The TWP 2018 Spring/Summer Restoration Contest is closed!
Thanks to all the entered this year. There are some fabulous entries this year. After looking over all the entries we have decided on our winners for the year!
First Place
Nick Wolf (Page 3)
First Place = $500 + Weber Grill ($500 Value) + 5 Gallon Pail of TWP Stain
Second Place
Richard Lucci (Page 4)
Second Place = $250 + Yeti Roadie 20 Cooler ($250 Value) + 3 Gallons of TWP Stain
Third Place
Randy Johnson (Page 4)
Third Place = $100 + Eno Hammock ($100 Value) + 2 Gallons of TWP Stain
Sorry to all that did not win the prizes. We were extremely impressed with all the feedback and entries this year!
Do you think you will have completed the best TWP Wood Deck Restoration for Spring/Summer 2018?
Take some pride in your hard work and enter the TWP Stain Deck Restoration Contest for 2018!
TWP 2018 Contest Details
- All TWP and Prep products must be purchased first from this online retail site (TWPStain.com) between January 1st – July 4th, 2018.
- Deadline for entry is July 14th, 2018.
- The winner will be decided on July 21st by our team.
Contestant winners will receive
- First Place = $500 + Weber Grill ($500 Value) + 5 Gallon Pail of TWP Stain of your choice!
- Second Place = $250 + Yeti Roadie 20 Cooler ($250 Value) + 3 Gallons of TWP Stain of your choice!
- Third Place:= $100 + Eno Hammock ($100 Value) + 2 Gallons of TWP Stain of your choice!
*Total winnings will be $2000 in payouts and prizes.
How To Enter Contest
- Enter by July 14th, 2018.
- In the comment section below, post a short description of your deck/wood staining project, the products used to prep, and the TWP Series and Color used. Example of wood projects that can be entered: Decks, Fences, Wood Side Homes, Log Cabins, etc.
- Add 2 before prepping pictures of the wood that was restored (no more/less). You can still enter if you do not have the before pictures. Decks, wood fences, wood homes, etc are allowed.
- 2 after staining pictures must be included (no more/less).
- If having trouble uploading the pictures, please make your picture(s) size smaller (below 1 MB).
Any questions or issues posting, please ask in the comment area.
We look forward to all entries and wish everyone “Happy TWP Staining”!
*Disclaimer: All products must be purchased from TWPStain.com. The contest is not open to products purchased from other online dealers or from physical stores.
To clean and prep our deck we used the restore a deck cleaner and brighter along with a power washer. We used 2 1/2 gallons the 1500 stain in dark oak. The last time the deck had been stain prior to this was probably 5 years ago. We are very happy with the results!
We used 10 gallons of TWP 150 SERIES 5 RUSTIC Color1516
We live in the Midwest and have a skirted cedar ceck surrounding our 17’×37′ pool. Our deck is 8 yrs old. First, I power washed the deck completely down to bare CEDAR. Let deck dry 4 days and sanded entire deck using 60&80 grit orbital sander. Blew off all dust then wiped with clean lint free towels. Applied stain with stain pad and 2 brushes. A 4″&2″. We are ABSOLUTELY THRILLED with how I turned out. Stain was easy to work with and finish is consistent.
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Our project was a new construction pressure treated southern pine deck and porch. We let the boards age for 6 months and applied the RAD cleaner, then brightener. We obtained 6 color samples and experimented with different color combinations and settled on a combination of 1/2 Redwood-106 and 1/2 Rustic Oak-116. We applied the stain with a a small brush between the boards. For the deck boards, we applied the stain with a 9″ pad, then shifted to a 5″ stain brush attached to a pole. It was a lot of work but we are quite happy with the results.
Here’s my deck project, start to finish. This deck is 37 years old. It had a very worn red, semi-transparent finish. We used TWP stripper and the old finish stripped off pretty good (except in the cracks). We then used the brightener, and series 100, rustic finish. I was a little panicked at first, because the color looked electric orange. After it dried overnight, I was much happier with the color.
The rest of the pictures. I have better pictures, but they are over 8 MB
The rest of the pictures.
2 Story-Deck
TWP 1500 Series
Dark Oak
I bought a house last year with a deck that was let “gray”. It was in rough shape and had never been stained before. I wish I would have bought TWP’s Deck Restore Kit because It took 11 bottles of some junk at Home Depot and scrubbing for 3 long days before the deck was decent enough to stain. Judging by their stain, TWP’s Restore A Deck Kit could have saved me time and money.
I used Dark Oak from the TWP 1500 Series, coming highly recommended from my online research. It was recommended over Benjamin Moore’s Arborcoat and over Sherwin Williams Superdeck and the recommendations were right!
I highly recommend TWPstain.com and the TWP 1500 series deck stain!
Backyard Shed
TWP 1500 Series
Cedartone
I sided this shed with rough sawn hemlock. I let the hemlock dry/age for 24 months. I prepped using the bleach and water mixture per the instructions on the TWP 1500 can. Looks great thanks toTWP
My deck is only 6 years old and I had applied a home improvement store stain 3 years ago that started peeling within a couple months and the pictures below, from this spring, look as if the deck had been neglected for much longer. To remove the previous finish, I used Restore-A-Deck stripper and a pressure washer. I sanded the surface after the wood dried, but we had quite a bit of rainy weather and weeks went by, so I also used the Restore-A-Deck cleaner, then brightener, before applying TWP 100 Series Honeytone 115. Now my deck looks like new again and the finish is fantastic.
Our 28’x16′ deck was reconstructed in 2017 and allowed to weather for 10 months. In June, I cleaned and brightened with RAD, using a pole brush to clean, and a water hose with a pressure nozzle to rinse (we have very good water pressure in our area). I then allowed the deck to dry several days. After sampling several of the TWP stains, we decided to stain the main deck with TWP 1500-Pecan, and the border and railings with TWP 1500-Dark Oak. Although some of the railing areas had to be finished with a brush, I was extremely pleased to take TWP’s advice and stain the main deck with the Padco deck and stain pad. It was exactly the right width, threaded on an existing pole I had, and lasted through the project. We’re very pleased with the outcome, and are looking forward to enjoying our new deck with family and friends.
We moved into our home in 2015. The 16’x12′ deck was rickety to say the least. There were no supports in the center and the wood would cause many splinters. I rebuilt the support to the deck and kept the decking. I cleaned the deck with a power washer, using Krud Kutter. I then sanded the entire thing using both 80 grit and 220 grit depending on which surface I was sanding. I used TWP 103 Dark Oak Stain on the deck, even adding a slide/gate for this kids. It was easy to apply and repels water very well.
Second finished pic didn’t upload for me either
Just re-stained our 3-year old deck. Had initially used some Thompson’s that had peeled and molded terribly after just a few months. Stripped what little remained of the Thompson’s with the RAD stripper and finished with the RAD brightener. Then finished it off with the TWP-1500 in Natural. Wow what a difference! Deck looks great and you can see how the TWP is protecting the wood as the water beads up on the surface now. Thanks, TWP.
My second finished pic didn’t upload
My 750ft2 deck was installed last year using brown PT but after our winter from hell it was bleached and needed new life. After prepping time of just over 7hrs earlier this week by myself, (my wife cheered me on) i spent another 4hrs staining it tonight, my wife decided she was all cheered out and went to her sisters while I worked in 30F heat in the shade, using approx. 7 gallons TWP 1500 cedartone 201. What a difference. Such an easy product to use. Enjoy the pics. Thanks for a great product!
This was the culmination of a multi year deck repair project. The original cedar decking was probably 30 or 40 years old and rotting out, so I replaced all the decking with new pressure treated pine and let it dry over the winter. In May this year I purchased two 5 gallon combo kits of 101 Cedartone stain and cleaner/brightener powder. The cleaner and brightener did wonders to prepare the wood, using a brush and pressure washer, and the TWP stain covered very well with a stain pad applicator and the recommended two coat wet-on-wet technique. The deck is in two sections, on the north and east sides of the house, with a gazebo joining the two sections. Total area to stain was about 1,500 square feet, including a porch on the front side of the house. I had about 2.5 gallons left from the initial 10 gallons and will use that to stain a wooden play gym and utility shed.
Second part of my post. The photo loaded with this comment is a finished TWP stained bench. The first post seen on previous post is finished railing. The last two photos of previous post are old finish
had problem uploading this pic. actually I posted same IMG-4368.jpg twice. not really good at this… sorry
Our project posted is a 14 year old deck with many coats of a clear presevative which included a wax. We were perplexed as we began our project. Finally we came to understand sanding would be the only way to remove and prepare a surface for a staining. Twelve hours later our deck railing and bench was ready. It took six weeks of investigating To sort out the products on the market. When TWP was listed most positively on a review of products, I began to understand whyTWP was best. With more research and product reviews I too came to the conclusion TEP was the product for this deck project. The fact that I will. It have repeat the sanding to refresh the look was the greatest selling point. The deck is cedar and we picked the Pecan 1500 stain. A beautiful transformation, we recently had a new wooden French erected in our back yard……TWP will be applied. The first two photos show the condition of the cedar deck parts, dirty, dark, and very dead looking. The last two photos are after two coats of TEP applied wet on wet, 30 minutes between coats. Easy application, coverage great, no mess, I could sell TWP.
I started my deck restoration with the restore and brightener kit using a pressure washer to clean and rinse. Your products worked GREAT cleaning and bringing the deck back to original color . I used Cedartone for the color and I am one”‘HAPPY CAMPER”. I have a comb top treated wood that tends to hold water, but water met it’s match when it comes into contact with TWP products. Thanks and I will be using TWP on all my future projects.
One of the before pictures did not post
I have a 1,600 sq ft, wrap around deck that I restored using TWP products. I purchased 3 each bags of Gemini Restore a Deck Stripper and Brightener. After stripping using a deck brush and power washer, I had to sand each board to remove stubborn stain and level each board before applying the stain. I had to use 12 Gallons of TWP 100 series Rustic 116. The staining job went smoothly using TWP’s Pump Sprayer, a high quality deck brush and staining pad. Since the weather did not cooperate it took 23 days to complete the project. The down time between rainy days was the perfect time to do the detail work like sanding and setting raised nails. It rain three days after I completed the project so I was able to see TWP’s actually performance. This project was made difficult because I had to strip 11 years of layered transparent and solid stain and layers of stain and varnish under the railings. I am very please with the results of the TWP project. And although the TWP products performed as expected when I followed TWP’s instructions, there is a learning curve for each phase of the project.
Oops…………one of the finished pics didn’t post…….here it is
Unfortunately, I have only one “before” pic (taken to show Cabot), so I’ve included one in-process (RAD stripped and brightened) and two finished pics. Deck is 45 X 20, lies under three large trees, and when coupled with NC pine pollen in the Spring, is a cleaning nightmare. I used a clorox/TSP mix to clean with a pressure washer, stripped the Cabot, brightened the timber, let it dry for four days and then applied TWP 100 redwood #102. Your website and product are tops. I couldn’t get any decent advice from either Lowes or Home Depot and the Cabot people were real losers.
Your people FedEx’d my second 5 gal can express after one in the original shipment was busted in transit. I didn’t miss a beat with my schedule.
My wife loves the new look and we’re pleased to have this project behind us.
I used Benjamin Moore product to protect my redwood swings a 1 1/2 years ago when I purchased them and had the uprights built. I saw that that product was not holding up. I googled and found a couple of websites that recommend TWP tain as the best. So I ordered Redwood color in TWP stain. I sanded my swings to get what little remaining old finish off. June 30th as it was getting dark, since it is so hot right now in Tennessee, my 13 year old daughter and I started applying the stain. We used paint brushes and each took half a swing, then went back to wipe off the excess.
We last cleaned and stained our cedar deck in 2015. The deck is under a canopy of trees and gets very dirty because of those trees. To clean the deck and railings we scrubbed on cleaner / brightener and then power washed all surfaces. After waiting 3days for drying we brushed on TWP 1500 Series in Honeytone 1515. The deck looks great.
Back deck had peeling stain applied 3 years ago. I started with the restore-a-deck stripper and pressure washer to remove the majority of the old stain, followed by sanding. Next, I used the RAD brightener and allowed deck to dry for 3 days. I applied the TWP 100 Cedertone101 (two coats, wet on wet). The before pictures show the deck after old stain was stripped and brightened (looks like brand new wood). The prep time was significant, but well worth it. Applying the TWP stain was the easy part (best stain I’ve worked with – and I’ve used a lot of brands in the past). I was sold on TWP a couple of years ago when I applied the 100 Cedartone to a pergola swing I built. It still looks great after two winters.
Our deck project started with a vision of changing our unstained 5-year-old sitting deck to a relaxation hub for watching tv outdoors. it began heading out to all the same haunts as everyone else. Reading reviews of stains along with horror stories of stain only lasting 1-2 years and having to be removed. With that, we went to Youtube for reviews and one name came up consistently in everyone’s top 3 TWP. We logged on to TWP site got two samples chose Rustic 1516 and we were off to the races! We started with the Gemini family of products, cleaner first brightener next. After only the cleaner and brightener we were pleasantly surprised at how well the deck came up and how easy it was. But once we added the stain it just looked amazing! It absolutely matched our vision of a comfortable place to watch TV outdoors. We mounted our bedroom tv on a swivel arm so we can swing it out the window put up our sail shade and BAM little backyard paradise complete with sleeping & reading hammocks! Thanks, TWP for a great product!!
Mahogany decking. We are on the water in Massachusetts. Cape Cod–salt water. We used TWP deck cleaner in the power washer, followed by TWP Deck Brightener. We waited several days for the deck to fully dry. We used TWP 1500 series in Natural. Note the black gunk in the foreground in the before pictures. You can see how much of the black residue is being removed with the TWP deck cleaner. Note the beautiful wood tones and finish in the after pictures. Our deck has not looked like this in years.
Caretta 2018 Cedar Deck Stain Project.
I used a pressure washer to prep the deck. Allowed several days for the deck to dry out. Then stained with TWP 1504 Black Walnut.
Sullivan Deck project 2018
Our multiple entrance, bi-level, wrap around, 1400 ft2 deck was a rather intimating project to refinish. In very rough shape when we bought the home in 2013 (no TLC since the house was built in 2006), it was originally stripped and brightened (with Restore-a-Deck), then sanded to raw wood, and TWP 1500 Pecan was applied. I was shocked how well it weathered (Southern Indiana), but 4 years later it was time to refresh as well as protect the added deck skirting (installed fall 2016).
The deck floor, hand rails, and unfinished skirt were cleaned/brightened (Gemini cleaner/brightener) and then power washed. The vertical surfaces (know by the end of this process as “Satan’s Spindles”) where in pretty great shape and just received a power washing. TWP 1500 Pecan was applied by brush in a single coat to all vertical surfaces and the horizontals (floor and hand rails) received two coats, again by brush (“wet on wet” as recommended).
This monstrosity of a deck used up every drop of the ten gallons I purchased (order number 2HEU065095, I believe I checked out as “guest” when purchased) and took 7 full days to clean/brighten, power wash, and brush apply. Time consuming but the result is worth every drop of sweat. Thank you TWP for engineering such a terrific product. I look forward to entering this contest again in 3-4 years. :)
1245 square foot cedar deck in Minnesota. MN is tough on decks with all the day thaws and night freezes in spring and fall. Used TWP 100 pecan color. Restored a 40 year old 3 level deck to like new condition.
Sorry there are three different posts. The last pictures of the finished deck. Fantastic product! Great results!
Our 24 year old deck was in desperate need of repair and refinishing. It is all cedar , Tri-level and around 1,500 sq feet of deck, 150 Lin feet of railing.
After replacing damaged wood, I also replaced 2,000 wood screws. I then used 10 gallons of stain stripper to remove the old finish. Once dry, I sanded the wood first with a belt sander and then an orbital sander. I then used a wood neutralizer to prepare for staining. The deck has one coat on the spindles and two coats on the horizontal surface. this took a total of 8 gallons of 1501 Cedar-tone. Battling an usually wet spring and the 2 week cottonwood snow, the job is finally done.
As you can see the results are incredible.
Refinishing a 21 year old deck: Dont make a bigger deal than it is – wash off the mold/ dirt with a bleach solution + a strong garden hose spray (no pressure washer). I used a Dark Oak 103 Stain Color as it is a darker pigment to hide old wood discoloration. After the deck is dry, arm yourself with a cold beer and something for a knee-pad, and apply the stain with a good brush. IMPORTANT: Apply the 2nd coat before it dries -see the Question/ Answers on the TWP website. The stain will be sticky for about 24 hours, it makes a durable finish.
Preparing the cedar deck required extensive sanding with my belt sander to remove the flaking old stain. First coat of 1501 cedar TWP was applied today per the instructions and any puddling wiped down after 30-60 minutes. Very happy with the results.
The prep work followed by the first coat. NH is tough on Decks.
Sanding took days to properly prepare the cedar. TWP 1501 was applied.
Dock before picture didn’t upload so adding new post
Dock before picture missing
We bought our Florida Keys home last year just before Hurricane Irma. But even before the hurricane the 10 year old deck and dock looked very dull and were very cracked because the previous owner never stained or sealed it. In fact, several boards were rotted and needed to be replaced.
We used the Gemini Restore-A-Deck kit on the boards that needed it the most – as well as on the new boards (after ~2 months) to better remove mill glaze. Deck & dock were stained with TWP 100 in Cedartone. New boards are slightly lighter in color, but overall it looks sooooo much better and should last another 10 years!
Deck is 9 years old, the professionally applied stain was lifting off onto everything that touched it, so i decided to restain it. After using a stripper then a cleaner/brightner I restained the deck with TWP 1500(Pecan 1520) and it looks great.
What the heck? We stained our deck! And let’s just say it went from hell…to swell!
Our Pittsburgh deck desperately needed some love. It was kind of like Three Rivers Stadium: outdated, shabby, falling apart. My boyfriend was even tempted to paint it black and yellow to cover up the yuck!
In September 2017, new construction began to revamp the mini boardwalk. (12.5×44 plus 13 steps, a ramp, and lots of horizontal railings) Spring 2018 was the date to cover the newly treated wood.
We patiently waited for a stretch of decent weather to make this thing “pop”. The Steelers theme would fade away. Stain would win over paint. Research proved that TWP Stain seemed to be the best fit for this Pennsylvania full sun deck.
The final products used were one 5 gallon bucket of TWP1500 Black Walnut and one 5 gallon bucket of TWP 1500 Dark Oak. Applied with typical brushes and rollers.
Finally, we, along with our friends and family, adore the wooden space as we grill and entertain. Admiration of the new deck extends below to the local deer, birds, even the yinzer groundhog!
Restained our 5 year old fence with 5 gallons of TWP 1500 Rustic Oak. The stain really helps our pollinator garden pop and protects our fence from a harsh sun & lots of bird poop. Thank you TWPstain.com for helping us to protect our fence and garden so the bees and native birds can enjoy it ( we enjoy how easy it was to apply and how great it looks too). I only have during & after photos, so photos of the project during (really shows the improvement to see a stained and unstaind right next to each other) and after are attached.
Prepping the deck for future staining
Deck is 10+ years old. Sanded old stain (competitors product) off last year and replaced some rotted boards. This year cleaned with Gemini Restore-A-Deck cleaner brightener. Highly recommend this step, you will not believe how much dirt and other nastiness comes off. Stained with TWP 115 Honeytone using a 6 inch masonry brush on a broom handle. Amazing results! Unfortunately, do not have any before pictures.
Very nice job. Had to do same; replace rotten cedar deck boards and sand off the old stain.
Repainted our whole Tillamook, OR house with TWP 101 Cedartone natural. Used Wolman DeckBrite to strip the gray weather tint from cedar shingles. Very happy with the result!
We have a 20′ X 20′ front porch on our vacation home finished with TWP 100 Rustic 116 stain. We spend a lot of time on our porch which over looks Toledo Bend Reservoir in West Central Louisiana. We are constantly getting comments on how beautiful our porch is and our TWP is a big reason for that. Used the Gemini cleaner and brightener before application on pressure treated pine. Completed staining our 15′ X 18′ back porch as well in Rustic 116. Thank you TWP for a great product!
Outstanding job!!
We have an above ground pool deck approximately 12×18 with 8×8 landing. It’s all pressure treated yellow pine except for aluminum ballasts. Built 20 months ago. It’s in full sun. Stained it with TWP 1500 in Pecan. Applied with a 4” brush. The stain goes on great. No film. Hard rain a week later and it just beads off. Used 2 1/2 gallons.
I spend a lot of time on my deck, grilling, hanging out with the dogs or just sitting quietly after a long day. I didn’t realize how bad it looked until I recently had it cleaned and stained. What a difference! After replacing some rotten boards, I had it pressure washed and let it dry for a few days. Then the magic happened…it was stained two-toned, wet on wet, with TWP 1500 Pecan as the main color and 1500 Dark Walnut for the accent. It is so cool looking now and everyone who comes over can’t believe the change. Thank you so much for a great product!