When I Got to the End of the Row It Rained Again
Author
Our deck is Huge over 600sf not including the front porch deck and one by a pond. I have been successfully maintaining it for thirty years with CWF-UV recoating every 2-3 years. Whether they changed the formula (I suspect they did) or wether it just could not take any more stain, it needed to be stripped and sanded. It has been a grueling job for one woman with a power washer, a belt and palm sanders. I used Sherwin Williams Super Deck in semi-solid. We live in upstate NY and our area gets a lot of rain. It's been a dance coordinating last coat sanding and putting down finish I can tell you! The job has been done in sections. Due to the windows of weather opportunities between rains and needing the boards dried before sanding, I could only manage one coat on each section. It should have had 2. Can even tell it needs 2. It just couldn't happen not even in the week.
My question is can I safely do a second light coat in the fall four months later? Will it adhere or will it just sit on top and flake. I'm so afraid of the latter. This is my first time using a semi-solid.
Author
Reply to Carla Coon
It will probably have issues if you apply more, especially with the SW brand. It is not that good. Sorry.
I applied first coat to all of my wood yesterday and it looks great so far…its been about 17hrs drying but this morning it was still a little oily. I was planning to apply the 2nd coat of stain sealer today but now itsraining. My wood boards are underneathmy deck and was getting wet so i wiped them with a cloth and propted them up so rain could run down and not rest on. Is this ok? And when will i be able to apply 2nd coat?.
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Reply to Derrell
This all depends on the brand of stain you are suing and is the wood new?
9 days ago
Handyman used messmers oil for ipe deck. He said it would rain the next day but wouldn't be a Problem. Rainingvhsrd 12 hours later. Deck seems to have oil mixing with the rain. Will deck need to be redone? He also did not wait half an hour to wipe off excess in some places he just coated and wiped is this a problem?
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Reply to Ruth Leuenberger
You cannot assess until the rain water dries off. Nothing you can do right now.
Had deck stained just over 24 hours ago. Will chlorine affect the color of used on gutters?
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Reply to Louise
Yes, the chlorine will damage deck stain and bleach out the color.
Reply to Scott Paul ~ Restoring Decks Since 1993
If I keep the porch wet can I clean my house around it with water & bleach? Will it effect it right away or will it take days to show up? Thanks so much I never thought this would be a problem till someone said you can't get bleach on stain decks…
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Reply to Kitty Couch
It will have an immediate reaction and damage your stain.
1 month ago
My deck has milky places all over it after the first rain after staining
It was several days so I don't know what could have caused it
Please help
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Reply to Pattie Lessel
What stain brand and type did you use? Post some pics in the comments.
This was posted as an answer to question. This is not the right answer. They asked about a porch that has a roof.
Author
Reply to Cher
Sorry but we do not understand your comment.
How can we cleaned a stained deck
Will hit the deck work on a stained deck with black mould on it
Author
Reply to Barbara
We do not understand your question.
7 months ago
So I cleaned and brightened my deck but the last week has had some random light showers, so I haven't had the 72 minimum window to let the deck dry, stain and cure before more rain comes.
I was wondering whether I could get some plastic sheeting to cover the deck and rails when I know it's going to rain so that the deck doesn't get soaked again and I can uncover it when it's nice enough to allow it to continue drying or even start staining if it's already dry at that point?
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Reply to Michael Lanich
Do not cover it. Just let it dry for 48 hours after rain before staining.
Hi,
Deck stain was applied yesterday. As it's drying, I am noticing the following:
1. some lines in a portion of the deck
2. some fuzzies and white residue – these came about during the prep, but I expected them to be gone after staining
(The person applying the stain did walk across a couple of times holding a rag wet from water, or holding the paint tray/brush with stain in it . A push mop with a rag tied around it with a string at each end was also used to wipe the floor of any excess stain. Not sure if any of this might be related)
My questions:
1. Any idea why the lines are there and how to fix it?
2. What to do about the fuzzies and white residue – Will this go away on its own in a few weeks?
Thank you.
Last edited 7 months ago by S.g
Author
Reply to s.g
1. Looks like roller marks maybe from grill or furniture. You cannot fix them outside of removing all stain and starting over.
2. No, it does not go away.
Reply to Scott Paul ~ Restoring Decks Since 1993
Hi,
1. There was actually a grill there with wheels that they moved, so that would make perfect sense. I might need to ask them to sand that section and re-stain there, will that work?
2. Could you please clarify your second response – what does not go away, the fuzzies or the white residue/spots around the knots? What caused this and how do I fix it?
Thank you
Last edited 7 months ago by S.g
Author
Reply to s.g
1. You cannot spot fix, you would have to remove all and start over.
2. Same are #1 with the fuzzies and white residue.
8 months ago
We stained our covered deck with oil based stain. It became very foggy and had tons of moisture on it. It dried in some areas but is super "shiny" in others and seems sticky still in the shiny areas. It's now been 5 days of nice weather. What do we do….. thanks for your help!!
Author
Reply to Catherine McLeod
Remove excess stain with rags and mineral spirits. Saturate oily rags in water when done to avoid spontaneous combustion.
8 months ago
Reply to Scott Paul ~ Restoring Decks Since 1993
Is there a mineral spirits product you would recommend?
Author
Reply to Catherine McLeod
Any.
8 months ago
Reply to Scott Paul ~ Restoring Decks Since 1993
Mineral spirits didn't work. Some parts are still "sticky" and shiny. What's next ? Do I have to sand it? Could I put a clear sealing coat over the whole thing and then it will all just be shiny : )
Author
Reply to Catherine McLeod
You cannot top coat it. It will make it worse and it will peel. If it does not cure and dry on its own in a few weeks then you will have to remove it fully and start over.
8 months ago
Oh and I do plan to use one of your recommended brands when we redo next spring. Unfortunately I came across your website after the fact! Oh well! Lesson learned!!
8 months ago
We live in western Washington state and applied Australian Timber Oil to our deck that has not been maintained since being built about 14 years ago. We cleaned it and pressure washed it first and allowed it to dry. Of course it rained that night. The sections under the roof seemed to fair okay and are dry but the sections that got rained on are still kinda tacky. Even after drying all the way. When it rained really hard over the weekend the water seemed to seep into the stain and it created a yellow kinda film on the top that I could scrape off with my finger nail. Is there anything I can do to get rid of the sticky parts to keep excess dirt and grime from collecting over the winter? I know this is most likely a start over in the spring situation but it'd be nice if it wasn't sticky all winter. Thanks for any advice. I'll attach pics of the dry deck. The lighter spots are where the yellow film forms when it's wet.
Author
Reply to Corrie Ariens
The only thing you can do is remove all and start over.
Hello, similar story to others here: I think unexpected rain might have messed up the deck seal we applied. Either that or I was a bit heavy handed in applying the deck seal.
It's a new deck and we used Behr transparent deck seal. It rained maybe 6-8 hours after we sealed the deck. It was overnight so I couldn't tell how hard it rained but there was water pooled on the deck the next morning.
Question is: should we pressure wash and re seal it or is it okay for the upcoming winter? What do you recommend?
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Reply to Shannon
Send pictures after the rainwater has dried off for help on how to fix.
Reply to Scott Paul ~ Restoring Decks Since 1993
Sorry I thought the pictures were loaded! Here they are.
Reply to Scott Paul ~ Restoring Decks Since 1993
Notice in some areas the colour is more saturated and shiny despite it feeling completely dry.
Author
8 months ago
It rained very heavy and persistent the next day after my first water based staining. When can I apply the recommended second coat.?
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Reply to Maud O'Leary
That depends on the brand of stain and if you or cannot apply another coat after it has cured.
8 months ago
Hi Support Team
I painted my garden boxes, inside and outside with Pure 100% Linseed oil and it rained 12 hours later. A real down pour all day. It looks like the rain has washed of most of the oil. When I started we were not expecting rain for four or five days so am really upset that I have wasted my time and money in painting the boxes with oil. So what happens now.? Do I have to wait for them to dry to recoat.? The stain was applied to garden boxes not decking so is the procedure the same as decking..
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Reply to Doris Swansson
Strip it and redo it with a proper wood stain, not straight oil. Use TWP or Armstrong Clark stains.
8 months ago
Reply to Scott Paul ~ Restoring Decks Since 1993
I live in Australia so not familiar with the TWP or Armstrong Clark stains. As they are garden boxes and I will be planting vegie and herb plants in them, so are these stains food safe or will they leach into the soil and contaminate whatever plants are sown in them. I am new to garden boxes so not sure what to use to waterproof the inside of the boxes. Have read that Linseed or tung oil is best for this purpose any info would be gratefully appreciated.
Had a contractor come out to stain my decks and fence. He used Thompson's Water Seal on the fence and Cabot's Australian Timber Oil on the decks. Started to rain as he was finishing up and now have some white bubbly patches on fence and decks looks unevenly stained. Does he need to come back out to reapply?
Author
Reply to April
You will have to redo fully. Start over.
Reply to Scott Paul ~ Restoring Decks Since 1993
Like, restain everything all over again?
Author
Reply to April
As in you will have to remove the coatings first and then restain.
Reply to Scott Paul ~ Restoring Decks Since 1993
Oh, no. 😓 Thanks for your help @ Deck Stain Help!
Last edited 8 months ago by April
I power washed & "sealed" this table with Thompson's Water Seal (oil based/clear). The first week the table looked fantastic. Then we had a hard rain about 3 weeks after staining and now have water spots. How can this be fixed?
B4 sealing, We power washed the table & let it dry >4 days. Water seeped into the wood, no beading.
Waited for dry days at 70-80 degrees to apply stain. Applied one coat and let it dry in shade 3 days(73 hours).
We started using the table. Water beaded on surface and it looked perfect.
Now, 3 weeks post stain, had a heavy rain a couple days ago. The table ow has water spots all through the water sealer.
What happened? How do we fix this?
Author
What do I do? Here's pic of white blotches and some still wet after 24 hrs.
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Reply to Lori
Pressure wash off the blotches and then lightly recoat all.
Reply to Scott Paul ~ Restoring Decks Since 1993
Thank goodness it's on the railings. I will do that (pressure wash then recoat). Thanks for your quick reply. Truly appreciated 😊
Here is the pic
Can anyone suggest a remedy for this…this is the second coat of Cabot deck correct and it rained 10 after applying.
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Reply to Phil
You would have to recoat it.
I put a clear 'no nonsense' water based stain on my decking. After being caught out with rain shortly after the decking has left a cloudy / milky look in certain areas. Would another coat fix this?
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Reply to Eamon
No, you would have to remove it and then use a proper stain.
11 months ago
I put down a Thermory kiln dried spruce deck, and am ready to coat it with their Cutek wood protecting oil. The Cutek says not to use if wood contains more than 17% moisture, but I don't have a gauge, and really need to do it today. It rained day before yesterday ( a midnight torrent), was dry yesterday and today (sunny) – do you think I'm good to go? (No rain in the forecast now). Thanks!
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Reply to Jackie Tileston
It is most likley okay to stain.
11 months ago
I started staining my deck rails and spindles today. Using Cabot solid color acrylic stain and sealant. Finished up for the day at 6pm. And theres a chance of rain after midnight. Should I be worried? Seems to be drying fast. Thank you
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Reply to Debbie Potter
You should be fine.
- Contractors cleaned and re-stained our deck with Sherwin Williams SuperDeck semi-transparent oil based stain. It rained about 4 hours later, a quick downpour, and then cleared up. The water sitting on the deck made the area under it look pinkish when the sun hits it (first picture) but looks perfectly fine when dry (third picture). I waited a full day (recommendations on the can say not to apply within 24hrs of rain) after and put some more water on the area and got the same pinkish look under the sun, but the wet deck out of the sun (second picture) looks normal . The contractor has agreed to come back and sand and refinish if we want, but I am wondering if that is necessary if the deck looks good when dry.
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Reply to Bob Daffer
I think you are fine and it just has not fully cured yet. I would not worry about it.
11 months ago
I oiled our new deck last month with Intergrain universal timber oil. It rained the next day about 9 hours after. There were patches after the water dried.
I sanded it back when we had a few good sunny days and reoiled. It still has patches and now has white marks on some boards. See pictures attached. We are in Australia and weather is cool
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Reply to Leanne grisold
You will need to remove and start over.
11 months ago
Reply to Scott Paul ~ Restoring Decks Since 1993
Is the best way to sand it back again to remove the stain or is there something else.
Author
Reply to Leanne Grisold
Sand or strip.
1 year ago
I looked on my weather app and it stated no rain for the next 7 days. I started staining a pine deck that is 6 months old. It started raining and I am so upset! I am using a solid stain from Behr. I am at a loss as what to do now. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you
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Reply to Lynette Borror
Let it dry and then recoat all again.
I stained my deck two years ago and there was some rain spots on it after it dried. How can I remove these water droplets? I am getting ready to resand my deck and would like any suggestions as to how to fix this problem. Thank you
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Reply to Marc Hall
You cannot fix this outside of sanding it down to the bare wood or coving with a new coat of solid stain.
We stained our deck about 2 years ago. I think there was some dew that formed overnight and it has since added to the rainspots on the deck. Please look at the pictures and let me know if there is anything we can do? Or any suggestions before I apply another new coat of stain to the deck? Will restaining it make it go away?
Would using fans to help dry the freshly stained deck with unexpected rain help to keep stain from being displaced
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Reply to Edna Bourgoin
Probably not much if at all.
1 year ago
How long after staining a fence will it be affected by rain?
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Reply to Dennis Reasner
Depends on the brand, type of stain, and how long it takes to dry. Not one answer for all.
1 year ago
We wanted to have the Pergola painted tomorrow with the sealer stain and sealer product and it's supposed to rain on Tuesday I'm wondering if that is enough time in between to paint the Pergola without any damage
Author
Depends on the brand, type of stain, and the temperature. No way to answer this exactly as all stains and conditions are different.
I used SW Super Deck IR reflective semi solid stain on my boat dock. It came a downpour about 4 hours after applying. There are a few bare spots now and the rain didnt bead up like i thought it should. The bare spots dont concern me terribly as I can touch those up but shouldn't the rain bead on Semi solid stains???
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Reply to Jon
Typically no, water should not bead off a deck stain. It sheds off if a breathable stain.
1 year ago
What is the best brand of stain to use on your wood to protect it from the rain
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Reply to Theron Rutledge
It rained 2 hours after finishing applying the final coat.
Product used was Intergrain DWD
Author
Reply to Lucas
You cannot spot fix. You will need to remove all and start over.
I'm in Northern California and the long, dry summer just came to an end before getting to a new project using Sansin Stain. There is forecasted about a week of clear weather after a few days of rain. But the morning dew can leave everything pretty wet. I'm wondering if its alright to stain the projects, or try to reschedule for spring
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Reply to Aldo
Wating until Spring will be fine to prep and stain.
Forgot to attach photos for the below post
Author
Reply to Leon
You will need to remove it all and start over to fix this.
We stained our back steps yesterday and according to the weather report were clear for rain within the 8 hour window the stain requires before it's waterproof. However a huge thunderstorm storm came in just as we were packing up last night.
I tried to put a tarp over it as best I could, given the situation, loud swearing and cursing the sky was involved, but a lot of water still got in.
We used Olympic Maximum semi-transparent stain + sealant.
Some parts are still tacky 22 hours later. Should I try and get covered again before the next rain tonight or is the damage done and I shouldn't bother? Will it get worse if it gets wet again at this stage?
Once the rain has left am I able to repair the damage or do I need to start again?
We may not have idea weather again until spring will it be protected with what's on it now for winter?
Thanks for your help.
Hello – Our deck is 12 years old, treated pine. The first time we stained the deck a few weeks ago, we first used Behr Wood Stain and Finish Stripper using a wire brush. Then we used Behr All In One cleaner to clean the deck. After 24 hours of drying we stained the deck using Behr Semi-Transparent Waterproofing Stain and Sealer. We did not realize it at the time but within 12-24 hours we had a weekend of rain (not hard) from a tropical storm. The stain was peeling up in several places after the weekend of rain to our disappointment, and to further add insult, we ended up really not liking the color. We were most concerned about the peeling, so we ended up using Behr Wood Stain and Finish Stripper and the wire brush again to completely scrape the new stain off the deck. We did not use the All in Once Cleaner this time because we figured we had just used it and the wood should be clean. It certainly looked clean, cleaner than the first time. We let the deck dry for a few days this time then applied a different color of Behr Semi-Transparent Waterproofing Stain and Sealer a little over a week ago. It had over 24 hours to all dry before rain. It rained this past weekend and the stain started immediately started peeling up. You could walk out on the deck during the rain and you could literally smear it with your feet. The attached pictures show what it looks like now after it's dried for a few days. Seems to be getting worse. Do you know what most likely happened and what we should do? Thank you for your help!
Author
1 year ago
Reply to Scott Paul ~ Restoring Decks Since 1993
Boy you are not kidding! We used Behr premium deck over on our south facing deck a few years ago, and it ruined the deck! Most boards are now rotted because the deck over got little holes on the surface that trapped water underneath, it's awful!!! We have now cleaned, sanded, and filled much of the damaged wood and we'll be priming and painting the deck with Kilz porch deck and floor paint.
Light rain started just as we finished applying Pittsburgh Ultra Advanced Semi-Transparent to our cedar deck. Now it looks like this. What should we do?
Author
Reply to Rob
You will need to remove it all and start over. Strip and or sand. Brightner after. Probably will need to do all floors so it looks even. The rails look okay.
1 year ago
We stained our Deck starting at 4:00pm yesterday (Friday) because we finally got a break in our weather and had 5 days prior for our wood deck to dry out. It looked good last night but this morning the deck looks horrible because we have so much to dew. We live in Washington state and it is moist this time if year. Over the past couple months we tried to strip the paint using Smart Strip which was not successful, and we have sanded and pressure washed multiple times to prep. We used Sherwin-Williams Super Deck paint with a an anti mildew additive last night (m-1 advanced mildew treatment). I have attached our weather forecast as well. Any suggestions? Wait untill spring to put on a second coat or put a second coat on Sunday?
Author
Reply to Michelle Murphy
Wait until Spring as you may have to remove the Super Deck.
Hello. Five days ago we had our deck and boardwalk stained with a sprayer and then it started raining 3 hours later. It has rained intermittently since then. Water seems to be pooling on both for long periods. Please see photos attached and advise whether to re-stain.
Author
Reply to Omey
Send pictures when the water dries off.
Reply to Scott Paul ~ Restoring Decks Since 1993
Water has dried off. Here are new photos. Thanks.
Reply to Scott Paul ~ Restoring Decks Since 1993
The water has dried off. Here are new photos. Thanks.
Reply to Omey
The water has dried off and here are new photos. Thanks.
Author
Reply to Omey
It is fine, leave as is.
Hi there,
I have a few questions to ask you:
A. I spent a whole day staining the deck on Sunday but rain started last night, Monday, at 8 pm. It lasted till around 4:30 am and the total volume was about 20 mm. So the stain was let dry between 26 to 36 hours before the rain. I got up at 5:30 to wipe the deck and I could feel there was water beaded on top, and the water in the bucket was kind of clear. Now at 12:30pm the deck is dry and I am taking some photos for you to see if there is water damage on the deck.
The stain I used was Cabot Australian Timber Oil honey teak. The label says drying time is about 24 hours but when I called, they recommended 48 hours no rain.
B. It's sunny today but it will rain again tomorrow morning. Should I cover the deck tomorrow? I was actually thinking about covering the deck with plastic sheets last night but rain just started before I got to lay the plastic sheet on so I gave up.
C. Another question is (see phone #4), I found I missed some areas between the boards. Should I stain these areas? If stain bleed over to the areas already stained, will there be a problem? They say this oil is for one application only.
Thank you so much! I was so relieved when I found this updated post.
P.S. I am at Toronto and it is getting cold now. Roughly 10 at night and 20 during daytime this week.
Author
Reply to Angela Huang
It looks fine, do not add anymore stain as it will not dry correctly. No need to cover tomorrow. We would not worry about touching up between the boards.
Reply to Scott Paul ~ Restoring Decks Since 1993
Thank you for the quick response. Attached a photo for the areas between boards. A little bigger than I'd like to see. No need to touch up at all?
I have some very fine bristle brushes used for oil painting that can reach deep down there. I can try not to touch the areas already stained. Worth trying?
Author
Reply to Angela Huang
If you touch these spots up, wipe the excess off right away where it gets on the top of the board where it is already stained.
Hi. We stained our deck using semi-transparent acrylic/oil stain (Dulux; CWF-UV5). Because the weather forecast changed to rain for the next week or so we paused the project.
Can we cover the unfinished section of the deck with tarps? By unfinished I mean those areas that have been pressure washed and sanded but NOT seen any stain yet?
The stain has dried but some deck planks were halfway stained (i.e. half the length). Can we just continue applying the stain once the weather is good again/the wood is dry (trying not to overlap/overcoat the previously stained areas)? We might have to wait until next spring due to bad weather forecasted.
Would we need to sand the deck again if left covered by tarps throughout the winter?
Thanks!
Author
Reply to Tanya
Do not cover. If you stain this year, just make sure you have two days of drying. If you stopped in the middle of a board, it will not blend when you finish staining.
Reply to Scott Paul ~ Restoring Decks Since 1993
Is it bad to linseed oil a trailer deck then cover it 2 days later to keep water off
Author
Reply to Erik
It would not help and could create issues.
We cleaned the black mildew off of our mahogany deck using TSP substitute solution with bleach and a plastic-bristle brush, in accordance with the cleaner directions (because power washing didn't remove the black). It has been a very dry summer and the deck dried for 48 hours before we applied a coat of Benjamin Moore transparent Arbor Coat. Despite a forecast of 3 more dry days, it started to drizzle when we were almost finished and it continued to rain lightly overnight and this morning. It's dry now and it looks awful. What should we do?
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Reply to Judy
You will need to remove all and start over to fix this. Strip off what you can, sand the rest, brightener last.
1 year ago
I had my deck stain 3 days ago and it poured today now it is all white. Can you tell me what to do please help
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Reply to Jacquelin Woods
We would need pictures and also what stain brand and type that were used?
I stained my deck it rained 2 hours later.. three days later it's still tacky. Will it dry?
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Reply to Tiffany
Hard to say. Depends on the brand and type of stain? Pictures would help as well.
We apply TWP following the instructions, now we have some discoloration, some woods look dark and others lighter. Should we apply a more TWP cloth on the light areas to unify the color?
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Reply to James
It is not possible to spot apply and have it blend. You would have to recoat all.
Just washed my deck with proper cleaner but now calling rain for 8 days or so, will I need to wash it again? Thank you.
Author
Reply to Yves
You should be okay as long as you stain within 2 weeks or so of the prep.
Source: https://www.deckstainhelp.com/it-rained-shortly-after-staining-what-to-do/
My can of stain got water in it sitting on the porch is it still good??