Maryland deck. New pressure treated pine

[T1snwbrdr12 1]

Hi

i replaced my horizontal decking last year. It didn’t dry enough (judging by looks and my eye) to treat it last year but now it looks fine. 

Plan on cleaning and brightening first. 

I did not replace my posts or pickets. They aren’t in perfect shape but I thought a solid color would cover them up and make them look fine. 

The deck is west facing 5 feet or so off the ground townhouse deck. 

Doing my verticals a different color is going to be a paint nd a lot more labor but I think it’s my only choice. 

Would I do the horizontal surfaces first?  Because if I get any semi trans stain on my railings / verticals the solid stain will cover it anyway?

any opinion on best solid stain?  Do I need to prime first or just go right over the old with new solid stain?  The old is a cheap most likely Behr product that I tried to strip and is going to be a nightmare to do so. 

I was thinking Armstrong Clark on the floors. I had read good things about flood solids as well for the rails. Anywhere in Maryland sell Armstrong Clark?  I think PPG sells flood but AC’s site isn’t very good for locating a dealer. 

 

Thanks in advance for any help!

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Ground level deck. Facing which direction? (north, south etc.) It is important to understand the site conditions because it will affect the
performance of the coating and the way the wood behaves.

If you are going to solid stain the rails I would suggest a primer then solid. Have the supplier tint the primer at least 50% the color of the stain
you are going to apply. Helps with blending and coverage.

We always mask the floor around the rail posts and use a tarp while the verticals are being completed. The floor is last and the easiest and shouldn't be a worry
if you accidentally touch the solid colored rails. It will easily clean off using a rag and a mild degreaser/water solution.

For Armstrong Clark products, we buy from ACR Products out of Easton Pa. It's about a one day turnaround for delivery if you order in the morning AND if they
have the color in stock. Otherwise they will advise you how long it will take.
Tell them we sent you.

Rod

[T1snwbrdr12 1]

Thanks rod. 

Deck faces west. Shady till late morning for the most part. 

Any select primer you guys find good luck with?  Any favorite solid stain?  

Getting solid stain on the floors shouldn’t be a concern if doing the solid first?  I guess either way, on bare or coated sealed floors we don’t want solid stain on it either way. 

The solid stain will also need to go on lattice. 

Do you guys typically paint on solid stain?  Brush?  

Edited April 11, 2018 by T1snwbrdr12

[T1snwbrdr12 1]

When we glanced at AC colors I think we’d lean rustic brown or so. Is that a good lasting color?  

With off white or almond vertical surfaces. Almond if I get my way, but my wife thinks that’d look weird. I think it’d look fine because I planned on matching the house trim color but she’s not on the same page as me at least yet. 

I’ll use whatever products are good. I’ve used ready seal from a local pressure wash place but I wasn’t impressed with how fast it faded on my fence. 

[T1snwbrdr12 1]

Sorry I can’t see how to edit my posts. It worked earlier today and not anymore  

Deck is west. About 5 feet off the ground. About 200 sq feet of flooring plus stairs. Is 5 gallons over kill?  The AC sites all seem like online retailers disguising themselves as AC themselves, but their stain calculators make it sound like 3 gallons is enough for 2 coats  I should probably error on the side of a single 5 gallon pail right?  I only have experience with ready seal which didn’t go far AT ALL on my fence 

AC colors rustic brown and chestnut look good to me. What do you guys see is a nice color that have experience with it?

and what brands would you suggest for stain primer and solid color stain?  Would you suggest bright or off white or almond?

my concern with bright white was how long would it look clean?  And if it doesn’t stay clean looking, will frequent cleaning it wear it down quickly?  I’ve never dealt with a solid stain before. 

Edited April 11, 2018 by T1snwbrdr12

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

You should mask the floors where the rails are using blue tape and tarps to keep the primer/solid stain off the decking.
We use Behr for solid stains. Tough and durable, easy to touch up. Any primer will do that is meant for deck applications.
Rustic Brown as a color is a preference. The color is not the part that endures, it is the oils actually. The color will fade and in a
couple of years, require cleaning and a recoat as a maintenance regimen. Armstrong is meant as a moisturizing oil and the pigment
serves as a UV inhibitor to help reduce the effects of the sun graying the wood.

For sqft coverage, the label calls for 1 gallon to cover 200sqft (If memory serves) but I would calculate for 150sft/gallon to start.
Subsequent applications in the coming years will require less.
One coat only! Apply till the wood refuses and remove the excess and let dry.

For apply a solid stain, for efficiency and speed we use an airless spray by Titan. If you don't have an airless sprayer then brushing/pads or
rollers will help with the application but brushes will be required in the tight spots.

Solid stain on verticals stays clean longer than the floors do. The caps may get dirty quicker than the spindles/balusters. You can clean them
along with the deck in intervals of every 2 years with OxyClean or comparable Sodium Percarbonate solution.

Rod

[T1snwbrdr12 1]

If I can borrow an airless sprayer should I do that as opposed to painting?  I feel like it’s a ton of prep and masking but it probably is less time than hand brushing all my railings / pickets. Am I thinking right?

if I spray, i figure I’ll take the top caps off the rails. They got replaced with the floors and I figured they should match the floors since they’re horizontal and match the floors. 

How much extra do you factor in when spraying?  I assume there’s some loss to priming the equipment and overspray. I probably have 70ish linear feet of railings, then the joist and major supporting posts under and two privacy lattice panels that are 4x8. 

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Spraying consumption will vary with the wind....literally. Expect to lose 15% in those conditions. But if you have a practiced hand, you can
reduce that according to how you change the position of your spray pattern (hold it vertical when doing spindles, Horizontal when spraying the top and bottom rail).
I would never advocate skipping the masking. Clean up takes even longer and the results will.....look splotchy on the floor.
Any time you have to sand a board, you are removing the part that the sun has darkened by UV exposure. (tan line for example)
If you sand part of a board you will get a lighter result in the stain compared to the rest of the board or surrounding boards.

The lattice is where you will lose the most but having someone behind (if accessible) to hold a cardboard shield will help recover some of it that collects
and allow it to be picked up with a brush and applied somewhere on the intended portions where need be.

Removing the top cap is a good way to ensure the product doesn't get on the underside of it. Before you reinstall the cap, seal the underside and ends of it too.
Helps to minimize the potential for cupping. If you have an endgrain sealer, apply it to the cut ends instead. This helps reduce shrinking due to loss of the woods
Natural moisture through wicking/drying over time.

Rod

 

[T1snwbrdr12 1]

Yeah, I’d definitely mask and prep. Wasn’t going to skip that just wondered if all the time you put into masking and plastic sheeting etc is worth it. But I imagine hand brushing all the ballasters lattice etc is going to be worse than all the time spent taping and protecting. 

Thank you for all the advice. I know I’m full of questions, I just try to know as much as possible for any project I take on. 

[T1snwbrdr12 1]

How wrong or bad would it look to spray the top caps / tops of railings the same railings color?  I assume it’s “supposed” to be the floor color, since it’s horizontal and it’s new wood like the floor. If I had done composite material, the tops of railings would obviously match the floor. But since it’s wood,  what’s your opinion on this?  

It’d save quite a bit of effort to not remove all the top caps to have them their own separate color. 

Maybe no big deal to you as pros, but to me, I have about 5-6 hours on Mondays while one kid is in preschool to do all my “chores.”  

[T1snwbrdr12 1]

ANd what would you do about these pieces surrounding the end cuts of the deck floor?  The 2x4s?  Remove them completely?  Stain them the rail color or the floor color?

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Making the rails all one color is fairly standard and lowest in maintenance costs.
The trim edge of the deck is typically stained the same as the verticals so running a tape along the decking would help to keep the solid off them.
Edging with the semi-transparent is simple enough as well. The end result is a very nice manicured look and is not hard to take care of albeit you
will need to touch up these edge tops every time you do the floor.

Rod
 

[T1snwbrdr12 1]

so the 2x4 edges would be vertical / railing  color on all exposed sides?  Even where it butts up to the floor?  

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

The parts you outlined (facing up) would be the same as the outward facing part of the trim.
Where the trim and the decking butt together, one cannot access to apply.
The decking would be one color and the trim would be complete in making a border in the solid color.

Yes, the 2x4 bottom and top rails would be all one color.
The 4x4 post would all be one color.
The 2x6 decking would be the alternate color.

Rod