You’ve got new wood and you want to protect your investment. But you’ve heard horror stories of peeling decks and dread the thought of endless maintenance. Perhaps you even like the faded gray look. What are your options? Can it be possible to leave your newly built wood deck, fence, or siding entirely unfinished… Forever?

Here’s a quick dive into the pros and cons of unfinished wood followed by an explanation of mill glaze and what you need to know about the first time finishing wood.

Your deck turned out beautifully. You’ve made memories with your family, hosted gatherings, dined friends, and appreciated a quiet place to escape with a book. You followed the Sand & Stain System to prep and finish your deck. Only that was last year. Maybe even two years ago…

So how do you keep your deck looking fresh and properly protected without pulling out the sanders or hiring contractors every year?

We’ll show you exactly how to get the most out of your deck for as long as possible before sanding again with no blistering, cracking, chipping, or peeling. Guaranteed.

The deck has been fully been prepped. Sanding is complete, and so the only thing left to do is the most satisfying step: finishing with your colour of choice for protection, and that undeniable beauty that only a true penetrating oil stain can provide.

There are a few different ways you can tackle this. To save you time, here is how we recommend doing this, and how we have served happy clients for years in our own business. This is is especially important to know, because you’ll be able to get away with stain reapplications without sanding again for years (perhaps forever) using the these tools, techniques, and products.

NOTE: The process for finish staining pressure treated wood is the as staining cedar—however, the prep is very different. If you have pressure treated wood, check out our post 5 Reasons You Should Never Sand Pressure Treated Wood here to make sure you do it right the first time.

Sanding is the first step to setting up your deck, fence, or exterior wood project for longevity and success. It may not be the funnest activity you’ll ever do, but if this crucial prep work is done how we recommend it, you won’t have to prep sand it for years—and perhaps ever again.

Unless you have pressure treated wood, do not skip this step. You need to sand your cedar wood deck, even if it’s brand new and hasn’t grayed yet. This is because it has what’s called mill sheen on its surface that even penetrating oils will not be able to soak into as easily as they should.

Remember, the two biggest reasons a deck fails (peels, blisters, cracks, chips, etc.) is because of: 1) poor prep work, and 2) product quality or type. Here’s how we avoid that first reason and how to get it right the first time.

Part 1: What You’ll Need …

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…

You’ve got pressure treated wood and you want to maintain so it lasts and looks its best in the process. You may have heard or read in our articles that sanding prep work is essential before staining, sealing, or finishing a deck.

This is true to remove mill sheen on new cedar lumber, removing peeling stain from a deck, or periodically (after several years or re-coats with a penetrating oil) to restore it before staining it again. The exception to this is: pressure treated lumber.

Here are five reasons reasons you should never sand your pressure treated wood…