2019 Update on New Wood Application for Defy Stains
For new wood and Defy Deck Stains, the wood does need to season for a time and should be prepped. We love hearing from our customers who have used the Defy Stains or have questions on the application. We appreciate your input, so feel free to leave a comment below and pictures of your completed projects if you have them.
Prepping New Wood for Defy Exterior Wood Stains
Defy has stain products that are excellent for newer, more dense wood. With special penetrating properties, newer wood is shielded against water damage and graying. Defy Stains are not prone to peeling and flaking and will ensure beautiful and lasting results for your new exterior wood surfaces.
It is recommended that wood should be allowed to dry out for 3-6 months before cleaning and staining. New woods that are rich in oil such as mahogany should also dry out for 3-6 months before protecting with Defy Stain for new wood.
After proper dry times, new wood should be cleaned using Defy Wood Cleaner prior to staining with Defy Stains. Defy Wood Cleaner is an oxygen bleach wood deck cleaning solution that is extremely effective at removing dirt, grime, mold, mildew, graying, and mill glaze found on new wood. Defy Wood Cleaning Solution is a biodegradable concentrated powder formula that mixes with water to safely prep new wood prior to stain application.
Once cleaning new wood is complete, the wood will appear darker. This darker appearance is normal and will disappear once an application of Defy Wood Brightener is used. While the wood surface remains wet from cleaning, apply a generous coat of Defy Wood and Deck Brightener to lighten the wood to its original, like new appearance and to open the wood pores for better stain saturation and performance.
After prepping new wood for Defy Stains, allow the wood to dry for 48 hours minimum before continuing with stain application.
Note: Only 1 coat should be applied to new wood and the first time staining. You can apply another light coat if needed in 12-18 months.
I am in the Chicago area with a new pressure treated pine deck. The deck is 1 month old. Sounds like the ideal is to wait 3-6 months before staining. Given our climate that leaves me with the choice of stain early as in now or late as in May which would make it 8 months. Do I stain now or wait until spring?
Wait until Spring.
After I apply the wood brightener you recommend waiting 48 hours before applying the sealer/stain. What is the longest period I should wait before applying the sealer/stain?
Try to stain within 10-15 days of prep.
I have a new deck on the lake house in northern Iowa that is directly underneath several large oak trees. Acorns are already dropping (Aug 28). One tier was built in June 2018. The other tier was competed November 2019 before the snow. Neither tier has been treated, yet. I wanted to get it done before this winter, but now with the trees and temps dropping – would it be best (ok?) to wait until spring even though the deck is still bare? Also, I have existing steps that have dark solid stain or paint in them. What is the… Read more »
You would have to sand the steps to remove the solid stain. You can wait until Spring or do it now. Either is fine. Thanks!
thanks for the quick reply! would I need to sand the steps if just going over with a solid or paint? Or can I get away with power wash and strip prep?
If using a solid stain again you can cover the current solid stain. Pressure wash and strip what is loose for prep.
I have a new redwood deck. It has aged for 3 months. Do I have to scrub the deck cleaner into the deck. Or let it sit for 5 to 15 minutes and then use a pressure sealer to rinse it off? Then rinse.
Apply, let sit for 15 minutes and then pressure wash. Rinse after.
Thank you!
I have a pressure treated deck it’s 4 years old never been stained what product do you recommend I live in Ontario Canada
Prep with the Defy Wood Cleaner and then the Defy Brightener. Stain with Defy Extreme Stain: https://www.defystain.com/wood-and-deck-stains.html
Just completed a cedar deck in western Washington. The info on this web site indicates that we should wait 3 to 6 months before sealing this new deck with Defy stain. Is that correct? After waiting the 3 to 6 month period, then we need to follow the proper process to clean and brighten the new deck before staining the deck. Again, is my thinking correct? Thanks for your help.
Yes and all is explained in the above article. Thanks!
I just built a pressure treated pine deck. It is in full sun. Which Defy stain is best for UV protection?
Use the Defy Extreme.
How should the deck cleaner be applied? Is it ok to us in a pressure washer?
Apply with a pump sprayer and then pressure wash off. It cannot be applied through a pressure washer.
Today i used defy cleaner , scrubbedm and then used brightener on My pressure treated deck. There are still some stubborn green stains that wont come out despite 2-3 passes with the cleaner and scrub brush, is this normal? Can i still stain it with those green stains?
It is most like in the wood and will not come out. You can still stain the wood.
Hello. We are building a new cabin. The wood is northern spruce, being shipped from the Baltic region, and is not pressure treated. Therefore, we are concerned about leaving the wood untreated for any amount of time.
Time from manufacture to receiving shipment is about 3-4 months. WOULD THIS BE ENOUGH WAIT TIME?
WOULD I STILL NEED TO CLEAN AND PREP THE WOOD?
No. It has to sit outside and weather after install. Yes you will need to clean and prep it.
I applied applied Defy on a new deck after allowing a year for seasoning. I followed all manufacturer directions. After just one year, the stain was lifting from the wood, and fading the horizontal surfaces were fading badly. Note that the wood displayed “silvery” patterns. I contacted Defy customer service to explain all this, and they sent me a gratis 5 gallon can of Defy stain, suggesting that I use Defy Brightener, and then wash the deck surfaces with water. I did this. This year, the vertical surfaces all look fine, but all horizontal surfaces are again fading badly, and… Read more »
The prep sounds correct but do not over sand. Too smooth and the stain will not absorb as well as it needs to.
I have upper and lower wrap around porches to prep and stain on new wood that has weathered for two years. I had planned to stain last year but weather would not permit. Now I’m afraid I will be in same place almost impossible to get four days in a row of no rain in Missouri. Can I bleach and brighten and then wait with rain in between before I begin staining? If so how long do I allow to dry after rain before I can stain? If not do you have any suggestions. Thanks
Yes, it can be prepped and have it rain between staining. If it does, just wait 48 hours after the rain to stain the wood. Try to stain the deck within 2 weeks of the prep.
Last fall I applied one coat of natural pine to new wood (built earlier in the spring) I have quite a lot of leaf stains and other marks that have build up on the deck boards over the last year. Was planning to clean, brighten and apply more stain now, is that wise? If so, do I apply just one coat or the usual two coats, wet on wet approach? Also, if cleaning and brightening in phases, should I clean and brighten together or, can I clean the whole area over a couple days and then come back and brighten?
Just wait until Spring. Clean and brighten for the prep and apply one coat.
Okay. What could I use now to clean up the leaf stains other marks on the deck boards?
The Defy Wood Cleaner and pressure washing in the Spring will clean this up.
On the defy.com website it says for new wood to apply 2 coats of Defy Wood Stain but your site says to apply just one coat. So I am unsure of what to do. Please advise! Thanks!
Only one for new wood.
When you state to only apply one coat to new wood, yet the website states 2 coats and wet on wet application, its confusing. I installed pressure treated yellow pine decking, it has been sitting for 9-mths so far. So is this considered “new wood” and how many coats apply in this situation?
Not two coats for new wood. 1 coat only. Your wood is new.
I have a new western red cedar deck, a month old now. Worried about it greying and weathering over winter if left untreated. Would you suggest still waiting until spring to stain? or do it just before bad weather kicks in?
Yes. Staining too soon and the product will not soak in and could prematurely fail.
I have a new pressured treated pine deck that is two months old located in Northeastern Illinois. How long should I wait before staining? Is it better to do before winter or wait until next year?
3-6 months as the article states. Best to do in spring of next year.
I have 4 cabins that are 264 sq ft. How much product should I purchase?
We would need the sq footage of the 4 exterior walls for each cabin added together, not the sq footage of the interior floors.
Why do I need to wait 48 hours between cleaning and staining?
So the wood can dry after the prep.
I have a 16×16 ft pine wolmanized deck put up in August 2017 . I treated it with Thompsons water proofing in June 2018 and would like to retreat in October 2018 with the Defy clear pine stain. Would I need to remove the Thompsons water seal prior to applying the Defy clear stain? And if yes, with what solution do I remove it with?
Yes, you will need to remove the Thompsons. Use the Defy Stain Stripper and pressure washing. Neutralize with the Defy Wood Brightener after.
If I want to do a light sanding on new unstai ned wood (6 months old), do I do it before cleaning?
Yes.
I currently have one coat of Natural Pine on a 2 year old Cedar deck. I would like to change the color to Light Walnut. Do I need to strip off the Natural Pine first?
Yes that would be best.
I’m getting ready to build a cedar pergola and the lumber company is telling me the cedar will have been kiln dried. From what I read, US standards are around 6-8% MC for kiln dried lumber. I’m in Reno, NV which has pretty low humidity. Will I still need to wait a few months before applying your stain or can I stain before building?
Thanks.
Hi Marcus, see this article about new kiln dried wood and Defy: https://www.defystain.com/kdat-and-defy-wait-period-for-new-wood.html
Hello. I cleaned my new 9 month old redwood deck with the defy cleaner. I did not use the Brightener, but now the deck has dried for 48 hours and I was planning to stain it. Should I go back and brighten now or is it too late?
Thank you!
Defy does suggest using the wood brightener after using the cleaner to neutralize and open the grain of the wood better.
Used Behr deck cleaner on my one year old cedar deck. Should I use your brighter before your stain?
Yes.
I’ve used the defy cleaner and brightener, but the brightener seemed to leave a residue, so I power washed again. It’s Weathershield 2 wood FYI.
I plan on staining with the extreme in two days, but the forecast calls for rain on the 3rd day. I’ll have to do the stain in the evening. Will there be issues if the stain is exposed to rain in 24 hours?
No issues.
Is 36 hours adequate drying time with relatively low humidity?
Yes.
Hi. We are installing a new pressure treated deck and are unsure about staining. Waiting the minimum 3 months would put us into December. Everyone says it’s important to seal before winter, but with your minimum wait recommendation we wouldn’t be able to stain until next spring. What should we do? We are located in Maryland.
Wait until Spring.
I have a new deck that was built in march and I’m now ready to tackle the staining job. I understand that I should use just one coat for new wood. My question is how thick should this be applied? Similar to the same technique used in painting? Do you apply the full length of each board or can you cover 2-3 boards at a time, continuing to cover there entire length? This being a one person job, I would also like to break up the work into section, meaning doing the cleaning, brightening and staining in stages. Doing a… Read more »
You want a thin coat. Defy is a penetrating stain so it needs to soak into the wood, not lay on top of the wood like a paint. Do 1-2 boards at a time and their entire length. You should clean and brighten all wood first and then break the staining up into sections if needed.
I had a new redwood fence installed 4 weeks ago. The vertical boards are rough cut, the horizontal 2×6 and 1×4 used for the fence cap are not. Planning to stain in a couple week.
Will these preparation steps be necessary for this application?
You should prep the smooth wood first before staining.
Hi, my pressure treated deck is about 4 years old but has never been stained. In the “Wet on Wet” article it says not to apply a second coat to “brand new wood” and you could do it in 12 to 18 months. Is my 4 year old deck still considered brand new wood because it has never been stained before? I am trying to determine whether I should be applying a second coat or not? Thanks
Hello, just wanted to confirm application techniques. I have just completed a Pressure Treated(PT) pine deck(02/01/2016) installation. It is a dock in a salt water location. I was planning to check the deck for absorption and apply Defy extreme stain (Natural Pine) in May. The dock is in the sun most of the day, early morning application may work, but the deck will be wet (dew). Will this be an issue, or is it OK to apply in the sun after the dew has evaporated? Since the PT deck is new, should I still apply the Defy Cleaner and Brightener… Read more »
Yes it will be okay to apply after the dew has dried, late in the day. Best to use both the cleaner and the brightener for the prep. This will remove dirt, oxidation, and mill glaze.
I have had already applied the cleaner-brightener to the entire deck and then later applied the stain to 50% of the deck. But due to weather (rain) conditions applying the stain to the remaining half was delayed by a month. How do you suggest me to proceed for the rest half – just applying the stain only or cleaner/brightener-stain or go through the entire process of cleaner-brightener-stain ? Please advice. I’m planning to do it this week as the weather would be good (cold though). Or wait – until when?
DefyHelp..please reply
Clean and brighten all again is the best way to prep.
Just used the cleaner and some of the boards have a white film? So the boards thart have darker parts should, i just re clean to try to even out the color? I’ll be using the brighter before I stain, but not sure brightener will even out color??
More then likely you did not remove all of the oxidized wood cells when you scrubbed or pressure washed. Try re-cleaningand maybe using a little bit more pressure. Brighten all wood to even color after.
I just cleaned my deck and it’s been 2 days I haven’t applied the defy brightner. I’m planning to apply it on the 3rd day of applying the cleaner.
Do, I Need To reapply the cleaner before applying brightner? Will direct application of brightner detoriate the look of the deck?
No need to apply the cleaner again. Just apply brightener, wait 20 minutes, and rinse.
can I use defy wood cleaner safely on a bronze marker? It’s such a good cleaning agent I was just wondering if would be safe.
It may have a reaction. Hard to say and we have never tested it on that type of surface.
What is the recommended prep for kdat lumber as we’ve been told to keep it dry prior to staining?
New Kdat you should let season outside for 3-4 weeks then prep with the Gemini Restore Kit. Let the wood dry for 2 days after before staining.
We have just installed a new pt pine deck (1000 sf) in the Vancouver area of British Columbia. Since it will rain for the next 9 months my deck may get 3 months of sun next summer. How long should I wait to let my wood dry out properly. Should i just use the extreme next spring? 4 dry months is not likely. Any advise for this climate would be helpful.
Thanks, Mike
Best to wait until Spring, prep properly and apply the Extreme.
I bought my house about a year ago and I have no idea what stain may have been used on the wood fence in the past. The whole thing has turned gray from weather, I guess. Many of the boards were split, so we replaced quite a few with treated “dog ear” boards. Now we would like to stain the entire fence. Do I need to wait several months for the wood to age or dry before using Defy Extreme on the new boards? We live in Lincoln, Nebraska, so winter is coming soon. Thank you!
Since it is vertical fence wood that is rough sawn, you do not need to wait. Prep with the Defy Wood Cleaner and Brightener to restore wood color.
The weather in NY finally looks like it will cooperate long enough this week to allow me to clean, brighten and stain my deck. But now that the temperature is dropping at night, Is it too late in the season to get it done? Also, if it rains within the 48 hour drying time between cleaning and staining, how much longer should I wait to stain? I want to do this once, and I want to do it right…
You can do decks all the way through October in NY. Wait 48 hours after prep and if rains in between, let it dry for at least 24 after the rain. TWP will be able to take rain 12 after application in most scenarios.
i just had a new cedar deck installed in July the foothills in Seattle – rainy, rainy, then hot and dry July-October. 3 months puts me at the end of October – nights get cold already. should i wait until next spring, early summer or do it in October?
Do in October. Prep first with the Defy Wood Cleaner and Defy Wood Brightener.
Just one coat the first time staining.
In Seattle, where the weather is often damp, I have a new, unpressure-treated cedar deck floor with boards closely abutting each other. It’s materials & construction are not Seattle weather-friendly, so I have decided to cover & screen it, with glass or plexiglass surrounding the lower part. However, financial constraints mean that covering and surrounding will be done in stages. Conditioning the wood floor is the first order of business. I kept the deck mostly moisture free from it’s construction last November with an overhead tarp. Occasionally, the wind lifted the tarp, exposing a couple of parts to rain, but… Read more »
Actually you are supposed to let the wood weather in full elements for 3 months, prep, and stain. Please read this article: https://www.defystainhelp.com/prep-new-wood-for-defy-stains/
Hi, we have a pt wood retaining wall around our patio. It is a bout 5 yrs old and never been sealed/stained, but in a fairly shaded/protected environ. We just cleaned it up with a water/white vinegar solution, which worked quite well. My question is, do I need still need to use a deck brightener before applying a sealant/stain (still deciding between extreme clear and semi-transparent color)? My question is more about the pH level of the wood after using our 2:1 water/vinegar solution and its readiness for a stain, more so than improving the wood’s appearance.
Yes you should use the Defy Wood Brightener to neutralize. The Extreme in on of the colors will last 2-3 times longer than the clear.
Oh, okay. I thought that vinegar lowered the pH, as does a Brightener. Since I didn’t use an actual cleaner (raising the pH) I was hoping to be able to skip the Brightener/lower-the-pH part of the process. The wood is quite clean and light after the vinegar scrubbing. Am I misunderstanding the function of the Brightener (to lower the pH from the level raised by the cleaner)? I’m a newbie to the wood deck/fence world and trying lean as I go. Thanks for your patience.
Sorry, vinegar is acidic and would lower the pH. Acidic products or brightener are not cleaner though. If clean it is probably good to proceed as is.
Hi, We have 7 newly installed peeled log poles supporting front and back deck roofs in Prescott, AZ (high desert). (a pine I believe, with tons of smaller cracks already visible). I see the recommendation for new wood to wait 3-6 months before staining. But the construction crew already sanded the poles to a degree prior to installation, with both them and the painter recommending immediate stain application. Painter says they would sand more prior to application. (We’re having painter do initial stain, and we hope to pick up the maintenance ourselves.) If applied now, it would be in 70-90… Read more »
Use the Defy wood deck cleaner after the sanding to remove sand dust and open the wood grain. Stain with the Defy Extreme for this in AZ. Thanks!
Thanks! South facing logs take serious sun beat. Painter says two coats, but should we stick with one coat since wood is new? Also, we are buying a new cedar play/swing set that comes stained, but is recommended to add a water sealant to extend wood warranty. Could I just apply the defy extreme over the existing stain? Appreciate your help.
No you cannot apply Defy on top of the stain on the playset. Only one coat for newer wood.
OK thanks. Poles were installed 2 weeks ago. Just noticed numerous small beads of sap coming out of the wood. Ordering Defy Extreme tomorrow, so still have to wait maybe a week for shipping. Any idea what I should do about the sap?
Nothing you can do about stopping the sap.
I’m not sure whether the treated pine wood on my new deck would be considered rough or smooth and gather that determines when I should stain it. Can you please advise?
Katherine, decking is always smooth.
Thanks.
Unrelated question – if we want to paint a decorative, colorful pattern on the deck – not on the whole deck, just on part for a little, fun decoration – what would be your recommendations about how to do that visavis the stain?
Katherine, not sure on this. Probably paint first then stain around it. If a little stain gets on the paint it will wipe right off.
Hi – it’s me again. I applied the cleaner/brightener to the new cedar using a mop. I got some inconsistent results where after the brightener there are some noticeable areas where it’s brighter than other areas. I’ll see how it looks after it is dry but wanted to see if this is OK or if this will show up after I stain and should re do the cleaner, brightener or both.
dmk, if is looks consistent when wet than it should look consistent when stained. You can always reapply the brightener.
So I cleaned/brightened yesterday and today it’s raining. How long after the rain has stopped can I start to stain?
48 hours is normal.
Ok just watched the video and says 12-24 hrs… So which one is it?
48 is better.
Ok so I’m a little in a bind, won’t be able to do it until a few weeks in that case. I can wait until Sunday afternoon which would be approx 36 hrs or should I just wait 2 weeks?
36 is probably fine.
OK I ended up waiting a couple of weeks because of the rain. I stained the past weekend and seeing inconsistency in the darkness, is this normal? It appears that the stain took better in some areas vs others. Can I do anything to improve the look?
Post a picture please.
I did – it’s in the previous post.
A very light coat would probably even it out. Issue is it already cured and applying a coat now “possibly” could create and issue. Best to wait a few months if possible to get this coat on. Maybe end of Summer.
What about sanding it and reapplying?
That would work as well.
Hi – per the recommendation I waited over the winter to stain my new cedar deck. Unfortunately it was a brutal winter in the northeast and got bunch if cracking in it. Will the defy extreme protect the deck from further deterioration or is there another product I should be looking at?
Derrick, cracking is normal for exterior wood and no stain will stop this from happening eventually. The Defy Extreme is an excellent product and would work to protect the deck.
Is it normal just after less than 1 year?
Yes it is.
Hi, I think it is clear from your communications I should wait, yet, I have a new redwood pergola, winter is weeks away, appreciate your advice.
Hi – I just build a new cedar deck, I’m in NJ and winter is coming. I’m concerned with the winter weather coming and snow falling on the unprotected deck, should I be worried? What are the downsides of waiting a shorter time before coating?
Derrick if you stain before waiting the required 4+ months, the stain will absorb very well and will be prone to failing faster then normal. Most likely you will need to redo next Spring. Only 1 very light coat if you do it this year.
Not sure if my last reply went through. Did you mean that the stain will NOT absorb very well? Is there an issue with leaving uncoated?
Derrick, yes Not very well. Wood should be fine through the winter.
I’ve used oxygenated bleach cleaner on the cedar siding on my entire home. Tried the brightener and it makes no visible difference whatsoever. Knowing that, is brightening a necessary step prior to staining?
Yes as it neutralizes the cleaner.
I live in Florida, and had a brand new rough wood pine 6′ privacy fence installed about a month ago. I was informed on one of these discussion groups that I should be good to go now with my stain /sealer (Defy Extreme Natural Pine) because of the rough wood. However, when rinsing down my panels in preparation to stain I noticed some water beading, especially in the middle panel sections. Does this mean the wood is not ready yet, or? I also thought I wouldn’t need a cleaner/brightener, again, info from a discussion group. Do I need that as… Read more »
Gary, if the wood is rough than you can stain. If smooth you should wait and prep with a cleaner and brightener. Rough wood does not bead water.
We live in Oregon, are in the process of building our cedar deck, we have been advised to stain all surfaces of the wood before building the deck. From what I’ve been reading here,
we shouldn’t do anything to the wood for a few months, my concern is that we are headed into our rainy season, what should we do.
Elaine, http://www.twpstainhelp.com/prepping-new-wood-for-twp-stains/
Thanks