MagicMan

Biggest mistake of newbie stain contractors...over application! When you stain, you DON'T let the stain sit and pool on the surface. Instead, you should always apply and wipe, apply and wipe. This is the fastest and easiest method to get uniform coverage. Simply brushing and rolling and trying to "drag" the stain around does not work...even though the manufacturers often recommend this. Stain is not paint. It soaks into the wood, instead of laying on top of it. It looks to me like this contractor applied it very heavy and just let it sit to dry, without wiping the excess stain that did not soak into the wood. Again, you should always stain, and then wipe almost immediately (with a clean towel). Stain does not need to be on the surface more than about 5 seconds for softwoods, and 5-10 seconds for hardwoods. They'll need to sand this completely focusing on the shiny parts until they match the rest of the deck. Then wash off all sanding dust. Re application should wait until next year, unless they sand off all the stain (which they should not do, if done correctly). Hope this helps.