The TWP 2018 Spring/Summer Restoration Contest is closed!
Thanks to all the entered this year. There are some fabulous entries this year. After looking over all the entries we have decided on our winners for the year!
First Place
Nick Wolf (Page 3)
First Place = $500 + Weber Grill ($500 Value) + 5 Gallon Pail of TWP Stain
Second Place
Richard Lucci (Page 4)
Second Place = $250 + Yeti Roadie 20 Cooler ($250 Value) + 3 Gallons of TWP Stain
Third Place
Randy Johnson (Page 4)
Third Place = $100 + Eno Hammock ($100 Value) + 2 Gallons of TWP Stain
Sorry to all that did not win the prizes. We were extremely impressed with all the feedback and entries this year!
Do you think you will have completed the best TWP Wood Deck Restoration for Spring/Summer 2018?
Take some pride in your hard work and enter the TWP Stain Deck Restoration Contest for 2018!
TWP 2018 Contest Details
- All TWP and Prep products must be purchased first from this online retail site (TWPStain.com) between January 1st – July 4th, 2018.
- Deadline for entry is July 14th, 2018.
- The winner will be decided on July 21st by our team.
Contestant winners will receive
- First Place = $500 + Weber Grill ($500 Value) + 5 Gallon Pail of TWP Stain of your choice!
- Second Place = $250 + Yeti Roadie 20 Cooler ($250 Value) + 3 Gallons of TWP Stain of your choice!
- Third Place:= $100 + Eno Hammock ($100 Value) + 2 Gallons of TWP Stain of your choice!
*Total winnings will be $2000 in payouts and prizes.
How To Enter Contest
- Enter by July 14th, 2018.
- 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. Example 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 stores.
Does anyone have a picture of a deck with the cape code grey?
See this: https://www.twpstain.com/twp-105-cape-cod-gray
Wow! These are some awesome staining jobs. I was considering the TWP and now I am sold!
Will you have another contest soon? I have a large deck on a lake that I want to restore this Fall.
Hello StanS,
We have considered running a Late Summer/Fall Contest since this contest was so successful and we love seeing testimonials and the great TWP restorations.
Would anyone else be interested?
Would definitely be interested. Considering using TWP for my HUGE deck!!!
Wanted to share one last picture that wouldn’t upload with my puppy… and our deck staining challenge.
After years of using different products with no success we finally found a true winner which is hands down Twp stain 1500!! It is amazing. It was very easy to work with and the best of all the products came very fast. We needed a total of 6 gallons to complete our huge project. We met many, many challenges along the way which included rain…. our puppy who got into the blue painters tape…and the temperature outside which was close to 100 degrees a few days. Our deck is constantly in the sun and is very high up. The wood of the decking was cracking and looking very dirty even though we upkeep the deck and stain it every two years. The deck is now 11 years old. Base of deck is pressure treated, railing is cedar. The deck is pretty large in size, however feels like it’s the size of a football field when having to work on it. We do not have before pictures prior to prepping deck, however we have pictures that show the deck prepped prior to staining. We did use a product from Lowe’s to prep the deck since at the time I was still researching stains. We applied it, used a brush to spread it around, and hosed it off, we then used a power washer and lastly sanded by hand each board, spindle and railing. It felt like there was no end in sight. We let the deck dry for a few days and that’s when the fun began. Checking the forecast over and over and over. There always seemed to be a possible threat of rain which prolonged us from getting to work. We then finally started with the railing and spindles. Amazed how the stain absorbed into the wood so easily was beyond describable!!! Again I have worked with other products and not nearly impressed. As I said we met challenges along the way!!! Some being a change in forecast which lead us to panic and using tarps to cover the hard work we put in to protect it all. Finally we made it through and completed all the work on the deck!! When I look at the deck I can’t believe how new and beautiful it is. I am absolutely in love with it thanks to TWP and the Natural Color. We have always been afraid of color in the past because of bad experiences with other stains that had color and peeled. I knew once we started applying this stain that it would not be an issue!!! I have my puppy to prove it because there are no scratch marks on my deck flooring!!!! The stain literally is absorbed into the wood and doesn’t leave a layer to be scratched away! Thank you TWP stain. This is by far my go to and recommendation to anyone. I know the request is less pics but wanted to share some of our funny or not so funny challenges along the way!!!!
The TWP 2018 Spring/Summer Restoration Contest is closed!
Thanks to all the entered this year. There are some fabulous entries this year. After looking over all the entries we have decided on our winners for the year!
First Place – Nick Wolf (Page 3)
First Place = $500 + Weber Grill ($500 Value) + 5 Gallon Pail of TWP Stain
Second Place – Richard Lucci (Page 4)
Second Place = $250 + Yeti Roadie 20 Cooler ($250 Value) + 3 Gallons of TWP Stain
Third Place – Randy Johnson (Page 4)
Third Place = $100 + Eno Hammock ($100 Value) + 2 Gallons of TWP Stain
Sorry to all that did not win the prizes. We were extremely impressed with all the feedback and entries this year!
FYI, any entries after July 14th cannot be included in this contest, but we love seeing the pictures!
4th photo did not post
We used the Rustic TWP 100 stain. Our prep process was probably one of the more difficult routes to go but I was trying to salvage the wood and save a couple bucks. We ended up using a planer to plane off the old layers of paint and stain. This included picking the paint out of each screw head in order to remove the screws. After removing the screws we ran each board through the planer several times not only to remove the layers of paint and stain but to also remove some of the weathered top layer of the board. It wasn’t until after I was half way through that I saw before and after photos of using wood brightening products on TWP. Hindsight I might have given them a try. Needless to say I am happy with the results of TWP100 but time will tell if it will hold up to the weather. If it passes the weather test I will be using TWP at the next application and on some outdoor furniture I have in the future.
Thank you you for the quick shipping and great product.
After much research, we used TWP1500_1TWP 1500 Series in Black Walnut to stain our front porch. We are very happy with the results and will begin our back porch this weekend.
We have lived in our home for 14 years and had never had it professionally stained or painted. We hired a company called Corpen Meleci Maintenance and Consulting, LLC to do the work. We were very serious about the company we chose and the type of stain that we would use because we have over 2500 square feet of deck and it was a huge expenditure and huge project. The deck was prepped with the TWP Restore a deck Stripper/Brightener Kit which was used to power wash the deck. I am uncertain as to the type of wood which was used on this deck because it was already built when we purchased. The deck had to be power washed in several times in places and then we used the TWP Redwood #102 to transform our drab deck into a vibrant beautiful neighborhood treasure. We get so many compliments on it….we immediately hosted our Family Reunion at our home and your product became to the talk of those seeking to stain their decks in the near future. These pictures do not do it justice because you only allow smaller Mb to be uploaded. We have much better pictures that really capture the beauty of the wood. It looks natural and spectacular.
the first photo shows the unstained deck in the bottom right hand corner.
I researched which stain to use and followed this blog for many months before deciding on TWP for my Seattle projects. The staff were great in answering all my questions.
This 160 ft three sided fence was built last fall with Alaskan Yellow Cedar decking. The deck was built with same material two summers ago. Each received their first coat of stain in the past two weeks. The cedar shed was built in May and received its first coat of TWP recently. I prepped fence and deck with two step Gemini products cleaner and brightner, pressured washed and sanded them then stained with TWP 100 Dark Oak. The back yard will undergo landscaping in the fall, so it’s still a mess.
Had a new cedar deck built in June 2017. Had it sit for a year before staining. Used the Gemini cleaner/brightener kit and 101 cedartone stain in July 2018. Overall happy with the products. Took a lot of hours hand brushing it on. Totally Worth It.
This photo did not upload
When I first stained deck I used Benjamin Moore Arbor Coat. It peeled after 4 months. I sanded deck and let it gray for a year. After much research I decided on TWP 1500 Rustic. All I did was power wash lightly and stain. Couldn’t be happier with results. The deck is beautiful. I recommend this product to anyone I know doing a staining project.
Pressure Treated Pine Pergola 17’x14′ built new the beginning of March 2018. Stained with TWP 1500 Series Black Walnut for a rich finish. Easy application but being a pergola extended 9ft in the air a tedious job. Needless to say satisfied with the Stain and will recommend to others who have commented throughout the neighborhood.
My pics didn’t post in correct order.
Last year, from a beneficiary, we bought a 1994 Northeast Ohio house that was tied up in an estate for 5 years due to neglect, pipes froze/burst & house flooded. The deck was original and not maintained for many years. We replaced several boards (can see in pics). For the remaining boards, we purchased the RAD Stripper. It took me 4 applications (used a sprayer) of RAD Stripper to remove old stain. Used pressure washer. Never imagined the old stain would come off! Very pleased! Then applied Gemini RAD Cleaner (sprayer). Then applied Gemini RAD Brightener (sprayer). After 48 hrs of drying, applied wet-on-wet TWP Stain 1500 series Pecan 1520. Used 3 gallons of Pecan 1520 with the brush ordered from TWPstain.com.
Very happy with process not being difficult to prep & complete, along with end results of a beautiful deck! So happy my new neighbor mentioned his success with TWPstain.com because we thought our only option was to use Sherwin-Williams or Behr solid paint stain (we get our contractors discount on those products & still didn’t want to use!). Next year, we would like to strip the paint off of the railings & TWPstain them to match our beautiful floor.
Pics –
(1) old & new boards
(2) first coat of RAD Stripper
(3) after 4th coat of stripper/pressure wash/cleaner/brightener & starting 1st coat of TWP Stain Pecan 1520
(4) Final drying stage of TWP Stain 1500 Pecan 1520
Several years ago I did some research to find a deck preservative stain that would last more than 2 years in our harsh Wisconsin winter. I came across TWP as the only one that would last 4-5 years, maybe. Well, we used it 5 years ago and decided to do it again this year. While it needed it, it was in pretty condition with some of the old TWP stain still present. The deck is 25 years old. Of course, I forgot to take before pictures. We power washed it with a basic cleaner after a thorough brushing. We then applied two coats of stain and it turned out beyond our expectations. Keep in mind that it is 25 years old so not a new construction. It is a huge deck wrapping around the house but the 5 Gal pail was enough to finish the job. We are very happy with the product and our newly protected deck. See pictures.
The before photos
Another before
Some of the photos did not post. Here they are.
We used the Cedar tone TWP 100 to treat our deck after we power washed it. It looks brand new! Can not wait to spend the rest of the summer on it!
before and after pictures below:
We SAVED our deck!!
Our 11 year old deck was dull, peeling and ugly. Located in northern Minnesota, a cold and snowy climate, the deck is predominately in filtered sunlight or shade all day. We used the Restore-A-Deck Stain Stripper/Brightener Kit with a power washer, applying a light, 2nd coat of the Stripper to a few places which were really bad. The Brightener worked just as reported, changing the wood color right before our eyes to a beautiful, consistent, and natural looking color. Applied two coats of TWP1500 Cedartone semi-transparent Stain, putting the 2nd coat on while the 1st coat was still wet.
We are extremely pleased with the results and look forward to dinner on the deck again.
The original square deck constructed from cedar wood late last summer in Iowa. The square platform and stairs were added this March. The first image shows a brushed deck with gray older wood and fresh cedar stairs. The second image is after gemini restore a deck kit applied with spray pump and power-washed. The final images are after using 1 coat of TWP100 Cedartone 101 applied with a sponge and a brush. It went on easy and wiped off the rail spindles easy enough that I wish I hadn’t spent the time to tape. It was warm while staining but immediately evident that the stain absorbed well and waterproofed immediately as I watched sweat bead up on the boards. It looks great!
Great products and easy to use, Thank You. We have a 30+ year old deck that has had between no care and none, so I was sure other then a miracle it was a dead player, and even thought about putting a cross on the end of to signify it’s end. We purchased the TWP 100 series in Redwood 102 and the Gemini Cleaner/Brightener and thought we would give it a go. I reviewed your online instructions and was easier then I had hoped and for total prep all products worked great and I headed into this with no hope, but after the cleaner process there was a ray of hope and with the brightener there was even more optimistic view. Well after replacement of a few boards that could not carry the weight of our little dog we are on the way to perfection and after completed staining of the deck which was done by brush to ensure I did not miss a spot and a couple days of dry time our 20′ by 8′ deck looks like a place you would want to be, it’s bright and color is perfect and there was a transformation we could only have dreamed of, Thank You again for your products!
First of all….Wow! great products. The stain went on very smoothly. Soaked well into the Cedar and Pine. Built this Pavilion from scratch using Western red cedar for the framework and 2×6 tongue/groove decking Pine for the roof. I allowed the cedar to acclimate to the weather for 6 months and it became dull and began to weather gray. I purchased the Gemini Restore-a deck kit and wow, what a difference the product made. The wood looked better than new after application. The wood became uniform throughout and made the stain soak in well. Thanks to the great customer service, I avoided a big mistake. I didn’t know in the beginning that the pine had Mill glaze; even though it looked nice and was pretty beforehand. Again, I used the Gemini restore-a-deck cleaner/brighter to remove the Mill glaze from the Pine prior to staining. My color choice of stain was the TWP 1500 series Rustic 1516. The color is beautiful and was a perfect color for my taste. I just need a little landscaping to finish the total look. My next project is to use Gemini restore-a-deck cleaner/brighter on my “worn out fence” and use nothing other than TWP stain. There is no other stain out there that can come close to TWP.
After using Thompson’s on my wood decks for 15 years only to have them fade within 1 year(or less) I have been using TWP for the previous 2 stain projects. The first was 5 years ago, which testifies to how well TPW stain holds up to the elements. After power washing my upper and lower decks I used sponge pads to apply TPW 1500 series, Natural 1530. Looks great again!
We had our “Good Neighbor” or Shadowbox privacy fence built in January 2018 and waited until June to allow it to dry. After reading reviews and “shopping around” we settled on TWP to protect our investment. We tested three TWP colors and chose the 1500 Series Pecan because we loved the warmth and back drop it gave the new landscape design. Pecan also allows the natural wood grain and knots to show through. A Shadowbox fence requires stain on each side of every board on both sides of the fence. I used most of 20 gallons using a sprayer and back brushing per the good advice offered by TWP. We are happy with how it turned out, and by the way, so are our neighbors! Thanks!
Great site that really guided me through the process. TWP1500 pecan. The floor boards are 2 year old treated pine never stained or sealed. The arbor is 30 year old cedar never stained or sealed. Railings are 20 year old treated pine, never stained or sealed. Used a Graco Project painter plus with a 313 spray tip.
Back brushed 2 coats after spraying. Probably 20 hours in staining time. Very pleased with the product and color.
After several years of using Cabot, only to be frustrated every spring with peeling and chipping, I decided to do some research and found TWP to be highly recommended.
I did not take before photos since I was too frustrated to even bother, but after seeing the difference TWP made, and the quality of the product, I wish to return the favor and provide some free advertisement!
I used TWP 1500 Natural and went through 4 gallons, after completely stripping and sanding off the Cabot stain from previous years applications.
After seeing these results, I have recommended TWP to all of my family, friends and neighbors!
Sincerely,
Dan Ortmann
To clean and prep our deck we used the restore a deck cleaner and brighter along with a power washer. We used 2 1/2 gallons the 1500 stain in dark oak. The last time the deck had been stain prior to this was probably 5 years ago. We are very happy with the results!
We used 10 gallons of TWP 150 SERIES 5 RUSTIC Color1516
We live in the Midwest and have a skirted cedar ceck surrounding our 17’×37′ pool. Our deck is 8 yrs old. First, I power washed the deck completely down to bare CEDAR. Let deck dry 4 days and sanded entire deck using 60&80 grit orbital sander. Blew off all dust then wiped with clean lint free towels. Applied stain with stain pad and 2 brushes. A 4″&2″. We are ABSOLUTELY THRILLED with how I turned out. Stain was easy to work with and finish is consistent.
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Our project was a new construction pressure treated southern pine deck and porch. We let the boards age for 6 months and applied the RAD cleaner, then brightener. We obtained 6 color samples and experimented with different color combinations and settled on a combination of 1/2 Redwood-106 and 1/2 Rustic Oak-116. We applied the stain with a a small brush between the boards. For the deck boards, we applied the stain with a 9″ pad, then shifted to a 5″ stain brush attached to a pole. It was a lot of work but we are quite happy with the results.
Here’s my deck project, start to finish. This deck is 37 years old. It had a very worn red, semi-transparent finish. We used TWP stripper and the old finish stripped off pretty good (except in the cracks). We then used the brightener, and series 100, rustic finish. I was a little panicked at first, because the color looked electric orange. After it dried overnight, I was much happier with the color.
The rest of the pictures. I have better pictures, but they are over 8 MB
The rest of the pictures.
2 Story-Deck
TWP 1500 Series
Dark Oak
I bought a house last year with a deck that was let “gray”. It was in rough shape and had never been stained before. I wish I would have bought TWP’s Deck Restore Kit because It took 11 bottles of some junk at Home Depot and scrubbing for 3 long days before the deck was decent enough to stain. Judging by their stain, TWP’s Restore A Deck Kit could have saved me time and money.
I used Dark Oak from the TWP 1500 Series, coming highly recommended from my online research. It was recommended over Benjamin Moore’s Arborcoat and over Sherwin Williams Superdeck and the recommendations were right!
I highly recommend TWPstain.com and the TWP 1500 series deck stain!
Backyard Shed
TWP 1500 Series
Cedartone
I sided this shed with rough sawn hemlock. I let the hemlock dry/age for 24 months. I prepped using the bleach and water mixture per the instructions on the TWP 1500 can. Looks great thanks toTWP
My deck is only 6 years old and I had applied a home improvement store stain 3 years ago that started peeling within a couple months and the pictures below, from this spring, look as if the deck had been neglected for much longer. To remove the previous finish, I used Restore-A-Deck stripper and a pressure washer. I sanded the surface after the wood dried, but we had quite a bit of rainy weather and weeks went by, so I also used the Restore-A-Deck cleaner, then brightener, before applying TWP 100 Series Honeytone 115. Now my deck looks like new again and the finish is fantastic.
Our 28’x16′ deck was reconstructed in 2017 and allowed to weather for 10 months. In June, I cleaned and brightened with RAD, using a pole brush to clean, and a water hose with a pressure nozzle to rinse (we have very good water pressure in our area). I then allowed the deck to dry several days. After sampling several of the TWP stains, we decided to stain the main deck with TWP 1500-Pecan, and the border and railings with TWP 1500-Dark Oak. Although some of the railing areas had to be finished with a brush, I was extremely pleased to take TWP’s advice and stain the main deck with the Padco deck and stain pad. It was exactly the right width, threaded on an existing pole I had, and lasted through the project. We’re very pleased with the outcome, and are looking forward to enjoying our new deck with family and friends.
We moved into our home in 2015. The 16’x12′ deck was rickety to say the least. There were no supports in the center and the wood would cause many splinters. I rebuilt the support to the deck and kept the decking. I cleaned the deck with a power washer, using Krud Kutter. I then sanded the entire thing using both 80 grit and 220 grit depending on which surface I was sanding. I used TWP 103 Dark Oak Stain on the deck, even adding a slide/gate for this kids. It was easy to apply and repels water very well.
Second finished pic didn’t upload for me either
Just re-stained our 3-year old deck. Had initially used some Thompson’s that had peeled and molded terribly after just a few months. Stripped what little remained of the Thompson’s with the RAD stripper and finished with the RAD brightener. Then finished it off with the TWP-1500 in Natural. Wow what a difference! Deck looks great and you can see how the TWP is protecting the wood as the water beads up on the surface now. Thanks, TWP.
My second finished pic didn’t upload
My 750ft2 deck was installed last year using brown PT but after our winter from hell it was bleached and needed new life. After prepping time of just over 7hrs earlier this week by myself, (my wife cheered me on) i spent another 4hrs staining it tonight, my wife decided she was all cheered out and went to her sisters while I worked in 30F heat in the shade, using approx. 7 gallons TWP 1500 cedartone 201. What a difference. Such an easy product to use. Enjoy the pics. Thanks for a great product!
This was the culmination of a multi year deck repair project. The original cedar decking was probably 30 or 40 years old and rotting out, so I replaced all the decking with new pressure treated pine and let it dry over the winter. In May this year I purchased two 5 gallon combo kits of 101 Cedartone stain and cleaner/brightener powder. The cleaner and brightener did wonders to prepare the wood, using a brush and pressure washer, and the TWP stain covered very well with a stain pad applicator and the recommended two coat wet-on-wet technique. The deck is in two sections, on the north and east sides of the house, with a gazebo joining the two sections. Total area to stain was about 1,500 square feet, including a porch on the front side of the house. I had about 2.5 gallons left from the initial 10 gallons and will use that to stain a wooden play gym and utility shed.
Second part of my post. The photo loaded with this comment is a finished TWP stained bench. The first post seen on previous post is finished railing. The last two photos of previous post are old finish
had problem uploading this pic. actually I posted same IMG-4368.jpg twice. not really good at this… sorry
Our project posted is a 14 year old deck with many coats of a clear presevative which included a wax. We were perplexed as we began our project. Finally we came to understand sanding would be the only way to remove and prepare a surface for a staining. Twelve hours later our deck railing and bench was ready. It took six weeks of investigating To sort out the products on the market. When TWP was listed most positively on a review of products, I began to understand whyTWP was best. With more research and product reviews I too came to the conclusion TEP was the product for this deck project. The fact that I will. It have repeat the sanding to refresh the look was the greatest selling point. The deck is cedar and we picked the Pecan 1500 stain. A beautiful transformation, we recently had a new wooden French erected in our back yard……TWP will be applied. The first two photos show the condition of the cedar deck parts, dirty, dark, and very dead looking. The last two photos are after two coats of TEP applied wet on wet, 30 minutes between coats. Easy application, coverage great, no mess, I could sell TWP.
I started my deck restoration with the restore and brightener kit using a pressure washer to clean and rinse. Your products worked GREAT cleaning and bringing the deck back to original color . I used Cedartone for the color and I am one”‘HAPPY CAMPER”. I have a comb top treated wood that tends to hold water, but water met it’s match when it comes into contact with TWP products. Thanks and I will be using TWP on all my future projects.