TWP Stain Waiting Period for New Wood

by TWP Stains

Why Do I Need to Wait to Stain My New Deck with TWP

info buttonAfter a new wood deck has been constructed it is important to protect it from the elements. Unprotected wood will be prone to graying, warping, cracking, splitting, and mold/mildew infiltration. Protecting your wood deck is easy with TWP Total Wood Preservative. There is however a waiting period to allow new wood to season prior to stain application.

New wood is commonly called “green” wood. Meaning it has not had time to season or dry. It has a very high moisture content. You may notice the difference in weight of a newer deck board and an older one. The newer one is much heavier due to all the moisture it is holding. As the wood dries it also shrinks. This is noticeable in the gaps between deck boards. They will be tight together after first construction and as the wood shrinks the gaps will become larger.

 

Applying TWP deck stain to a newer deck too soon can result in a failed deck coating. The stain will trap moisture in the wood, which can cause several problems. Mold and mildew can spread quickly underneath the stain eventually leading to rot and decay. The moisture will also keep the wood stain from penetrating properly and may cause it to peel and flake off the surface. TWP wood stain is designed to penetrate deep into the wood for maximum protection. If the wood has too high of moisture content the stain cannot penetrate correctly.

There are some people who believe you have to wait and entire season or 1 year before you can stain new wood. This is normally not true and actually a lot of the wood damage can occur in the first year if the wood is not protected. Most types of wood will be ready to stain within 4-12 months after being erected. All new wood should be prepped with the Gemini Restore Kit before staining. Wait time can vary depending on sun exposure, weather, and temperatures.

For TWP wood deck stain to give you the best results on a new deck, the moisture content of the wood should be 15% or less. This can be easily checked with a moisture meter. If you do not have access to a moisture meter and you have waited several months of hot summer weather, you can do a drop test with water. Sprinkle a few drops of water in several areas of the deck. If the water soaks in right away indicating the wood is dry it is probably okay to stain. If the water does not soak in right away, the wood may still be holding too much moisture.

Be sure your new wood deck has had plenty of dry time before applying TWP deck stain. This will guarantee proper wood penetration giving a naturally enhanced look that will last and perform as expected.

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Jim Cousineau
Jim Cousineau
9 years ago

We have a new deck that we just stained with TWP. Because of traffic and investment and as we are pleased with the stain results, I would like to apply a clear coat over the stain coat.
How long should I wait to apply the clear?
Any reservations or notes?
Thank you.

lalee b.
lalee b.
9 years ago

[b]how long do I wait before applying clear coat to a new, rough cut, redwood fence?[/b]

Ronnie Phillips
Ronnie Phillips
9 years ago

I have a 7 month fence I am treating with your 101 do I have to wash it with bleach? Will I have to pressure wash or use a water hose?

Pauline Nevins
Pauline Nevins
9 years ago

We just had a new redwood deck completed. We’re in Norhern California and the deck is on a sunny south side. We’ve heard different waiting periods before sealing- from two weeks to one year. Please advise. Also what stain color would look most natural other than clear since we’ve heard that clear does not offer enough sun protection. Thank you.

Roy Morrison
Roy Morrison
9 years ago

I just built a new cedar deck and am going to put a hot tub on it. Is it necessary to finish the area under the tub. I will finish around the tub in 3 months or so.

Tom Sorrells
Tom Sorrells
9 years ago

Hi- what about waiting period for new cedar railings and posts only – aren’t these somewhat rough? Old decks will be striped cleaned and refinished – don’t desire to have non-finished railings/posts.

Donna Sarrett
Donna Sarrett
9 years ago

We live on Lake Sinclair, in Eatonton, GA – 90 miles east of Atlanta. We installed a new dock with pressure treated wood in January of this year 2015, when can we put a clear stain/sealer on our dock? The person who built the dock said we should wait only 1-2 months but I’m thinking longer?

MrMike
MrMike
10 years ago

St. Louis MO, sun in morning and shade in late afternoon, new deck red cedar wood built just over 3 months ago. Is Oct 18th too early to stain, and what stain would you recommend?

Buddy
Buddy
10 years ago

Is the waiting period to apply stain to new wood reduced if kiln dried wood is used?

Rob MacBean
Rob MacBean
10 years ago

whats the best 1500 color to bring back the original color

Rob MacBean
Rob MacBean
10 years ago

What color twp 1500 stain would be to get mahogany deck back to close to the original color

Mark Blatter
Mark Blatter
10 years ago

Is TWP stain a good choice for T-111 rustic siding on my pole building? If so, should I wait to apply or can I pre-stain the panels before I install them on the building?

thanks, Mark

Robert Bentz
Robert Bentz
10 years ago

I just installed a new 900sf cedar deck in upstate NY, the deck is 12’ above the ground so I will get plenty of air flow and winter is coming fast. You recommend waiting 4 to 6 months before applying the stain. My question is why wait so long? If I were to install a wood floor in my house I could seal it right away. Why can’t I do that with an exterior wood floor? I am going to use the 1500 cedar stain. If I wait much longer I won’t be able to seal it until April or May depending on the winter and I’m sure it will be gray by then.

Jim Theodoroff
Jim Theodoroff
10 years ago

I installed a new deck waiting for it to dry out. I live in Flushing Michigan is there a dealer in my area. Also would I use TWP 100 or 1500 ?

Catina Hale
Catina Hale
10 years ago

Hello! I’m interested in putting a clear cote on my new redwood fence. The boards are redwood and the post and kicker are pressure treated.The fence is now 3 weeks old. How long do we wait to apply the TWP Clear coat for the first time. Do we need to do any prep work like pressure wash?

shawn g
shawn g
10 years ago

I have a 1 year old, pressure-treated, pine fence that I would like to stain for the first time. It does not appear to have any greying anywhere- should I still clean and brighten the wood with a restore kit or can I just clean it with soapy water prior to staining? Should I go with the high estimate for coverage since it is the first time staining and it is a fence not a patio? Do I need to apply a second coat or does it just depend on how much the fence soaks up?

Larry Smith
Larry Smith
10 years ago

Are the 1500 and the 100 both oil based? Does one hold up longer than the other?
Thanks

Stephen Smith
Stephen Smith
10 years ago

I have just finished laying a cedar deck in the NW. The decking has had 2 weeks of very hot dry weather for this area. Do you still suggest waiting 4 months prior to staining cedar decking? The latest I was going to wait was one more week. Is that enough time for this product to get absorbed? If wait for the 4 month period that puts me into the rainy season and end up waiting till next summer to stain which as you have mentioned can really harm the decking.

Dyanne Schulze
Dyanne Schulze
10 years ago

I have recently had some boards replaced on my 17-yr old deck. I have also had new stairs built. I want to get the old part of the deck stained. Should I not have them stain the new boards? They are pressured treated. How long should I wait before the new boards are stained? I live in Iowa where the temperatures vary drastically.
I hate the thought of having a deck with some boards stained and others not.

donnagirl
donnagirl
10 years ago

I want to stain an old PT deck. The floor was treated with a Cabot oil stain 2 seasons ago. We will be flipping some of the floor boards that have splinters and cracks. Please make suggestions on how to achieve a uniform color for the previously stained boards vs the flipped unstained boards? Which TWP stain would you recommend?
We used Cabot oil stain in the past, will this be compatible with TWP on the vertical spindles? I really don’t want to strip the spindles. The color will be very similar to the new color we hope to use on the floor.
We have a screened in porch next to the deck that I want to stain to match the deck color. We used a semi transparent water based stain on the floor 6 or more years ago that still beads water. If I use the stripper and brightener on the floor of the porch can I successfully use TWP there as well and achieve a similar color as the deck.
Thank you for your time.

Cathy Gerking
Cathy Gerking
10 years ago

My new redwood deck has just been completed. The contractor used kiln dried
redwood. Is this seasoned wood?
Thank you!

Bear
Bear
10 years ago

I am stripping my deck and wonder how long i can wait to use the brightener. It is a large deck and with the weather it is going to take days to strip. Should I be doing brightener as I go or can I wait until the whole deck is stripped? Also what stain would you recommend in S.E. Wisc.? I also had to replace a few board so do I not stain those until they dry out? The deck is approx. 700 sq ft so how much stain will I need?

Phillip Prideaux
Phillip Prideaux
10 years ago

Can you recommend a waiting period before staining for a new cedar deck?

compare TWP stains
10 years ago

Recently installed 300 ft of 8 ft cedar fence in Wichita KS. All of the dimensional lumber is rough sawn; the face boards are rough on one side and smooth on the other.
Based on my reading of your articles, I will use the cleaner/brightner on the smooth wood and not on the rough and will apply one coat on the smooth and two light wet on wet coats on the rough. Is that correct?

The real problem I have is with the gates. The frames are made of 2×6 and 2×8 smooth cedar with mortise and tenon joints and has been sanded. Inside the frame will be smooth cedar lattice on top. Below, face boards that are rough on one side, smooth on the other.

The frames have been drying in our sun room out of direct light for about 2 months so it has very little UV exposure. The builder(bro-in-law) does not want to hang the gates until they have been treated because he fears the gates will warp if not protected. Can I stain now after using cleaner brightener?

Donnie Reid
Donnie Reid
10 years ago

I’m putting down dryed treated decking. It has been dryed then treated and then Redried. Is there a waiting period to apply TWP deck stain?
Thanks,
Donnie

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