Before applying a stain or sealer, wait for 48 hours of good weather before and after. Start out by covering the surrounding landscaping with old cloth sheets. Plastic will create a green house effect and burn the plant life. Tape off any windows with newspaper so you won't get any over-spray on the glass. If you're worried about the siding, then tape off the bottom 2-3 feet of the siding along the deck.

Tip: To keep your deck from turning gray, you will have to purchase a sealer or stain with an ultra violet (UV) protecting chemical.

If you are using a clear sealer, you will most certainly expect to repeat this process every year. You can easily apply the sealer with a garden pump sprayer (1-2 Gallon). Fill the sprayer over a garbage bag so you don't spill any on the ground.

Note: Always back roll the floor with a roller to stop puddles of the sealer from forming. If you let the puddles of sealer dry, they will tend to have a milky color or even crystallize.

Tip: The trick to using a sprayer and not wasting your sealer is to do the inside of the railing first from the deck. Spray to the side on a 45 degree angle LIGHTLY UP AND DOWN. Then, do the outside of the rail that you didn't cover. All the over-spray from spraying the rail will almost cover 2-3 feet of the floor behind the rail.

When staining a deck, we would recommend not using a sprayer. If your over-spray gets on the house and dries, it will be hard to remove without damaging the exterior. When staining, use a roller for the floor and a brush for the railings and benches. Stains are either "tinted" (tints enhance the wood color) or "semitransparent" (this type of stain is used to mask over the wood grain and give a bolder look). Most deck stains are sealers mixed with a stain and can be applied in one step. If your stain does not include a sealer, you will have to seal the deck also. The longest lasting stains are the most opaque or "semitransparent"; they tend to last for two or three years.

Note: The same rules for Sealing apply to Staining. Always back roll the floor with a roller to stop puddles of the sealer from forming. If you let the puddles of sealer dry, they will tend to have a milky color or even crystallize.

Tip: A rag, sponge or lambs wool works well for applying stain to the railings.

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