Staining your deck brings out its natural beauty and enhances its appearance. However, it can be a tedious task without proper prior preparation. If you want to stain your deck fast, you’re in the right place. In this article, we’ll discuss some tips you can apply to stain your deck faster and more effectively.
1. Stain The Deck In the Right Conditions
If you want to stain your deck faster, before you start, check the weather. Your deck should be dry for at least several days before you start staining it. If you apply a deck stain to your deck when wet, the stain won’t adhere properly. Before you start, check the forecast and ensure it won’t rain for at least a day.
The ideal conditions should be between 50° F and 90° F. The average humidity should also be low to allow the stain to dry faster. When applying a deck stain at the right temperatures, the stain will dry faster. Hence the job will be done faster.
However, avoid applying the stain in direct sunlight because this will cause it to flash dry. This also prevents it from penetrating the wood fibers properly, which shortens your deck stain longevity.
2. Use a Deck Sprayer
When it comes to deck stain applicators, nothing can beat a deck sprayer for applying the stain. Deck sprayers make easy work out of the tedious job of applying a deck stain. It saves time and also makes the task less labor-intensive.
However, although spraying is a faster way of applying a deck stain, you might still have to back-brushback-brush the stain to get it between cracks, wooden spindles, and deck boards.
You can use an airless sprayer, a conventional HVLP sprayer, or a pump-type deck sprayer for spraying a deck. Airless sprayers are more expensive than pump-type deck sprayers, which are inexpensive. Remember to pick the correct tip or nozzle for the best results when using a deck sprayer.
Pump Up Type Deck Sprayer
When spraying stain to a deck, start with the deck railings and move to finish with the floor. Remember to work in sections and logically to avoid finding yourself in a corner or get missing spots. You can use a second person for back brushing immediately after staining while it’s wet and touch ups.
3. Use a Roller
Apart from a deck sprayer, deck rollers can help stain a deck faster. Rollers come in several widths, from as narrow as 4 inches to some which are 18 inches. The larger the roller width, the faster you can stain a deck.
You can choose different roller materials for staining a deck, such as woven fabric, lambswool, and foam. Microfiber paint rollers hold more stain, and thus, you don’t have to keep refilling the roller.
Applying Deck Stain With A Roller
The roller pile height also plays an important role in how fast you paint the deck. A higher nap size will hold more stain and is also great for going through the cracks and gaps between the deck boards,
Apart from the normal roller, you can also use a rolling pad to apply the stain. These are excellent for staining a deck because they hold much more stains than a normal roller. A deck stain pad will give you more coverage than a roller, and you’ll also get an even appearance.
Applying Deck Stain With A Rolling Pad
4. Apply a Water-Based Deck Stain
Another way to stain a deck faster is to choose a water-based deck stain over an oil-based one. Water-based deck stains dry faster than oil-based ones so you can apply and reapply several coats in a single day.
After 1 or 2 hours after application, a water-based deck stain is usually dry, and you can walk over it and reapply a second coat. An oil-based deck stain can take up to 48 hours after application to dry up completely.
With seven different colors to choose from, not only does this wood stain look great, but it also provides excellent protection against different elements. It's easy to apply and offers excellent performance over time. The Defy Extreme wood stain is an excellent water-based stain that will protect and restore the look of your deck.
Water-based deck stains also come with other advantages besides drying up faster. When properly applied, they will last longer and have better UV resistance. They also don’t easily fade, and clean-up is straightforward with soapy water compared to the potent strippers you need with oil-based deck stains.
5. Choose a Bigger Brush
A smaller deck staining brush will take longer to cover a larger deck. If you want to stain it faster, opt for a larger deck stain brush, like the Precision Defined Deck Stain Brush.
This 7-inch precision deck stain brush is great if you want to stain a deck quickly. It holds a lot of stains, and the bristles are long enough to get into the nooks and crannies in the wood. Despite the size, it is also easier to clean and holds up well for a long time. The great thing about the brush is that you can add an extension handle, which means easier effort and faster stain application.
A bigger brush will hold more paint, and thus, you’ll be able to cover a larger area faster. Most larger deck stain brushes are also attached to a threaded pole, allowing you to use less effort and avoid bending your back too much.
