View Previous TWP Restoration Contests
The TWP Wood Restoration 2022 Contest is closed!
First Place
Leif (Page 1)
First Place = $500
Second Place
Mike (Page 1)
Second Place = $300
Third Place
John (Page 2)
Third Place = $150
Thanks to all the entries this year! All entries were excellent and that made it very hard to choose the winners!
We will be contacting the winners via email.
The TWP 2022 Contest Details
- All TWP and Prep products must be purchased first from this online retail site (TWPStain.com) between January 1st – Sept 6th, 2022.
- The deadline for entry is Sept. 19th, 2022.
- The winner will be decided by Sept. 30th by our team.
Contestant winners will receive
- First Place = $500
- Second Place = $250
- Third Place = $150
How To Enter Contest
- Enter by Sept. 19th, 2022.
- In the comment section below, post a short description of your deck/wood staining project, the products used to prep, and the TWP Series and Color used. Examples of wood projects that can be entered: Decks, Fences, Wood Side Homes, Log Cabins, etc.
- Add 2 before prepping pictures of the wood that was restored (no more/less). You can still enter if you do not have the before pictures. Decks, wood fences, wood homes, etc are allowed.
- 2 after staining pictures must be included (no more/less).
- If having trouble uploading the pictures, please make your picture(s) size smaller (below 1 MB).
Any questions or issues posting, please ask in the comment area.
We look forward to all entries and wish everyone “Happy TWP Staining”!
*Disclaimer: All products must be purchased from TWPStain.com. The contest is not open to products purchased from other online dealers or from physical retail stores.
Cleaned my rooftop deck with Restore-A-Deck Cleaner and Brightener and then stained with California Cedar 205
We had a new cedar fence installed in our backyard to keep our chickens from wandering. We stained with TWP 100 Series in Rustic #116. Very easy to apply two coats and love the color! Lots of compliments from neighbors.
Cedar deck was cleaned with the Gemini Cleaner/Brightness kit. The deck was stained with TWP 1500 series 1501 Cedar Tone. The risers were stained with 1504 Black Walnut.
Not a deck, not a fence (although that was last year’s project, in the background), but a playshed! Previous owner had added onto the shed, but had not applied any stain (no “before” pics unfortunately). I used RAD Stripper then RAD Brightener, and applied TWP Stain Natural 1530 to finish the job. Lots of small brush work, but I’m really happy with the result!
We have a 1940’s camp in upstate NY that was in need of repairs & TLC. We wanted to try to clean and preserve the old cedar shakes that were weathered, discolored, & molded having been previously treated w/unknown sealants & linseed oil over the years. I had previous experience w/TWP products over the last 30 yrs in GA using it on fences, deck/screen porch, stairs, pergola & furniture. Our painter was not familiar w/TWP so I referred him to the products website & tech support and asked him to compare it to other products he proposed using. After his research was completed, he was convinced and proceeded w/our project using Safe Strip to strip & clean the shakes followed by TWP 200, Cedartone 201 to restain them.
Our painter, friends & family, neighbors, & other subcontractors were in awe of the results! We couldn’t be more pleased so have subsequently referred a number of folks to TWP. Thank you for providing such a consistently awesome product!
15×25 cabin deck improperly stained 3 years ago. Stripped with Restore-A-Deck Stripper w/ Booster Additive followed by Restore-A-Deck Brightener. Sanded with 60 grit sandpaper where needed. Stained with 2 coats TWP 100 Series Pecan. Love the results!
We stripped, rebuilt, and refinished the very old deck behind our new house. We were able to reuse most of the cedar boards- after putting in a ton of time power-washing, planing, and sanding off old paint.
We used TWP 1500 series in the Natural color, and are really happy with the results!
Project: 23 year old splintered deck, arbor and wood furniture get one more life.
Project:
The scope of the 500 sq. Ft. project included a 21’ x 12’ deck with a 4.5 x 56’ walkway, 4 wood furniture pieces and a large grape arbor. All were stained with 10 gallons/2 coats of TWP 100 series Redwood stain.
Prep: Power wash, belt sander with a coarse 36 grit sandpaper, oscillating multi-tool with 60 grit sandpaper.
Repaired separating wood grain with Tite Bond II Glue.
Find and remove splinters on the deck. Found splinters by rubbings an old, white terry cloth towel on the wood which left strings attached to the splinters.
Lifted splinters with the oscillating multi-tool blade. Filled cracks with Black caulk. Filled holes with a mixture of Tite Bond II and sawdust.
I’m entering the deck but including photos of the entire project.
My 20 year old cedar fence had been peeling badly since applying newer low VOC stain on top of existing older oil stain. I was embarrassed of this mess and was interested to find this TWP site that hopefully could help with my problem and also could be shipped to Canada.
This is the first section of fence I worked on and am very pleased with my “new” old fence. I used the RAD stripper with both the booster and thickening gel added. Before pressure washing off the stripper I scrubbed each board with a brush to try to increase my chance of success. I applied the brightener with a paint brush as I only had one sprayer and did not want to clean it as I switched solutions.
TWP 200 series California Cedar 205 stain was then used.
I keep making people look at these before and after pictures!
Simply put my deck was a mess of peeling paint, deteriorating wood, and mold/mildew. Sanded, cleaned, and stained/sealed with TWP 100 Series Cedartone 101. Voila! Good as new!
We had our deck rebuilt 3 years ago with cedar that had been vat-soaked in oil. That was wearing out, and rain would soak in.
We used RAD Stripper/Brightener and 1501 Cedartone. It looks great!
We have lived in our Minnesota home for 13 years and neglected our deck for all of that time. In all honestly, I didn’t know you could “clean” a deck so I got a quote to replace the top and railings ($14,000).
Ok….Plan “B”. I got a quote from a professional to clean the deck ($950).
Lets try Plan “C”. You can learn a lot from the internet! So I purchased TWP Gemini Restore-A-Deck kit, a two step process, cleaner and brightener ($60 for both) and a pressure washer ($240). Now we’re talking.
I am a 64 year old grandmother and I did this project myself. I was totally shocked at the results! I was hoping it might come back to light gray, but it came back to looking like new! The deck didn’t look this good when we bought the house and I just saved myself $14,000! I could not be happier with the outcome.
I’ve only recently finished this part and plan to stain it as well. I’ve ordered a color sample from TWP and will get the stain through them too, however I won’t be able to get that part finished before this year’s entry deadline. I am so pleased with how far it has come already and it will get even better with stain. Planning black railings with a Pecan deck, similar to my bench/table in the photo.
To me this project is a small miracle!
My last picture of finished dock in Driftwood did not post. How do I add the pic?
I did send to you in an email.
thanks Mike
Just reply below your post with the picture.
Our dock was about 3years old, and the pine decking was deteriorating. It was about a 1000 square foot project. This was our first stain project for our dock and we just followed the advice and directions of TWP. We used the Gemini Restore-A-Deck cleaner, and brightener products. We waited three days for it to dry completely. I then applied two coats of the TWP Semi-Solid Stain Pro Series in Driftwood. The UV protection is the main reason we chose this product, because the dock is in the sun all day long. The dock came out amazing, we love it, and the TWP products. The first two pics are the unfinished dock, and last two is the finished dock.
Pic of sock
walkway in driftwood that didn’t take with my original post. Thx
So I decided to redo my back deck with zero knowledge of how to go about this…I figured if I messed up at least no one can see it… The deck is of unknown age, it has looked grey and dingy since I bought the house almost 8 years ago but it’s my favourite spot to sit and read so I thought it deserved an upgrade. I started by pressure washing, that did an ok job but not good enough for my liking… so on a bit of a whim I purchased Activox deck cleaner and gave that a whirl. After a shaky start with a faulty sprayer it came up pretty good. Now time to stain… I asked everyone I knew what they recommended and no one was super helpful. After some exhausting research done by myself and my son, we concluded that twp was the way to go. I ordered online and was very happy with the ease and speed of shipping to Canada. Staining day finally came, apparently three non rainy days in a row in Ontario was a lot to ask for this summer. I googled how to do it and went for it with fingers crossed… the result?? Amazing!! I’m so happy with how things turned out! I’ll be purchasing more twp next summer to tackle the front deck now that I’m a pro :) haha
Our project consists of a new deck around our pool (3 months old), a lower deck that is about 6 years old, and the upper deck that was built with the house about 20 plus years ago. Man did they all ever turn out nice. We used the TWP 200 series TWP201 Cedartone, it went on amazingly on all 3 ages of wood with minimal preparation. We LOVE TWP and will recommend to everyone we talk to.
Our deck is 21 years old and has been rather neglected for most of its time. One stain application was done on this deck about 15 years ago and has since sat exposed to typical Michigan weather. After hitting warped boards and popped-out screws with the shovels for the last few years, we decided to address the deck (finally).
To start the process, we replaced a handful of boards that were beyond saving. We then proceeded to remove all of the 21-year-old screws (with most of them breaking off during the process) and then flipped the boards to try and salvage some more life (Finances are a bit tight here).
After the boards were addressed as best as we knew how without breaking the bank, we began to research stain options. After months of research and review, we stumbled upon TWP. There were many passionate and favorable reviews that ultimately led us to take the jump and go with TWP (Thankfully).
We used the Gemini Restore-A-Deck kit and TWP 100 series in Dark Oak to preserve our deck. We had quite a bit of anxiety regarding the process and trying to maximize the effectiveness of the application. We completed the Restore-A-Deck cleaning step using 4 Gallons of mixed cleaner and then pressure washed the deck. We then proceeded to complete the brightening step using 4 Gallons of mixed brightener and then rinsed the brightening solution off with a hose.
*(A separate step was complete with a bleach application to kill the mold/mildew which had accumulated on these boards after 21 years)
After completing the Gemini Restore-A-Deck protocol, we already noticed a significant difference in appearance (See photo). The wood not only looked better but seemed to feel better.
After waiting for an extra few days (due to rain in the forecast), we tackled the stain application. After a review of the potential application methods, we settled on brushing the stain into the deck rather than the other options. With the age of the deck and the neglect, I wanted to ensure that the stain was worked into the deck as best as we could. The stain was applied following the “wet on wet” technique as recommended on twpstainhelp.com for wood that is absorbent enough for more than one coat. The application went smoothly and it was great to watch the Dark Oak stain bring the deck back to life.
Afterward, our family was impressed and happy with the results. I really couldn’t imagine a better outcome and am thankful that we found TWP. I look forward to our time on the deck now and even look forward to the maintenance coats in years to come (somewhat).
Our deck is 4 years old. We originally installed a cedar tone treated pine wood for Home Depot. We used a different stain two years ago and was not impressed. We used Restore a Deck cleaner and brightener. Then we waited 2 days to dry. We used the pecan semi transparent on the yield of our deck and a darker boarder. Turned out beautiful! Thank you TWP!!!
Our deck project began 18 months ago when we decided to remove our painted cedar deck and replace it with Alaskan Cedar. Once the deck was replaced and new cable railing installed, we let the wood cure prior to staining. We choose a competitor’s product and experience wood furring and greying after 1 year. We could not have been more disappointed.
We connected with Scott from deckstainhelp.com and had a great interaction. Scott’s product knowledge and overall help with choosing the right product was amazing. We used RAD stripper and brightener along with TWP 100 Series, 101 cedar tone. We watched videos and followed the instructions, and our results are incredible. We live in the Pacific Northwest and are thrilled to finally enjoy our new outdoor space. It is beautiful. Thank you TWP for a great product.
The fence at our family beach house had faded over the years and had some mold on it in the shady parts from running the sprinkler system. I power washed the fence that got it clean and washed away some remnants of the old stain. I have used TWP stains successfully at the beach on porches and decks so I tried on the wooden fence. I used the TWP 100 Rustic color to give the fence a rich look and it really turned out great!!!
Jewel Howard – 09/05/2022
I restored my wood deck over the last couple of months (lots of rain during the project).
I used the TWP-100 (Redwood).
I have been using TWP stain for over 10 years and this year I decided to enter the contest, as I am really satisfied with the ending results.
I powered washed my deck and allowed it to get good and dry. Power washing took care of any mold and cleaned the wood really good. I encountered lots of rain during this project, but because TWP stain starts to dry instantly, when the rain would appear, it had dried just enough whereas the rainwater did not affect the stain. My deck is beautiful and, as always, I am very pleased with the ending results. I have attached pictures for viewing.
Deck Floor
We decided to restore our 25 year old Ipe wood deck and TWP Stain came highly recommended as the only stain to use! Ipe is an exotic wood that is twice as dense as most woods and not easy to work with. Once the whole deck had been power washed, we sampled a few TWP colors before deciding on the TWP 1500 Series Stain – Rustic 1516. We ended up using nearly 13 gallons but boy did it come out beautifully! With such a large deck and railings (almost 1400 sq ft!), coupled with summer afternoon rain storms, it took several weeks to achieve this transformation! We are so happy with how gorgeous our deck looks it was hard to pick just 2 after pictures. It’s a beautiful space and the stain has made it feel brand new!
Project was fix the timber frame entry and gables and protect the new deck. Used the Twp products we purchased online including stain, cleaner and brighter to totally fix/restore the builders error. The builder had used minwax natural stain on exterior wood. The timber frame started to grey in 2-3 months after install. Deck was to be left for a year (3 due to Covid) before treating. End results speak for themselves
My project this summer involved stripping the face of the cottage of painted lap siding, installing leftover log siding from the house project, creating and installing false log ends, and milling wood from the property to add a porch. The labor involved was intensive so choosing a sealer to preserve all this hard work was a no-brainer as I’ve used TWP for years to maintain my log home, garage, and decks with great success. I use the 1511 California Redwood for my decks and the TWP 1515 Honeytone for the logs and log siding. So thankful for this great product!
I bought an old foursquare home about 5 years ago. It has a beautiful porch that had a painted floor and due to weathering, it was time to maintain it. Although a fresh coat of paint would have sufficed, I have seen porches with stained flooring and felt that being able to see the wood grain really adds a richness to it. So, I used a rented a drum and floor sander to take on the majority of the flooring and for the edges and corners, I used my hand held random orbital sander. After many hours of sanding, I had revealed a fresh wood surface. I chose the TWP 1500 (Dark Oak 1503) stain for the floor and the sitting ledge. I am very happy with the results!
Our 15 year old cedar deck takes on the elements year in and year out. Full sun, rain & snow…just name the season. It was in need of refinishing…and then the hail helped that process along! We decided to restore, and re-stain with a new color. We chose TWP 100 Series Dark Oak 103. It looks fantastic. The results speak for itself!
Re-stained boat dock after a competitor’s “10 year penetrating wood sealer” failed leaving a mess. Used the stripper with booster additive followed by pressure washing. Color is original redwood with a picture immediately after and 6 months after. Holding up great to the traffic, TN UV rays and annual flooding!
Our 20 year old cabin has live edge rough sawn fir (we think) siding. It had 2 stain treatments on it prior to our owning. Rob was able to scrape the very dry stain off the wood using a 2” scraper. Then he used RAD stripper and brightener. We chose and applied the 100 series honeytone. This color lightened the appearance which was just what we were looking for. We also really like how the saw marks show through and give a cool rustic look to our cabin.
20 yr old clear cedar deck. Removed latex stain, power washed, stripped, sanded, repaired. Waited 4 months. Used RAD brightener. 1500 series cedar tone. Looks absolutely beautiful. Thank you!
I make and sell Adirondack Furniture. I use Dark Oak TWP 103 and Rustic TWP 116 on the furniture. Being a oil base stain it withstands the weather well.
Wish you shipped to Canada free of charge. Shame that California is eligible for free shipping thousands of miles away but sixty miles to London Ontario isn’t. We LOVE your products! We get tons of compliments on our deck. Are we eligible for the contests?
It is not possible to ship to Canada for free due to shipping cost, brokerage cost, duty (if applicable), and province taxes.
You can enter the contest as long as you bought from our website.
Lived in my condo community for 23 years. The retaining walls were badly neglected. We rounded up a few volunteers and transformed our walls with TWP Cedartone 1500 series. Prepped with pressure washer.
This is a ‘new’ 2 season old deck. We prepped with Cabot wood brightener and stained with TWP 100 series color pecan 120. This is an amazing stain and I’m so grateful I did the research to find this product!
Our cedar deck is over 20 years old. This year we used Gemeni restore kit to clean and brighten the deck followed by 2 coats of TWP 1500 Cedar Tone stain. The deck faces south and is subject to snow, ice, rain and direct sun. After 4 months TWP is still doing well repelling rain. Always love the finish and appearance of a job using TWP products.
My deck is 9 years old. I strip my deck of 3 years old TWP 1501 Cedartone . I used Gemini Restore A Deck Stripper/Brightener Kit and I Pressure washed the deck . I restained the deck using TWP 1502 Redwood . I used the Wooster 6″ Pro Stain Brush To apply the stain .
I restain every few years or so. My fence is 22 years old and still looks great.
We had neglected our deck for many years. It was in bad shape. After retiring this year I finally decided to tackle the job. I sanded each board down to bare wood again, and stained it using 2 gallons of TWP Semi-Solid stain, Lighthouse color. It’s nice to have a deck we can enjoy again.
I have a 20 year old ironwood deck that was improperly stained about 6 years ago. It had little to no maintenance before or afterwards. It was covered in thick algae in many areas as it is on the north side of the house. I used RestoreADeck to strip the old stain and clean the algae. (Needed to use some elbow grease.) Then I applied 2 coats of TWP 102 PRO SERIES REDWOOD stain. I LOVE THE RESULTS!!
Restained our log house. Previous owners had used same product,TWP 1500 Series, Natural 1530. We applied new stain directly over previous stain which was last done ~2016.
Overall the product was easy to use, and looks amazing! My wife and I cannot believe the difference.
This is a Soffit job. We used TWP 100 Series 5 Gallon
Stain Color Pecan 120. We prepared with pressure wash and brush.
A 12 year old cedar deck approx. 800sq/ft. Takes a beating in the New England weather. Have used many stain products with mixed results. It was time for a major cleaning and new stain. I used RAD with both additives to clean using brush and hose, then applied RAD neutralizer. Did some sanding in areas where grain has raised. Applied TWP 1501 Cedarwood Tone stain using the spray and brush method. The TWP 1500 was easy to use and the cedar color is great (not to orange). I’m very impressed with the water repellant quality of this stain. I plan to use the TWP when I redo my front decks next year. Have had the new stain on for two months and I am very impressed with the results.
Order #U74E0111484 Dock Deck- Sanded, used Gemini Cleaner and Brightener, then TWP 1500 Natural. Bill Coney
2013 – Cedar deck built
2015 – Sanded, used Gemini Cleaner and Brightener, then TWP 1500 Redwood
2017 – Used Gemini Cleaner and Brightener, then TWP 1500 Redwood
2022 – Used Restore-a-Deck Stripper and Brightener with TWP Semi-solid Lighthouse
Pics are before when the Redwood had faded after several years of full sun and Midwest intense seasons (snow, sleet, rain, blinding heat–and that’s just any given Wednesday!), after stripper and brightener, and two after deck was stained with Lighthouse semi-solid. I forgot to take “before” pics until after I started hosing it down.
*Highly* recommend the TWP Semi-solid and the RAD products. Stain had very good coverage and forgiving for people like me that have to do it alone and sections at a time, which obviously isn’t ideal, but the semi-solid blends very, very well, even dry on wet. I’m very happy!
Note: The dead grass in the last pic is *not* from the product. It’s because I forgot to pick up a canvas tarp for several days. D’oh!
Deck is about 20 months. I used TWP 1500 Series Honeytone. It was our families covid project. My whole family helped to pitch in and build it. It’s become a fun and useful space!
Making an old Deck New again. Before pic #1 is before and cleaning. Before pic #2 is after power washing.
Both After pics are different angles of the deck after applying TWP 1500 Dark Walnut using Deck Boss Brush. Very pleased with TWP. We also used TWP on our board and batten last year. Ill never use any other oil based brand again.
Staining shed
After construction, and many hours researching deck stains, we decided to go with TWP for the wood finishing product to complete our outdoor home project. All of the wood, except the ceiling, was coated using TWP (Cedartone 101). The deck had endured an extreme amount of abuse during the construction of the porch and required a lot of attention prior to re-staining. I am convinced that TWP is the best product on the market and continue recommending to everyone I know!
Just completed my restoration project on a second level ~500 sq ft deck. Had to remove a 3 year old semi-solid super deck stain by stripping, power washing and sanding. Followed that up with a cleaning/brightening to bring out the grain. Even built a new gate!
I used TWP100 Cedartone. I bought 10 gallons, but had about a gallon leftover. It definitely took the most time to get all the railings posts done after I realized spraying was so wasteful. Really happy with how it turned out!
Roughly 650 sq. ft. redone with Alaskan yellow cedar and stained with TWP 115 PRO SERIES HONEYTONE. Went with a little variety on the railing with Western Red cedar 2×6 slats and the Alaskan Yellow 2×4 slats with black balusters.
We recently cleaned our deck with Gemini Cleaner and Brightener Kit and then applied TWP 1500 Series 5 Gallon – Stain Color Pecan to our outdoor deck. It turned out beautiful! We couldn’t be happier and it looks fantastic! Check out the before and after of our deck and stairs.