View Previous TWP Restoration Contests
The TWP Wood Restoration 2023 Contest is closed!
First Place
Ron Cunningham (Page 1)
First Place = $500
Second Place
Trevor (Page 3)
Second Place = $250
Third Place
Rochelle Schaetten (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 2023 Contest Details
- All TWP and Prep products must be purchased first from this online retail site (TWPStain.com) between January 1st – Sept 6th, 2023.
- 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, 2023.
- 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.
1000 square-foot deck on our cabin that was in need of staining because the wood was graying and faded quite badly since it had not been treated for quite a few years. We used the Gemini restore-a-deck two-step brightening process to condition the wood, and finished it in TWP dark oak stain (100 series).
The color turned out beautifully, a subtle red/brown, and the graining on the wood now looks amazing as you can see in the photos. The coverage was far better than I expected, we only needed one 5 gallon pail to do the entire deck and rails.
I was so impressed with using it that I will be using it for the fence of my house next spring.
Welcome to our new back yard! We saved for a few years to make the deck we’ve always wanted to have. We went big at 42’x24’ making it a little over 1,000 Sq. Ft. of usable outdoor space that we didn’t have before (Pic 1). Being that it’s new, we used the recommendations on the TWP website for new wood decks. After letting the wood dry out and weather for some months, we used two kits of “Gemini’s Restore-A-Deck Cleaner and Brightener Kits” (Pic 2) and two five-gallon buckets of “TWP Semi-Solid Pro Series”. We ordered a handful of color samples from the website and decided to go with the color, Stonehenge. Although the big deck made it some long days of prep and staining, the products were top notch with great instructions that made application and the entire process quite easy (Pic 3). I’ll be sticking with TWP for the life of the deck! Now excuse me while I go have a margarita on my beautiful deck (Pic 4)! ?
TWP stain remover, wood brightened, then TWP redwood semi-transparent 1502. Deck is 3 years old started with latex, then stripped, then restrained. Looks much better!
I put the 1500 series Dark Oak on my new porch a couple years ago. I was supposed to let it weather/dry more but it still held up well. This round I prepared the porch with Restore-A-Deck and let it dry for 2 days. I brushed on the stain and did a double wet coat. The wood soaked up much more than 2 years ago. The porch looks great and certainly repels water!
In early spring 23 we decided to re-stain the deck. Unfortunately I chose a honey Sherwin Williams stain, which my husband applied while I was gone. When I came home I almost cried!! The honey color turned out mustard colored, and did not absorb correctly, leaving bubbles in the stain. My husband and I spent hours sanding off the stain so we could retry with TWP California Cedar 205, the original color we put on the deck 8 years ago. The deck is back to being beautiful and looking like a natural wood deck. Now the stain repels the water and this California Cedar stain will keep my deck looking healthy for years. That is not a mistake I will make again!!
We bought our cabin in the Poconos (PA) about 7 years ago. Found old jugs of Behr stain — not sure how long ago the log cabin (pine) had been stained. A buddy of mine recommended TWP, as he had great success over many projects. We used TWP Stripper/Brightener Kit — this stripper kit worked well to remove the old finish (was very dark in some places). After quite a bit of investigation (including my buddy’s suggestions), we decided the 100 series TWP (chose cedar). After stripping (was the hard part), I applied the TWM with a garden sprayer, and back-brushed with a 3″ (Amazon) brush, applied a second coat (“wet-on-wet”) just after the first coat. An amazing transformation took place (used about 8 gallons of TWP); great product!!
2023 contest Our property in the Florida Keys has about 1600 sq ft of docks, porches and stairs. The previous owner had treated with Thompsons and Behr solid. The docks were weathered and checked, we “flipped” many of the boards, replacing some. We used TWP Stripper/Brightener Kit, stripper worked well to remove the old finish. The challenge here is the intense sun, humidity and salt environment. After much research, we decided the 100 series TWP was our best option. Decision slanted due to TWP specializes in stains not a paint company that by-the-way also has stain. I wanted a penetrating stain with UV protection, not prone to peeling or flaking. We treated with stripper where necessary, brightener and power washed. The decking was so weathered, we sometimes had to wet on wet apply 3 times, wiped excess with micro fiber mop. We used the 100 series Redwood initially, but too red. Blended 2 parts redwood, 1 part cedar tone, 1 clear, and liked the resulting color. Great transformation, curious to see how holds up in this environment.
Built a custom Barn Style workshop this year. Tested MANY stains. (TWP & others) The barn is ruff-cut solid oak, so there are not a lot of pictures out there for color comparison. Used the TWP sample program to test and compare stain colors. Tested both the 100 and 1500 series, and liked the TWP 1500 Series “Natural 1530” color the best. Application: Mild bleach prep & rinse. (newer wood) then sprayed 2 coats of the Natural 1530 wet on wet. I also added the Bug Juice (works very well and did not affect the color). My crew boss is very happy with how smooth the application went and most importantly my wife the “Real Boss” loves the color.
We live at New Jersey coastal area. Our Pine pressure treated wood deck is in full sun all day in summer. Last time deck was stained with TWP stain 5 years ago.This year we used again Gemini Restore-A-Deck kit and TWP 1500 Series stain Color Rustik1516.We are so pleased with TWP stains!Our deck looks beautiful and is so easy to maintain.
We built a cypress wood horse barn from rough cut lumber. After the barn was built we pressure washed the wood and let the wood dry for two days. Next we used a airless sprayer to spray TWP 115 Pro Series Honeytone stain. We sprayed it with two coats total. The outcome turned out GREAT!
TWP 2023 Contest: My wife and I worked on our deck this spring. We didn’t have any experience working with wood stain other than very small projects. First, we cleaned debris from the deck, then we pressure-washed it. After, we used sandpaper on all exposed wood surfaces. Finally, we used the “wet on wet” two-coat application technique to apply the TWP 100 Series (Dark Oak 103). It took us 60+ hours and we’re very proud of the result! The pergola was particularly difficult, but we’ve got it! We encourage anyone reading this to consider staining your deck by yourself. It takes some time but it’s a fun family activity and really rewarding!
Try the Semi-solid colors for decks that are in full sun. Much better UV protection.
https://www.twpstain.com/twp-semi-solid-pro-series
Solid stain will peel, it doesn’t penetrate like semi transparent that’s what I would be worried about that
TWP does not sell solid stain. We have a penetrating semi-solid and it does not peel.
Is it oil based or latex?
Oil based.
I started this pavilion project a few months back. The lumber I chose is ash and I had everything cut to size at a local sawmill. I cut and notched ever piece and assembled it on the ground to make it easier when it came time to put it all together up in the air. Then I took it all apart and laid it out so I could stain it. I used 1503 Dark Oak on all the big beams, posts, and rafters. After assembling all of that, it came time for the tongue and groove ceiling. I used 8 inch wide pine and stained it using 1530 Natural on all of it. I think the two colors together turned out great.
My deck is over 20 years old and I had a deck restore product on it before I started this TWP project. The previous product had started to crack in some areas so I decided to redo it with TWP DECK REVIVE.
The only way to remove my previous product coating was to hand scrape it off inch by inch. It waa a long tedious process which I even had to use a heat gun to soften and remove.
I began the restoration by applying Perma bond with a paint brush, I then mixed the Deck Revive together with Rustic paint and applied the first coat with a paint brush to fill in all the cracks and crevices. My second coat was applied with a roller. It looks amazing after all the hard work I did by myself.
In 2022, we had a carport built for our van. Most of it was built with treated yellow pine. We chose to have the frame of the carport painted grey to match the trim on our house and wanted the privacy fence around it stained. We ordered 6 samples of TWP in the 1500 series and ended up choosing Rustic (1516) because of the nice reddish color it produced on the pine boards. The lumber was kiln dried, but I still waited 5 months for the wood moisture to be in the 10-12% range. As the instructions said, I first used the cleaner and brightener on the wood before applying the first coat of stain. I used a quality 4″ stain brush to apply the stain and a smaller 1″ brush to get into the hard to reach places. (We also had a small deck and more privacy fencing added to the house at the same time which got the same stain, but I chose to show off the carport for the contest.) Everything was ready for a second coat this summer, so I ordered more stain, washed everything, and applied the second coat. Everything turned out exactly like we wanted and we couldn’t be more happy with the results! The painter I hired to spray the grey part of the carport recommended a water based Sherwin Williams stain, but I’ve used TWP in the past and politely told him I was going to pass on that suggestion and would do it myself.
Contest Entry: First time staining a deck. I have never done any type of staining or wood work. My deck was built 2022. I tried to get somebody to stain it, but nobody was willing to do it. Hence, I decided to do it myself. I pressure washed and did extensive research for stain and I settle on TWP 1500 series Stain Color Natural 1530. I bought 6 gallons and proceed with project. Took me 1 day and results amazing. The project turn out great and very pleased with results as first timer. Thanks TWP for a great product.
I have used your products for many years on my own deck and have always loved how it looks. But I always forget to take before and after pictures. This year my son asked if I remembered what we had used on his decks before, (not TWP). I did, but I suggested he would be a lot happier if he used your deck stain. He agreed and I ordered him 6 gallons of the Pecan. As you can see from the pictures (which I did remember to take) they turned out great, he was so pleased with them. It is a great product. I’ll work on my daughter next year and get her to switch too!!
Our home is 18 years old we take pride in our home I can’t tell you that our deck has never looked better in all those years as it does now after using your product. We had used a product in the past that was guaranteed not to peel and was supposed to be comparable to trek deck material well it was applied in November and it peeled regardless the deck became rotted and had to be replaced.That is the short version of our deck story.After cleaning and light sanding of our current deck we applied your amazing product.Thank you for making a quality product that has brought value and beauty to our home. We look forward to showing it off and promoting this product.
When trying to order stain several times I could not get logged in so the orders were done under no log in. If I provide the purchase information can that be added to my account?
Re-staining the Cedar Shake siding on the second story of my log home. The old TWP Dark Oak 103 stain was about 10 years old and needed some good TLC. Started the job off with a few ladders and a 3100 psi pressure washer. I did not want to remove all of the old dark stain, about 95%, that way it left a little more character to the shakes new color. Started by pressuring washing then two days of drying time, some light sanding with 120 grit paper with a palm sander. Used some 6mil plastic to cover the first story from drips and over spray, easier than cleaning the chinking and logs later. Using a 4” heavy brush, 1 gal pump sprayer and 10 gallon’s of TWP Cedar Tone 101 stain. I did the wet on wet coats, sprayed the stain then brushed after each coat. The back side of the house gets most of the sun so after a week of 95+ temperatures I was able to apply another coat.
Stained one 5’ porch swing, one 5’ outside bench and one chair with TWP Cedar Tone 101 stain.
Also during this project I pressure washed all of the fascia and boxing around the house, replacing some wood that had issues then two coats of solid stain.
Wished I would have taken a before pic so you could see the moss and discoloration on my gazebo. The roof was especially unsightly. I have an all cedar house and have been using TWP since 1990.At that time I could only find this product from a fence company. About every 5 years I restain. I would not use a different product.
Our log cabin has ONLY had TWP products on it since we built over 30 years ago. It takes an army to get it done, but with prep, patience and the good will of Mother Nature, we protect our home with your amazing product. Pictured before is after 5 years with TWP1500 in natural. Thank you for what you guys create so we can best protect our Maine home.
Using 20 gallons of TWP 100 Series semi-transparent Cedartone stained our 4 stall shed row barn with two coats. Prior to application lightly pressure washed all surfaces as the barn is 15 months young.
Done over Labor Day weekend: deck hadn’t been stained in years and had mildewed and dried out under the mostly shady area. I used the semi solid stain in cedar chest and did a two tone affect with a different dark cedar stain that i had from another project. Next up, I plan to use Cabin Fever in the semi solid on the wood siding!
Been using TWP 1500 on our deck and Log home since 2005. This is the original deck.
(delete last comment – this shows the pics in correct before/after order) Contest entry – One part of my deck was built in 2018 and the newer part attached to it was built last fall – all of it is pressure treated wood. I cleaned and scrubbed the entire deck and used Restore a Deck wood brightener on the older part to get it to more closely match the newer wood. I used TWP 1500 series Cedartone stain to complete the project. I used a combo of a brush, pad applicator and spray pump (for the lattice) to apply 2 coats of stain. It looks great and the older and newer parts match well.
Contest entry – One part of my deck was built in 2018 and the newer part attached to it was built last fall – all of it is pressure treated wood. I cleaned and scrubbed the entire deck and used Restore a Deck wood brightener on the older part to get it to more closely match the newer wood. I used TWP 1500 series Cedartone stain to complete the project. I used a combo of a brush, pad applicator and spray pump (for the lattice) to apply 2 coats of stain. It looks great and the older and newer parts match well.
I built our deck in 2012 using clear cedar. When it came time to put a treatment on the deck I used a product that some had given a positive review about on the web so I spent about $500 purchasing 7 or 8 gallons. Within the third year it was painfully apparent I had made a bad choice.
I then researched contractortalk.com and found so much high praise for TWP I decided to use it to rectify the mistaken path I took. I first had to sand my already grey ugly deck back down to bare wood again and a pleasantly surprised to discover it not to be the terrible ordeal I thought it would be.
From the first rain and ever after I’ve been thrilled with the result of using TWP. I used it for my own decks and for four others on rental houses.
As can be seen in the third picture taken this morning it sheds water like a duck’s back.
P.S. The stain I use is TWP 1501 Pecan
pps – oops, 1520 pecan
We built our 2 tiered deck in 2020, finally got around to staining it. Did some research on stains and decided to move forward with TWP oil based stain. We were told oil based stain was the best option for the metal spindles, as, any excess would wipe off the metal. We purchased 3, 5 Gallons of the TWP 1500 Series Pecan. See also decided on using a Wagner Flexio 5000 sprayer. Pressure washed deck 3 days prior. Day of, we prepped around the house and pool with plastic. Took 5 hours to prep and 5 hours to stain. We also used a stain brush on the floor of the deck to ensure the stain penetrated into the wood. We could not be happier with the finished look!
35+ year old bi-level cedar deck with outer benches, 2 sets of steps, and skirting (600+ sq ft)
Step 1: R-A-D Stripper/Brightener Kit to remove a PPG water based stain that had failed
Step 2: Because of benches I could not remove all of the original stain with power washer so I ended up sanding everything with a 80 grit orbital sander.
Step 3: Another coat of R-A-D Brightener because the nice people at TWP helpline told me I would get better results.
Step 4: Applied 2 coats wet on wet of TWP 100 Series in the Pecan 120 (started with a forecast of clear skies, as I neared the end of staining rain clouds filled the sky – I trembled as clouds held back as they passed overhead.)
Step 5: After drying for 48 hours I replaced deck furniture, poured myself a cold one, and enjoyed the view!
Step 6: Hosted lots of guests and parties throughout the summer and got lots of complements on my beautiful deck (making the project so worthwhile!)
This deck was built just before I bought the home about 9 years ago with pressure treated lumber. I had used Ready Seal previously and found it to fade quickly as I get lots of sun. I needed to stain again this year but realized a lot of the railing and some posts were rotted out. I replaced the railings completely with a new style and decided to stain what I could while the new wood weathered. After reading a lot of reviews for the best stain with UV protection, I bought TWP Semi Solid Pro Series in two colors: Thunderstorm & Super Cedar. Along with the stain, I ordered the RAD stain stripper/cleaner bundle as well. The flooring of the deck I did in Super Cedar and the rest in Thunderstorm (the railings will be too once I can stain the wood).
Earlier this year we rebuilt our deck with pressure treated pine. After letting it age for 6 months we applied the cleaner from the Gemini Restore-A-Deck Kit and pressure washed. After letting it dry, we applied TWP 100 honeytone 115 stain. The results from this high quality product are great!
TWP 2023 contest. This is our cedar deck that was stripped and restained with TWP 1500 Pecan. We love the color and how it turned out!
2 additional picture
Our deck and screened-in porch are our home sanctuary. We had it all refurbished 7 years ago and stained with California Cedar 205. It is standard pressure treated lumber, but has a beautiful nature color and glow when the sun hits. I power wash once a year with straight vinegar in reservoir to control black mold and green algae. I lightl sand and stain flat deck every 2-3 yrs and rails have looked good for 5. Thank you TWP for the highest quality product that makes more time for serenity with less work.
Our deck had years of stain buildup so we started with Restore-A-Deck. So easy to use and the results removed all the stain to the bare wood! Part of the deck is exposed to all day sun so we used the TWP 99 Pro Series! We also wanted a two- toned deck so Cabin Fever was stained on the spindles and railings producing a dark wood finish.
Heartwood was used for the floor but was a little too red so we toned it down by adding 2 quarts of Cabin Fever to the gallon and got the look we wanted!
We used two coats for the finished look!
Here are my photos
Here are pictures from my deck project. My deck is 35 years old. I used the Gemini Restore Clean Kit to prepare it for topcoating. Attached are 2 pictures showing the results. Attached are 2 pictures showing the finished project after top coating. I used Cedar Tone 100 using the brush also purchased from TWP that is a must have for ease of use. Although this is my first time entering the contest, I have been using TWP products for my years.
No pics.
TWP 2023 Contest: custom pergola with hardscape project. Pergola wood is new pressure treated lumber: 6x6x12 posts; 10x2x16 beams, 8x2x16 & 6x2x16 rafters. Allowed pergola to weather 6 months after construction; applied TWP 1503 Dark Oak stain in spring of 2023. Used cleaner brightener prior to staining as directed. Recommend to tarp over brick pavers to avoid white film from cleaning solutions; however, film does come off pavers with washing so no worries. Project required two gallons of stain for single coat application. Stain primarily applied with pads; also used brush for narrow sides and rags to wipe off excess stain. One man week to complete project (full-time).
gorgeous!!! Now you can come on down to my house and build me one!!! hahahah
really stunning and will be beautiful for years.
Thank you! My wife and I love the result and enjoy spending time there. Definitely worth the investment and effort.
Replaces all screws. Replaced damaged/warped boards. Sanded severe inch of ramp. Painted rail trim. Stained rail slats and ramp floorboards using TWP Cedar Tone 101 purchased from Hootens in Emory TX.
where are you shipping from? more than 1 location? I’m in NJ & placed an order and wondering how long it will take to receive
We are in MI. Takes 2-3 business days to ship to NJ.
Before stripping deck had behr deckover applied which was peeling.
Used angel grinder and dimablade disc to strip the surface, used gemini cleaner and brightner applied TWP 1500 semi transparent rustic stain.
how long will it take to be shipped and received
That varies based on where you live. Anywhere for 2-6 business days.
We had a new deck built in 2022 and waited 6 months or so prior to staining in 2023. The product we used was TWP 120 Pecan mainly because the contractor who built our deck had recommended this product.
TWP 2023 Contest: My 20+ year old 700sq ft deck was in desperate need of a redo and was painted with deck paint roughly 3 years ago. Priced out new deck boards… ugh, opted to pay for my kids college instead $$$. Since the original deck boards are 2×6’s I decided to flip the board instead of sanding, good choice, yay for me. After removing all of the (3,575) nails I cut 1 foot off each end due to checking and splitting. I screwed them back down with 3 1/2 inch deck screws. Working on a budget I went with the Gemini Cleaner/Brightener Kit and the 1500 Series Dark Oak 1503. The cleaner/brightener Kit alone made the 20 year old treated deck boards look like new. Applying the stain was super easy and went on flawlessly with a lambs wool pad. Using your wet over wet technique not only gave the deck boards a rich color but will ensure to protect it from the elements here in the Carolinas. Thanks TWP for such superior products and saving me a potential huge expense.
We built this giant 3-level deck 10 years ago & we normally power wash and stain it every year but I t was not stained for 2 years and in rough shape. The first day of prep we used Oxy Clean to power wash, let it dry overnight and then followed up with TWP101 PRO-SERIES
CEDARTONE. We purchased the 5 gallon bucket and used about 4 gallons in total. It took a total of 5 hours to complete this project with 7 people helping to get it done. We would never consider using another product, this stain is so easy to apply and seems intuitive with the wood. Our deck always looks so stoic and majestic after a fresh stain thanks to TWP. Plus is wears well with the relentless sun it receives in summer and the hefty snow and ice from harsh MN winters.
Lovely product to work with. First I pressure washed the deck and then used the TWP Total Cedar Gold. Love the results!! Thank you!
TWP 200 Series Total Cedar Gold.
What is the difference between no UV and UV protection 1500 series. Does it really make a difference?
If you want to prevent UV graying then it must be a tinted color, not the Clear. The Clear will gray naturally.
Follow up on previous post. These are photos of a larger section of fence after two maintainance coats of twp 100 redwood after 5 plus years of original finish. Pressure washed to prep
Hello, I put light maintenance coats (2) of redwood twp100 on my cedar fence this weekend. I covered 3600 square feet with a pump sprayer and back brush. I used a pressure washer to clean and prep the fence. The initial stain was put on 5 years ago so it was ready. If you look closely you can see the “before” condition on the gate on the left side of the photo as I am going to hand coat the four gates.