There is no question that solid stain is the absolute bane of everything we believe in at Sand & Stain. Our promise to you is captured right in our original tagline: ‘Never Peel Again’—and if there’s one thing we’re certain of, it’s that solid stain will peel in Canada, no matter who applies it.

Probably the biggest reason solid stain fails, is because it acts much like a paint opposed to a stain. Paint protects by forming an outer film coating and is built up with layers and is far too thick to ever penetrate the wood. That’s why when you see solid stains or paint on exterior wood like a deck or fence, it peels off in pieces / chunks and leaves completely bare wood behind.

I’m surprised solid stain is even classified as a stain—it really should be called a paint, because it basically is no different than a can of flat sheen exterior water based paint. Sometimes people ask why we don’t restore decks, fence, and siding projects with solid stain and paint anymore, and there are many reasons for that:

We get calls for staining brand new decks, restoring old faded gray wood decks, and everything in between. Without question, the number one reason people seek help for their deck is out of sheer frustration that their deck peels every single year, no matter what they do, or who they call.

Some feel gypped for buying the most expensive product in the store only to see it fail after its first winter. Others are completely discouraged their deck is chipping after spending countless hours sanding it. Neither are wrong to feel this way. There are many reasons a deck can fail and you might have everything exactly right except for one piece of it.

The two biggest reasons a deck peels are…