it was the best selection, and we’re so glad he beneficial it.
Higher than any photograph is a video. So here’s a rundown of the way it appears in movement, with some broad pictures and a few close-ups for you too. You actually get a sense for a way our outside bathe flows into our entrance porch at massive on this video, so take a peek in the event you can. It gives a variety of context for a way this works with our total exterior:
For a easy earlier than & after photograph comparability, right here’s the outside bathe because it seemed after we purchased this home in February of 2020:
And right here’s the outside bathe at present. Nothing beats the heat of fresh lovely cedar, however you may see how the stable stain has given our siding a extra protected and uniform look. It’s rather a lot much less porous (three cheers for much less grime increase and fewer rot down the road!) and it has by no means felt so clear in right here.
Wider images actually don’t seize the pure wooden texture that comes by way of in particular person (the video does a greater job I believe!), however this photograph helps to point out the way it appears up shut & private… like whenever you’re truly in right here having a shower.
I must also point out that a few winters in the past we changed the bathe’s previous wooden flooring with Trex, which has been one other massive enchancment. It’s rot-proof & water-friendly since droplets can gather on that flat floor for just a few hours after a bathe. Now it matches the flooring on all of our different porches and decks too, which is nice. To not preserve saying “watch the video”, however that additionally exhibits the way it all flows collectively.
Why Select A Strong Stain?
Strong stains are someplace between paint and conventional semi-transparent stains. They are often utilized to any unpainted wooden floor and, like different stains, they add colour & shield the wooden with out hiding the wooden grain texture. Nevertheless, the ultimate result’s an excellent and really protecting coat. This is the reason it was so nicely suited to our outside bathe’s points & particularly why a paint professional beneficial it.
Though in photos just like the one above, it’d simply appear to be a stable brown paint when it goes on, it permits extra wooden grain to point out by way of. So as soon as it’s dry you’ll doubtless discover that it appears extra like stained wooden (versus brown paint).
Strong Stain Vs. Paint
Strong stain could offer you the same outcome to color, however listed here are some key variations to grasp when choosing one over the opposite:
- Strong stain can solely be utilized over uncooked or beforehand stained surfaces, usually simply wooden and concrete.
- Paint works on loads of surfaces together with beforehand painted ones, from wooden and concrete to drywall, plastic, metallic, and many others.
- Strong stain doesn’t require a primer coat on uncooked wooden, paint does.
- Paint is available in seemingly limitless colour choices, stain usually doesn’t.
- Strong stain tends to put on exterior by fading, and will require recoating (though the stain we used stated it was assured to final for 25 years on siding or fences!).
- Against this, paint tends to put on exterior by peeling, which requires sanding and priming earlier than recoating.
- Strong stain soaks into wooden, higher preserving the wooden grain look.
- Paint sits on prime of wooden, which might conceal extra of the wooden grain.
- Strong stain tends to be extra reasonably priced. For instance, Behr’s top solid waterproofing stain is $30 cheaper per gallon than their top exterior paint.
For us, the first advantages of utilizing a stable waterproofing stain had been:
- utilizing one thing that enables the wooden grain to point out by way of extra
- not needing to do a primer coat in all places first
- not having to take care of peeling paint down the road, which requires sanding and priming once more earlier than repainting
Be aware: we didn’t select a transparent or semi-transparent stain as a result of sanding each nook and cranny to attempt to make completely different wooden tones match appeared time-consuming at finest and unimaginable at worst (previous cedar that’s freshly sanded doesn’t all the time match new cedar as a result of how the wooden ages over time, and the bench truly isn’t cedar, it’s beforehand stained pine).
Instruments & Provides Wanted
Making use of a stable stain requires just about the identical instruments and provides you’d want for normal paint. Here’s a supplies checklist:
You may see within the photograph above that we used exterior caulk to fill some corners and nail holes earlier than starting. We selected an exterior caulk within the colour “Cedar Tan,” because it was closest to our stain colour. We had been a bit nervous about it displaying by way of the stain ultimately, nevertheless it didn’t!
How To Apply Strong Stain
Strong stain goes on identical to paint, if not a bit simpler. And it’s MUCH easier than a conventional clear or semi-transparent stain. You don’t need to wipe off the surplus stain or fear about uneven protection as a result of overlapping coats or the stain soaking in splotchily. Mainly, in the event you can paint a room, you should utilize a stable stain.
Relying on the state of your wooden, you could want to make use of a chemical cleaner or stripper to remove the old finish. Ours had worn off sufficient that we determined to only clear the floor with a stiff-bristled brush and shop-vac to take away any mud or particles.
We suggest working in sections (you may see that we did the bathe door first within the photograph beneath). Begin by “chopping in” the sides/corners of 1 wall or part together with your paintbrush. This was essentially the most tedious a part of our venture as a result of we brushed beneath the sting of every cedar plank to make sure that it was properly lined.
After chopping in that aspect wall with our brush, we used a small foam curler to roll stain onto every plank. The next nap curler (3/8″) is vital for tough surfaces like wooden. Strong stain has a paint-like consistency, so it was straightforward to unfold with out dripping. Rolling went in a short time and was suuuuuuper satisfying
We tackled every wall of the bathe the identical manner, chopping in first with the comb after which rolling. At took perhaps 4-5 hours one Saturday afternoon. We let the primary coat dry in a single day after which did a second coat the following day, simply to be secure. Among the corners, particularly the place they’d been caulked, required a fast third coat to realize full stable protection. Typically whenever you’re utilizing paint, smaller touchups like these can depart brushmarks or may cause flashing (a visual distinction in sheen), however we had NO ISSUES like this with the stable stain.
As soon as all the pieces was absolutely dried for an additional 24 hours, we loaded our stuff again into the bathe. And by stuff, I imply largely crops.
Strong Stain Shade Choices
Paint manufacturers usually supply a smaller palette of stain colour choices in comparison with common paint. For instance, Behr provides hundreds of paint colours however solely 60 stable stain colours (beneath). You’ll usually discover your choices in a booklet or pamphlet within the stain part of the shop, or online.
Stains have a tendency to return in darker, earthier colours that complement a spread of exterior purposes like decks, fences, siding, and outside furnishings. So regardless of the restricted palette, most individuals could have no hassle discovering an acceptable hue. We selected Behr’s Tugboat as a result of it’s an in depth match to our entrance porch decking which is a Trex colour known as Havanna Gold (once more, try the video that’s greater up on this publish to see the way it all flows collectively). We’ve chosen a more colorful stain previously too, so don’t really feel boxed into browns and tans.
Some paint manufacturers promote sample sizes of their stable stains so you may take a look at just a few colours earlier than committing. I might suggest testing them on a scrap piece of matching wooden or siding, or in an not easily seen spot in your siding or deck.
Would We Use Strong Stain Once more?
Sure! We’re actually pleased with each the appliance course of AND the ultimate results of our stable stain. It has solely been a few months, so the jury continues to be out on the way it weathers and wears through the years, however our outside bathe is a good testing floor as a result of it will get plenty of moisture and the highest will get plenty of solar whereas the decrease areas are largely within the shade. We count on some quantity of upkeep it doesn’t matter what, however we’re actually inspired by how clear it has stayed up to now, and it’s proving to be much less porous and extra waterproof.
So there you may have it: our first use of stable stain – and a bunch of causes that it’d work nicely for a venture you could be tackling.
We’ll make sure you replace this publish as soon as we’ve seen how our stable stained cedar is holding up. However up to now our verdict is 2 thumbs up! And once more, on the can, the declare is fairly spectacular! See the way it says it holds up on siding and fences for 25 years?!
Different Tasks Utilizing Stain
Listed here are another tasks with stain that you simply may be curious about testing:
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