How should my old/new wood deck be prepped for stain?

[cstleddy 14]

We had some of the flooring and rail tops of our 15 year old pressure treated pine deck replaced.

I'd like to get it prepped and stain it with a semi-solid stain to get a uniform look (not really into too much wood grain appearance).

Residual stain on old wood

Residual stain on old wood

Comparison of new and old

(The "aerial" photos were taken on a coudy/rainy day - it is not brown stain)

The new boards are blonde and the old are very weathered and dirty with mold and mildew, but the wood is in good shape.

There's a little of the original semi-transparent stain on the spindles but it's pretty worn away on the floor boards.

We'd like an end result that is more uniform and consistent in appearance, in other words, we'd like to minimize the dramatic differences in appearance that we see now between the old and new boards.

What is the prep process to achieve this? Should we use a stripper? A cleaner? A wood brightener? What brands/products? The new boards are two weeks old. How long should we wait before beginning the prep/stain?

We are in Raleigh, NC. Deck is on the damp, northside, but almost 100% full sun all day during the summer.

Thanks,

Cstleddy

Edited July 12, 2012 by cstleddy
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[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Please add your signature. Thanks.

Beth

[Adrian 155]

Please complete your signature line. House rule #1.

- - - Updated - - -

oh yeah.... welcome to TGS.

[cstleddy 14]

Please complete your signature line. House rule #1.

- - - Updated - - -

oh yeah.... welcome to TGS.

Sorry about the sig. I added one. Thanks for the welcome.

[Adrian 155]

Your new wood has to " breathe" a few months, so you have time to prep and neutralize the old wood before applying stain.

There still maybe some tonal difference between the new and old wood, however, it will be less noticable when stain is applied.

Aslong as the new wood has weathered a bit to recieve the stain, you'll be in good shape.