Armstrong Clark Hardwood/Ipe Stain 1 Gallon

Impressed with this stain! I have two small covered porches that have about 200 sqft of angelim pedra/Angelheart decking, which has a natural reddish blonde color. I stained them with Behr about 10 years ago (terrible - don't ever use it). The decks don't get too much sun or rain, but the Behr stain was wearing/flaking off and some parts were going a bit gray.

After about 4 hrs sanding with 60 and 100 grit, the remnants of the old stain were removed and decking was looking pretty refreshed. I purchased the Mahogany color at firt, but I was worried that it would be too dark, so I ended up using the Amber color instead. Mahogany would have been way too dark.

I taped off all of the edges and applied the stain with a 6" mini roller, taking care to smooth out any bubbles with a brush and to even out any noticeable pools/excess stain. Angelheart is very dense, not quite as much as Ipe, and it absorbs very little of the stain, although it does seem to soak in to a point. After an hour or so, I wiped any excess stain with a clean rag. I couldn't be happier with the results - the decks look amazing.

A couple of things:
 - I purchased two 1-gallon containers, but only needed one to cover my 200 sqft of decking.
- Be sure to shake the can well. These stains are semi-transparent, and when you open the can, the stain is opaque. It has quite a bit of colorant in it - so make sure to shake and stir. I did my front porch second, and I notice that it is a bit darker. I'm guessing this is due to more color that had settled to the bottom of the can. Be sure to sharke and stir!
- I applied the stain while it was in the upper 90's (Texas summers...)
- This may be common sense, but... after prepping your deck, I recommend wetting your deck down and deciding how you feel about the color. If you like the natural wet color, go with Amber. If you want it to be darker, go with Mahogany for a more red color, or Black Walnut for the darkest option.

hi- amber stain was applied and looks like it needs a second coat.  Can you apply a second coat?

I just applied ipe stain (amber) to my ipe exterior deck and it looks great. However, I am looking for a product to possibly apply on the newly stained ipe to give it a a little shine. Not full blown glossy finish but a satin to semi gloss finish. Can you recommend a product that I can use?

Thank you. Andrew

AC stain mahogany on IPE 2 years ago. Just now cleaned but water does not bead at all. Will the coverage still be better than 2 years ago? At that time, had cleaned off old Messmer's for hardwoods, sanded, recleaned, and brightened. 

I've told several friends about how well your products work and recovered my extensive IPE deck system after several frustrating years of using other products.
Quick questions:
Cleaned, brightened, and applied Mahogany to most of the decking.  Had to leave roof covered area for a sevral days before staining.  After 36 +/- hours that area appears a bit wet.
Just leave it?  Or, wipe down to remove brightness? Rag with mineral spirits?

After the hardwood stain has dried for several days, is it possible to touch up a few boards that seem a little light?

I see the hardwood stain can be applied in direct sunlight and on hot days.  Just want to be sure there's not some catch or caveat.  Will I be ok applying it in direct sun with temp is in the 80's?

Hi,
I have a leftover ½ gallon of your transparent cedar tone from 2021, but would love to switch to the amber. 
Can the amber and  transparent cedar tone be mixed?    

Also, I'm guessing just restore-a-deck clean and brighten beforehand?  
Thanks for all your help and support :)

I completed my mahogany deck last fall. It has weathered for 7-8 months.  What are the next steps to take before stain/finish?

Hello, I'm hoping that a freak rain storm and/or my lack of sanding didn't mess up my stain application over the weekend. I applied on Sunday morning when it was in the mid 90's and sunny and it ended up raining somewhat heavy for 20 minutes or so about 8 hours after I was finished. Now after about 44 hours of dry weather its still somewhat wet. Places in constant shade are wetter than spots that get sun, and in all areas I can rub off at least a little color and a lot of color in the shaded areas. Also, areas that receive sun have small raised wood fibers that were not apparent after the cleaning most likely due to the additional weathering that portion of the deck receives. This was a 1.5 year old untreated deck that still had graying after the RAD cleaning and brightening. So, a couple of questions:
1. How long should I wait before I draw the line of needing re-application?
2. Is there anything I can do about the raised fibers after the fact? It looks like pollen build up and driving me nuts.
3. If I need to reapply, should I sand prior to reapplication to get rid of the fibers?
Thank you!

hi there, going to be applying ipe stain to my ipe deck.  Currently it has some penofin penetrating deck oil on it from last year. can I go over with the armstrong clark after power washing?

I'm preparing to use your hardwood / ipe stain on a massarandubba deck.  It's in the mid to high 80's today with a good breeze.  Under these circumstances, will the stain absorb faster?  I'm trying to get staining done but now it appears that rain might show up before the 24 hour window.

can I use this product ( semi-transparent amber)indoors on a sanded oak floor?

How long should I wait to apply this stain after using the RAD kit? I read 24 hours one place and 48 another. Thanks!

Hello, should I wait for the overnight temperatures to be in the mid 50's to apply, or are daytime temps in the mid 50's to 60's with overnight temps in the low 40's ok?

I have a comment for future readers....I am back at this website to buy more Armstrong Clark Ipe Oil in Mahogony. We installed ipe in 2010 and tried ...everything....in 2013 I sanded the entire deck...again....we probably tried a half dozen different options in those three years. In May 2013, after sanding (tip: rent a floor sander, even belt sanders barely hit ipe) we then applied our first coat of Armstrong Clark Ipe Oil. Then we simply applied a new 'over coat' (just washed and applied, didn't take the old stuff off) every month for three months...yep...by Sept we had four coats on. We were told this was way too much but ...we were desperate. We are in the PNW/Seattle and we can pretty much count on it to rain most days for 9 month out of the year. The only dry time is about 6 weeks in summer with maybe a few nice days in May and Sept...otherwise we have to assume it'll be wet and our deck is not covered. It does get direct sunlight but...Seattle sun is weak compared to the rest of the country. With all of that said... it survived winter and by the following summer our deck still looked great! We found that since Ipe doesn't really 'absorb'  oil like other woods, the oil seems to basically "wash out" with the constant rain....not sure how to describe it. There is no staining on the white posts below or anything but...somehow the oil very slowly fades away after a while...but it is a long while....very long. We put o n four coats that first summer, then the next summer I added a coat in June and again at the end of August. Then I put on a single coat every year for the next two years and then...I got busy and just stopped. I let the entire deck fall into disrepair but it wasn't until we pressured washed it in 2020 that the stain actually disappeared...."washed out with the pressure washer"...or whatever you want to call that. So, after putting on all those coats my deck survived four Seattle winters (read: measurable rain for 9 consecutive months...we can grow moss in direct sunlight...)  By the time we pressure washed it, the stain still looked pretty good, not great but it just needed a refresh, wash and new coat but not a complete redo ....we pressure washed it because algae and moss were growing on it...it grows everywhere here... but it still looked great underneath until my husband tried a direct hit with some stubborn moss...moss can be surprisingly stubborn to remove......so I am here to buy more. It's the best stuff I've found for Ipe and we really love the color of Mahogony. It basically looks like natural Ipe from the store....not the light color. It isn't glossy either but somehow has a sheen ...it looks like something out of a magazine and I just applied it with a disposable mop. It's great stuff.  

After cleaning and using brightener on my IPE deck, noticed same gray and stains had not been removed. Spot sanded to fix these spots.  Should I use brighter again before staining?

Hi,
I just stained my IPE deck with the Armstrong-Clark IPE Mahogany Stain. Some areas are uneven - see photo.  Any advice as to how to proceed?
Thanks,
Stephen

I am doing a mahogany deck. The mahogany boards have been stored in stacks at the site for over three months. 1. Do I still need to wait before applying AC semi-transparent? 2. I have read other articles that say to apply finish to all sides of the board before installing. I am confused. If I don't apply before installing, I will have to wait until next spring to apply, leaving the deck unprotected through the winter in a high snow area.

When I used the deck stain calculator, I have 445sq ft of deck and stair area and it says I need 5 gallons of deck stain. If I read the specs for area coverage, it says 1 gallon covers 300-400 sq ft so I would need 2-3 gallons. Can you clarify quantity needed? Thanks.

I asked this question before but it was never answered and now I see it was deleted. I'll try again. In regards to the semi-transparent oil based stain. Do use waterborne resin-systems and coloring "pigments" that are light-fast. If not how is the light-fast quality and life of the coloring-agents? 

Should we use Acetone after 80 grit sanding to open pores?

Hi - We had a crew sand our ipe porch because they scratched it moving furniture. After sanding, they applied Thompson's Waterseal oil based. It is still greasy, so they are now sanding again to remove. I want them to apply AC. Can they just apply after sanding? What would be the best approach? 

Applied a coat to my Tigerwood deck and a couple hours into drying I’m noticing spots I missed or didn’t get as even as I’d like. Can I touch up once it’s dried and I’m able to walk on it? I applied with a stain pad. Do I need to allow a full 48 hours for curing?

On this link: https://www.armstrongclarkstain.com/wood-and-decking-stains

I am looking for semi transparent oil based cedar colour

Hello,
I stupidly sanded parts of my IPE deck.  
1) Will using a wood brightener help stain adhere better?  
2) Would it help any to apply the wood brightener multiple times?
I have some "true" oil exotic hardwoods Sherwin-Williams Super deck - can't buy in Connecticut any longer.
3) If I apply this stain, what would I need to do to be able to apply AC IPE stain over it at some later point in time?
thanks

Restained the deck using IPE in mahogany two days ago. We did not over apply and have used this exact stain before however this time it is taking a long time to "cure" it's been two days (over a full 48 hrs) and the color will still lift if I wipe areas with a paper towel. We have a small, young dog and cannot let him or us out onto the deck until it stops bleeding. Any thoughts/advice? It's been hot and humid, although no rain. Deck gets a lot of sun.

I have a tigerwood deck. Is it necessary to use one of the three hardwood stain options, or will the other softwood stains work as well? 

I’ve stained my deck 3 times in the past 6 years. Each time I’ve cleaned/prepped it exactly the same way and used Armstrong mahogany stain. This time, however, it didn’t seem to take as well. I have some areas where the water isn’t beading as it should. See pics. I’m thinking it’s because the stain itself was around 4 years old. Does that make sense? I’ve ordered a new can. Can I put a second coat on the whole thing? On just the areas that aren’t beading? Please advise.Thanks.