Samples

I am looking at re-staining my 4 year old deck this summer and will start by stripping and brightening with restore a deck. My question is which stain to use CEDAR Transparent, AMBER Transparent or a CEDAR SEMI

Could you briefly give me the pros and cons to assist in my decision

Thanks

Bob, you have to remove the old stain if you want to use AC. Either with a stain stripper or sanding but this varies depending on the stain type.

Deck railing is 30 years old - pressure treated lumber). Power washed - but cannot remove all old stain. Can I use your product? What further prep might be needed?

Homeowner:

Hi I'm buying a house and it's 6 yrs old the deck was never treated and we are wanting to stain it how would we go about it? It's in direct sun all the time would looks dry but not damaged

Use the Restore A deck Kit to prep the wood. Stain with the Armstrong Clark in a semi-trans color or semi-solid when in direct sunlight.

Hi I'm buying a house and it's 6 yrs old the deck was never treated and we are wanting to stain it how would we go about it? It's in direct sun all the time would looks dry but not damaged

Shane- Take inconsideration that lighter colors will not last as long. A lighter tint will look good but you will need to redo every 1-2 years to protect from graying. If you are okay with this than any of the transparent colors will work for you.

I just put in a northern white cedar deck last year and this year I am looking to stain it, but I want to keep the color as close the the original as possible. I don't want it to turn grey. I live in the midwest. What stain would you recommend I get a sample of?
I appreciate it!

They enhance the grain but do not mask or cover the grain.

I am installing a Cumaru wood deck. It needs protection, but I don't want to cover up the color of the wood. Will the Amber or the Neutral change the color and cover up the grains?

Danny, either a semi-transparent or semi-solid color for you.

My deck is 5 years old and in direct sun all day. I have cleaned it and read for stain. Which product should I use?

Susan, if you want to sand then it would be best to lightly sand after the prep. Armstrong is a one coat stain for new wood. Amber is a transparent but with higher trans oxides. The Amber and Semi-cedar are not the same color. We would suggest getting samples to test first. On verticals, it will need to be redone every few years.

Oct 2013 we had a 16' x 12' carport built for shade and entertaining purposes only. Materials are hd pt for the exterior wood, underside of the roof is plywood and the underside middle beams untreated pine. We live in the Boston, MA area with very cold, snowy winters, humid summers and spring & fall can be rainy. It's get full sun. The 4x4 pt posts which we were thinking of sanding it to make them smoother. Should the sanding be done before the prep? We will be staining it this spring using Armstrong Clark deck stain. Will be using the restore a deck cleaner & brightener to prep. If first coat penetrates within 30 minutes should the second coat be done while it's still wet or should it be applied at a later time? We were thinking of using either the semi-transparent cedar or amber. Is the amber a transparent or semi-transparent? What is the difference in color and which would be better? How often would we need to reapply?

Karen, best to prep with the Restore A Deck Kit. Any of the AC stains will work as they are oil based. Shipping transit time depends on where you live. Usually 205 business days.

My deck is cypress, very weathered. A carpenter friend said cypress needs oil, but not water sealant as that cracks the wood.
If your products work fine for cypress please advise the best stain, sealant, and cleaner.
Also, what is your turn around time on
sending samples and shipping product?
thanks! Karen

Michael, that is hard to say since it depends on your wood. Best would be to get a gallon.

I've replaced the wood on a grill/smoke with new cedar. I would like to use your product to preserve it. How much coverage could I expect to get with a 4 ounce sample? The total surface area is less than 7 square feet ( both sides and edges). It appears, rightfully, that you only sell in 1 & 5 gallon containers.

Cathy, I would suggest waiting until Spring. Best to use the Restore A Deck Kit for the prep. Typically you wait 2 days after prep before staining.

Thanks!

Hi Jake, We stained our deck last year in September with Cedar Semi stain and it still looks great, however, we notice it is starting to fade a bit. We thought we could get by another winter but now are wondering if we should reapply this fall or wait until Spring?
trying to avoid having to sand again. For prep what should we use? is scrubbing with soap and water enough? Also how many days of dry weather before the deck is dry enough to restain? Thanks Jake! AmClark is the best product we've ever used.

You can but it will not look anything like the picture as the sample is on IPE wood. Highly suggest a sample to test.

Can I put mahogany on a redwood deck? Or is it just for IPE woods?

Peggy,

1. Woodland Brown, Mountain Cedar, Oxford, Sequoia.
2. No solid stains
3. You should remove the Cabot first.
4. Yes.

Hi, About to stain my house in Lake Tahoe and have a few questions. 1) Semi-solid comes in what colors? Mahogany, for example, doesn't show at all in my Armstrong brochure. 3) Any solid stains? 3) I'll apply Armstrong semi-solid over 5 year old Cabot semi-solid that's in pretty good condition. Brochure says it will last 2 to 4 years - correct? Thanks.

Hard to say. Best to get the samples to test. You can also mix the colors together to achieve a balance.

On a redwood deck, trying to decide on either sequoia or woodland brown. i want sequoia but I am worried it will have too much red in it and the deck will look too red because of the redwood. Would woodland brown on redwood give us the right balance between red and brown? Advice?

Carol Marciniszyn:

The color you call "Natural," is it a stain or is it clear?

The Natural is very lightly pigmented.

The color you call "Natural," is it a stain or is it clear?

I would wait and do a light coat next Spring after a light cleaning.

We recently stained our new 11 month old cedar deck with Armstrong Clark semi-transparent stain. The deck weathered horribly due to our Michigan winter and rainy spring/summer. We sanded the deck by hand multiple times and applied one coat of the semi-transparent stain. Is one coat of stain sufficient or will it need another coat? If it should have another coat, will we be able to put a second coat of stain on in May or June 2014 with only having to clean the deck?

Mary Jo, you should be fine with that. Opened containers will go bad within a year or less. Unopened will last many years.