Rain Before or After TWP – Dry and Curing Time of TWP

Protecting your exterior wood surfaces with TWP (Total Wood Preservative) is a project that most homeowners can complete themselves. TWP will preserve the wood’s natural beauty and shield it from the harsh elements. The user-friendly formula is easy to apply and maintain but care should be taken when considering when to apply the stain. Weather can be a tricky and create problems. Most of all rain should be avoided at all costs.

A perfect forecast for staining would be 1-2 days with no chance of precipitation. Prior to staining, the wood should air dry for 24-48 hours after it has been cleaned. If it rains within that window soaking the wood again then wait an addition 1-2 days before staining. It is important the wood is dry before staining otherwise moisture could be trapped under the stain creating an environment for mold and mildew.

In most situations, TWP will take approximately 4-12 hours to dry but it will take longer to fully cure. Check the forecast and confirm that rain is not expected for at least a day or two. Once the conditions are right and the wood is completely dry you can begin staining. It should not rain within 12 hours of applying TWP stain to any exterior wood surface. A quick light rain will most likely not harm the stain if it has already been absorbed. A heavy rain however may leave separation circles on the surface and ruin the finish.

If an unexpected rain does ruin your TWP finish it may be necessary to sand or strip the stain off and recoat it. This would be unfortunate and obviously an extra expense so plan your staining project around any potential rainstorms for the best results. When applied properly under the right conditions, TWP will provide a long lasting beautiful finish that can be enjoyed and maintained for many years to come.

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    Derek · 06/05/2023
    I just finished staining my pool deck. Can my family get on the deck tomorrow to get in and out of the pool? It will have been over 24 hours at 8 a.m tomorrow or should I wait longer? The deck is in direct sunlight 
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      TWP Stains · 06/05/2023
      Hard to say but if fully dry, it should be okay. It will have an odor for a few days or a week.
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    Sue · 05/26/2023
    I applied your 100 series stain to a cedar pergola that was built last July. I did the pre-work getting it ready and only applied one coat of stain. Does the initial one coat of stain tend to need to be recoated sooner than old wood since it doesn't soak in as much? Thanks
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      TWP Stains · 05/27/2023
      No, just prep and recoat as needed. About 2-3 years.
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    Dick · 04/30/2023
    Applied two coats of your deck stain yesterday.  About 3-4 hours later received light on/off showers (maybe .2") over about 3-4 hours.  Used a leaf blower to blow off the collected rain on the deck surfaces.  For the most part the deck looks like it survived the water as I look at it today.  There are some boards that appear slightly lighter than others as those are the areas that also receive more sun and were lighter even before applying TWP.  Can I apply another thin coat over the entire deck (or only the lighter colored boards) to try to minimize the slight color difference in the finished product?
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      TWP Stains · 04/30/2023
      We would not suggest it. More is not better and it is not suggested to add a third coat. as it may not dry or cure correctly.
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    Robert · 04/26/2023
    I had a contractor come and to stain my cabin this week.  It rained the day before they started.  On day one they arrived and pressure washed the exterior and sprayed borate chemical. Day two they sanded everything.  No rain during those two days.  Day three they applied the first coat of stain (twp 200 California cedar) and later that evening probably no more than 1-2 hours they finished there was a light rain that went on for about 4 maybe 5 hours.  The following day they applied the second coat of stain and same thing it starting raining no more than 1 hour after they finished the second coat, it very well could have started before they even finished.  This was a bit heavier rain and continued for 12+ hours.  Should I be concerned that this is going to affect the outcome of my stain and what could be some indicators I can check/present to contractor if there are issues.  
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      TWP Stains · 04/27/2023
      Hard to say since it is vertical wood but if any issue, it would be visible. Uneven apperance from the rain, water spots, etc. If you do not see that, it will probably be okay.
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    Wayne · 01/30/2023
    What is the proper procedure for a maintenance coat? I want to do a maintenance coat on my rough sawn cedar gazebo posts that currently have TWP 101 on them. Finish is in pretty good shape.  Can I clean, brighten and stain without removing the old coating of TWP 101? (Last time I pressure washed after cleaning and it took the wood back to almost new where I had to start from scratch.) 
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      TWP Stains · 01/31/2023
      Prep with the Gemini Kit to clean and brighten and then recoat. If so or all the old stain comes off during prep, that is okay, and still preps it correctly for reapplication.
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    Thomas · 01/25/2023
    Two questions. After using cleaner and brighter, I’ve run into a stretch of bad weather. How long can I wait on applying the stain before I would have to clean again? Is it okay to apply stain with daytime temperature around 60 deg but nighttime temp in the 40 degree range?
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    Al Guler · 10/20/2022
    Can you stain wood one way after its dry can stain again up and dawn?
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      TWP Stains · 10/20/2022
      Sorry but do not understand your question.
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    Joel · 09/14/2022
    My fence is cleaned/brightened/sanded and ready. I tarped it before it rained last night. This morning some of the plastic sheeting showed moisture underneath, but the wood looked dry. Not sure if this is a sign of the wood giving off moisture and condensing inside the tarp (it did rain 0.1" 2-3 days ago), or a sign of the damp air overnight.

    1. Given what I know, how long would you wait to stain?

    2. Overnight dew is common right now. Would any presence of morning dew on the wood push us back another 48 hours?

    3. On a night with possible dew, would a tarp be enough to let me stain the following day?
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      TWP Stains · 09/14/2022
      It needs to air dry, not be tarped.

      1. 48 hours. 
      2. Let the dew burn off and stain later in the day.
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    Vadym · 05/25/2022
    So much for meteorologists. Not was suppose to rain and here we go. As soon as i applied 2 coats of stain it start to drizzle. It was small drizzle but laster around 5h. Now i am wondering what is going to happen. Checked today in the morning and looks like stain tried to repel rain drops, but you can see some weird black spots. 
    what i am suppose to do once it will be dry? Do i have so strip and sand it again, or i can apply 3-rd coat on top ? Please, help?? 
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      TWP Stains · 05/25/2022
      You will need to send us some pics after the rain stops and after the water dries off. Thanks
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        Vadym · 05/25/2022
        So today was sunny and i got home to investigate. Main area looks so what ok, only i have problem that 2\3 of area looks darker then other one(you can see on picture is on left side is lighter). Big problems occurred on the stairs and small "hallway" , you can see some discoloration.
        My thinking is taking 60 grid sandpaper and sand those boards that got discolored by hand and touch up with stain. What do you think about that? Thank you for your time, really appreciate any help. Want to make it look good after all cleaning, sanding, staining.. 
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    Evan · 05/22/2022
    I stained my deck on Friday morning with two coats of 1500 honeycoat, it looked great. Around 3-4 hours later, a totally unexpected storm came in an poured for about an hour. Wasn’t on the forecast at all. 

    I allowed everything to dry for 48 hours, it doesn’t look bad but I can tell it’s not perfect. Much of it looks good but there are ares that look faded and a few that even look like maybe we’re oil pooled and are a little off colored. I added a few pics below. Can I get by with applying a 3rd coat or at least just filling in the areas that are lighter / touch ups?  I know stripping and sanding is probably ideal but I just won’t have the time to do this and stain again. Any advice would be great. 
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      TWP Stains · 05/23/2022
      You cannot apply more now and you cannot spot touch up. Leave it as is and you can do another light coat in 9-12 months. It looks fine anyhow.
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        Rlawson44 · 10/14/2022
        So do you mean that a 2nd light coat can be reapplied in 9-12 months *without* required strip and brighten?
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    Missmosey · 05/19/2022
    I have a deck that already had been stained 2 yrs ago with one coat 5102.  Contractor just did 2 coats yesterday on top half the deck after it had been power washed last week.  It rained last night for a few hours.  So he should wait 24 hours to do the rest?  What about the top of the deck already done can it be walked on yet and should I blow off the rain sitting on the deck if I can walk on it?  Can furniture be placed on it?
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      TWP Stains · 05/19/2022
      Wait 24 hours to finish or walk on it. Same with furniture.
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        Missmosey · 05/25/2022
        So these are water spots from a freak shower.  Contractor wanted to send and restain.  I thought maybe scrubbing might work.  Any suggestions?
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          TWP Stains · 05/25/2022
          You would have to remove all and recoat to fix. You cannot spot fix it and scrubbing would not work.
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    Lee · 04/18/2022
    Since my deck professional used a 100/200 series blend when he first treated my new deck a year ago, I have several questions as I am getting ready for my second application.
    1. Does the deck need to be stripped and brightened before re-applying or switching to the 100 series?
    2. If I switch to the 100 series this time around, will my future re-applications require stripping/brightening before subsequent applications?
    3. My deck professional wanted to do the second application one year after the first one since it was new wood. Then he suggests doing subsequent applications every 2 years.  I had significant fading after the first application.  If I switch to the 100 series instead of the 100/200 blend, will the 100 series protection hold up as well for 2 years as the 100/200 blend would?
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      TWP Stains · 04/18/2022
      1. Yes, this would bebest.
      2. No.
      3. Yes.
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        Lee · 04/18/2022
        Perfect.  One last question.  IF, my deck professional talks me into repeating the 100/200 blend (we do love the color the blend created), does the deck need to be stripped and brightened to repeat what I already have i.e. the 100/200?
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    Jaclyn · 04/17/2022
    Finished staining my deck at noon on Saturday and it began sprinkling with a 4% chance at 6am on Sunday.  Water is pooling and the weather is still unpredictable and calling for a 50% around 5pm.  Is there anything I should do in the short term? Used TWP 1520 Pecan
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      TWP Stains · 04/17/2022
      No, just leave it as is. It is fine.
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        Jaclyn · 04/17/2022
        Fingers crossed ?  thanks!
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    Regina · 10/08/2021
    I have a deck with former TWP stain and removed a hot tub 10 months ago that left an 8' octagon of decking without any stain.  Can I stain the area with no stain first with one or two applications before going over the entire deck with the final coat to try and achieve an even coloration?
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      TWP Stains · 10/08/2021
      No. The only way to even this out is to strip it all off, sand it all to about 80 grit, and then coat.
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    Leah · 09/04/2021
    I completed using the cleaner and brightener yesterday and now the forecast has changed.  I'm not sure I'm going to have a window for adequate drying and staining times w/in 14 days.  What is the minimum drying time after cleaning and brightening?  If I have to wait more than 14 days after using the cleaner / brightener what are my options/steps?  
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      TWP Stains · 09/05/2021
      48 hours after prep or rain to stain. If longer than 14 days, lightly redo the prep.
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    Justin · 08/06/2021
    Rain is expected in the forecast but I’m staining my screened porch. If it’s windy enough a little rain might get on the edges but otherwise stays dry. Should I stain or wait? Is it the water itself or the humidity that’s the issue?
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      TWP Stains · 08/06/2021
      No water or rain can get on the deck while you are applying or until fully dry.
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    Lee · 06/29/2021
    My staining professional applied a blend of 100/200 series TWP stain.  We started getting rain about 40 hours after the staining was completed and has rained off an on for the past 3 days.  5 days after completion, I can still rub off a little bit of stain on a white paper towel.  Did the rain hurt the curing process?  So far I don't think I can see spots on the deck, but it does look slightly lighter in color than when the stain was applied.  It is my first time with TWP so I'm just looking for your opinion.  Did I make a mistake using a blend of 100/200 series?
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      TWP Stains · 06/29/2021
      Yes, you are not supposed to blend the 100 and 200 series as the 200 is for shakes and shingles and it has a high amount of non-drying oils in it. Tt should still cure and try though but it may take a couple of weeks. To help speed up the process, wipe down the entire floor with rags to remove the excess oil. Saturate all oil rags in water and lay flat to dry outside.
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        Lee · 04/17/2022
        It's about time for my second application of TWP (one year after my first stain applied to my new deck).  I am still confused about series 100 compared to 200.  In the TWP website description, it says 200 is used for Decking.  My professional used a blend of 100 and 200 series stains, yet you have advised that 200 is for shakes and shingles.  Is it the blending you object to, or do you just not recommend using 200 for decking even though your website says it can be used on decking.  By the way, i appreciate how you all answer all of our dumb questions!
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          TWP Stains · 04/17/2022
          The 200 is designed for shakes and shingles. While it can be used on a deck, it is not typically suggested. The issue is that it can days to fully dry/cure. 
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            Lee · 04/17/2022
            You are right about the lengthy dry/cure time.  I would say it was at least a month before it would not rub off on a rag.
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        Lee · 06/29/2021
        2 questions:Is there paraffin oil in both the 100 and 200 series?  Since I just had my deck finished with a blend of 100/200 series and it is taking a long time to cure, my next staining I would like to use 100 series.  Is it ok to use 100 series the next time or do I need to stay with the same blend since that is what I started with on my new deck?
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          TWP Stains · 06/29/2021
          There is in the 200 Series, not the 100. You should strip and brighten next time if you want to use the 100 series to be certain the curing issues do not repeat.
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    Gerry · 06/25/2021
    I stained my deck last evening finished at 8:30 it rained unexpectedly after 4 hours wanted to apply a second coat today can't  because it is wet it will be sunny today can I apply a second coat tomorrow?
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      TWP Stains · 06/25/2021
      You may not need it. Post a picture after the rain dries off.
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    GERRY · 06/25/2021
    I stained my deck yesterday finished at 8:30 pm it rained unexpectedly  about 4 hours later does that mean it will peel immediately or over time
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    Juan Noriega · 06/17/2021
    I sanded my deck and had unexpected rain. If k allow to dry for for 48 hours can i apply stain or do I have to sand again?
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      TWP Stains · 06/18/2021
      No need to sand again. Just let the wood dry out.