Applying TWP (Total Wood Preservative) deck stain is something that most deck owners can do themselves. Using TWP wood stain will ensure a lasting finish on decks and many other exterior wood surfaces. TWP stain protects against moisture, preserves natural wood color, prevents mold/mildew, is easy to apply, and is the only EPA registered wood preservative.

Prior to applying any TWP wood preservative product, the wood surface should be cleaned thoroughly. Weather must be taken into consideration when staining a deck or other exterior wood surface. Follow these weather tips for TWP application:

Temperature

Air temperatures can affect the overall results of an exterior staining project. TWP Total Wood Preservative is best applied in temperatures ranging from 45-95 degrees with 60-80 degrees being the optimal range. The temperature should also not drop below freezing within 8 hours after the stain application. This could cause improper curing of the product.

If temperatures are too hot and/or applying in direct sunlight where the wood surface is hot to the touch, the stain can flash dry. This leaves the stain coat looking splotchy, uneven, and may have inconsistent coloring.

Rain in the Forecast

If the wood surface gets wet allow it to dry a minimum of 24 hours before attempting to apply TWP stain. This can vary depending on how wet the wood got, temperature, and the age of the wood. It is best to do a water test drop to determine if the wood is ready for stain. If the water soaks in right away then stain, if it beads, do not stain.

It should not rain 12 hours after applying TWP. The stain may be able to take some rain earlier but it depends on wood porosity. Because oil and water do not mix, the stain will not be affected much by a little rain if it has already soaked into the wood. On the other hand if the stain is still wet and sitting atop the surface, rain can cause separation circles or may completely wash the stain away.

Be sure to always check your local forecast prior to staining any exterior wood surface. This will ensure that TWP wood stain gives you the beautiful lasting results you expect.

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    TWP Stains · 10/12/2015
    Daren Drummond:
    Hello, Last week I finished applying two wet on wet coats of TWP 1500 stain on our deck. There are several shiny/slick looking spots scattered on the horizontal portion of the deck. Can these be fixed and what caused this to happen? Thanks for your help.

    Over applied and/or improperly prepped is why this happened. Basically too much stain was applied and was unable to soak into the wood. Since it has been a week it may not be possible for you to wipe off the excess stain with mineral spirits and rags as it most likely has dried by now.
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    Daren Drummond · 10/11/2015
    Hello, Last week I finished applying two wet on wet coats of TWP 1500 stain on our deck. There are several shiny/slick looking spots scattered on the horizontal portion of the deck. Can these be fixed and what caused this to happen? Thanks for your help.
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    TWP Stains · 10/02/2015
    David Litwiller:
    I applied 1503 Dark Oak stain to my pressure treated 4-1/2 year old deck a few weeks ago and I am noticing a few white spots coming out of the wood on a few boards and spindles that were stained. Some of the spots are close to the knots. This is the first time it has been stained and I cleaned the deck using a scrub brush with oxygen bleach and applied a brightener a few months ago and recleaned it with dish soap shortly before I stained it a few weeks ago. I tried to rinse it well to remove the cleaning solution after cleaning and I let the deck dry at least two full days before staining. I am not sure if the white spots are from the oxygen bleach or soap that was perhaps inside the wood that I couldn't get rinsed out before staining or someone mentioned the white spots could be sap coming out of the wood. I was wondering if you may have an idea what these white spots are and what I can do to remove them so they are not on the stained wood. Thanks.

    It is sap. You cannot stop sap from bleeding and there is no easy way to remove it without removing the stain as well.
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    David Litwiller · 10/01/2015
    I applied 1503 Dark Oak stain to my pressure treated 4-1/2 year old deck a few weeks ago and I am noticing a few white spots coming out of the wood on a few boards and spindles that were stained. Some of the spots are close to the knots. This is the first time it has been stained and I cleaned the deck using a scrub brush with oxygen bleach and applied a brightener a few months ago and recleaned it with dish soap shortly before I stained it a few weeks ago. I tried to rinse it well to remove the cleaning solution after cleaning and I let the deck dry at least two full days before staining. I am not sure if the white spots are from the oxygen bleach or soap that was perhaps inside the wood that I couldn't get rinsed out before staining or someone mentioned the white spots could be sap coming out of the wood. I was wondering if you may have an idea what these white spots are and what I can do to remove them so they are not on the stained wood. Thanks.
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    TWP Stains · 09/13/2015
    Kevin Karpin:
    Hi we stained deck about 10 days ago and it looks great, however every time it rains water accumulates and it takes a few days to evaporate is this temporary. Its puddles of water on the wood...

    Yes that happens for the first few weeks or months. It will not do this after full cure.
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    Kevin Karpin · 09/12/2015
    Following up in describing deck it has water beads on ig
  • We will reply to your comment shortly
    Kevin Karpin · 09/12/2015
    Hi we stained deck about 10 days ago and it looks great, however every time it rains water accumulates and it takes a few days to evaporate is this temporary. Its puddles of water on the wood...
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    TWP Stains · 09/02/2015
    Peter Gillies:
    Hi - I got a good dry forecast and stained my deck yesterday. Finished with the second coat on the deck boards and stair treads by about 9:00 last night. There was a heavy fog and dew this morning and the stain on the treads and deck boards didn't seem to have dried very well (everything else seems fine). If it turns out I put too much on, will these dry over time (it's a vacation home and we won't be using it for a while), or do I need to go back with rags and mineral spirits. Stain looks great, by the way. Thanks.

    They will dry but might take some time. A few days.
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    Peter Gillies · 09/01/2015
    Hi - I got a good dry forecast and stained my deck yesterday. Finished with the second coat on the deck boards and stair treads by about 9:00 last night. There was a heavy fog and dew this morning and the stain on the treads and deck boards didn't seem to have dried very well (everything else seems fine). If it turns out I put too much on, will these dry over time (it's a vacation home and we won't be using it for a while), or do I need to go back with rags and mineral spirits. Stain looks great, by the way. Thanks.
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    TWP Stains · 09/01/2015
    Maureen T:
    My driveway gate was sanded and then stained using your product. There was some unevenness - whitish spots on some of the areas - might be from sanding. After two years, gave it another coat to deepen the faded color. The spots are still there. Is there anything I can do?

    Not much you can do. It maybe just the knots or around them. This is normal for those to be lighter in color due to the density of the wood there.
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    Maureen T · 08/31/2015
    My driveway gate was sanded and then stained using your product. There was some unevenness - whitish spots on some of the areas - might be from sanding. After two years, gave it another coat to deepen the faded color. The spots are still there. Is there anything I can do?
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    TWP Stains · 08/13/2015
    lroseh:
    How long does it take for your stain to dry it It is sticky after 24 hours

    Depends on application amount, weather, temps, etc. Typically dries in most scenarios in 24 hours as long as you did not over apply.
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    lroseh · 08/13/2015
    How long does it take for your stain to dry it It is sticky after 24 hours
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    TWP Stains · 08/10/2015
    Trina D.:
    We just stained our deck with TWP 100 and it was pretty dry (dried for 5 hours) but unexpected, sporadic rainstorms are popping up. My husband covered the deck with plastic to protect the deck. Is there a danger of combustion? I'm going to pull the plastic off in the morning.

    No plastic does not combust. Remove this am so it can cure properly.
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    Trina D. · 08/09/2015
    We just stained our deck with TWP 100 and it was pretty dry (dried for 5 hours) but unexpected, sporadic rainstorms are popping up. My husband covered the deck with plastic to protect the deck. Is there a danger of combustion? I'm going to pull the plastic off in the morning.
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    TWP Stains · 06/10/2015
    Sandie:
    Hi, my husband and I applied twp 100 rustic to our deck yesterday. It wasn't supposed to rain, but we live in Michigan and even our weather forecasters have a hard time predicting! We finished applying the 2nd coat about 8 pm and had a downpour around 5am. Some areas look like like the stain was partially washed away. Once the deck dries out can we just apply another coat?

    You can try that but make sure it is a very light coat.
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    Sandie · 06/10/2015
    Hi, my husband and I applied twp 100 rustic to our deck yesterday. It wasn't supposed to rain, but we live in Michigan and even our weather forecasters have a hard time predicting! We finished applying the 2nd coat about 8 pm and had a downpour around 5am. Some areas look like like the stain was partially washed away. Once the deck dries out can we just apply another coat?
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    TWP Stains · 04/13/2015
    Christine Walasek:
    Must the deck be stripped or just cleaned before applying twp? I applied twp last year and wondered if I should put another coat on it but is it useless unless it's stripped?

    Should TWP be applied yearly?

    Please read this about applying a maintenance coat:
    http://www.twpstainhelp.com/applying-a-maintenance-coat-of-twp/
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    Christine Walasek · 04/13/2015
    Must the deck be stripped or just cleaned before applying twp? I applied twp last year and wondered if I should put another coat on it but is it useless unless it's stripped?

    Should TWP be applied yearly?
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    TWP Stains · 04/07/2015
    Ede Nachbar:
    Hi. I put on one coat of TWP 1500 and finished around Noon yesterday. It was a cloudless day, so it was good conditions for drying. It rained 13 hours later, a fairly hard rain. This morning when I checked the deck, the water was more pooling on the boards rather than beading up into little beads, and it seemed like some of the pools had a small bit of oil in them (they had that oil in water sheen). Since it didn't rain for 12 hours, which is the time specified that it must not rain, is my stain going to be OK? Will I have oil circles on the deck around where the water pooled? If so, what can I do to fix any problems that might arise from this?

    Thanks!

    It is probably fine as most of the stain absorbed and you may just have a small amount of oily reside that was on the surface that did not fully cure out before the rain came. Leave it alone and let the wood full dry form the rain and the stain cure. Give it a few days and make sure it looks even and with out any water spots.