Decking stain application

[SimonWatkins]

Hi,

I am currently building a verendah and have some questions which I am hoping you can help out with:

The verandah is 65m2 and is adjoining an elevated house and so we will be able to see everything from below. The structure is all steel and painted. We are using 90x22 treated pine decking which is to be stained. (funds do not stretch to hardwoods such as merbau)

1) We have decided on Feast & Watson Decking Stain in Tallowood finish (looks like it provides the closest match to our floorboards inside the house). I think the best way to do things will be to stain the underside and sides before I put the decking on and then do the top face when the deck is down. A very time consuming process but probably the best way. Would do the top face after a few weeks to let it weather.
Any thoughts??

2) Given the metreage of decking (approx 740l/m), I was thinking about spraying the sides and bottom as the finish and coverage probably doesn't need to be as good as the top. The can says that this product can be sprayed. Will I need anything fancy (airless - cost prohibitive) or would I be able to just use a tradetools $100 spraygun running off my compressor??

Any advice would be really appreciated.

Cheers

[Afro Boy]

Hi Simon,

Welcome to the forums. You should hopefully find heaps of great advice here.

That sounds like a reasonable option to me. I wouldn't worry too much about leaving it for a while to "weather." I wouldn't imagine you would need any fancy equipment though.

Remember however that the colour will fade over time given that it's outdoors.

Most importantly ... remember to post photos for us!

Cheers,
Af.

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

Personally, if I was going to pre-stain then I'd give 'em a coat "all over." This avoids any possible problems with "overspray" onto the tops, which is fairly obvious until several coats go on top.

And, being Treated Pine, IMHO there's no real need for "weathering" - it won't leech tannins.

[SimonWatkins]

Thanks for the responses guys.

I spent the weekend doing it all by hand. Wasn't too bad actually - set up a bit of a production line with trestles and some 3m steels I had lying around. Firstly, I lay 50 boards side by side on their sides and then brush applied the stain. Left them a while and then flipped em all to do the other sides. Then, lay them on their faces and did the back sides. Did it all under the verandah so they then went staight up onto the steel. Being TP and an oily stain, it soaked in real quick so was able to flip them in fairly quick time. They did their "drying" up on the steelwork.

Got all 140 done & lifted friday night / saturday morning.

Skew, wish I'd seen your post & would have taken a little more care on the sides - quite a bit of stain has run onto the top faces so will need some remedial work there.

All the boards are now cut and in place, I now have the mamoth task of driving 3000 wing teks in now . At least being TP, don't need to pre-drill & countersunk!!