My neighbor's comment about his deck stain made me check my own work

I was talking to my neighbor Dave yesterday while he was re-staining his cedar deck. He said, 'You know, I used to slap on two coats every two years and call it good. But this time I waited a full 72 hours between coats like the can says, and the difference is crazy.' It made me realize I've been rushing my own deck projects for years, letting them dry maybe a day at most. I went back and looked at my back deck, and sure enough, the stain is already wearing thin in high-traffic spots after just one season. Has anyone else actually followed the full dry time on a big outdoor project and seen a real change in how long it lasts?

2 comments

2 Comments

cora8633d ago

Wait, you only gave it a day to dry?

jordan_webb3d ago

You think a day is bad? I once tried to speed up the process with a hair dryer. Let's just say I had to replace a whole section of boards because the stain turned into a sticky, bubbly mess. I learned the hard way that the waiting time on the can isn't a suggestion, it's the bare minimum.