“I think I messed up the deck,” I told my wife after staining the first coat. After weeks of dashed plans to stain the deck, I finally had a weekend without rain on the horizon. This was not my first time staining a deck, but it was the first time staining my deck, a deck I owned and wanted to look nice. After the first coat, I had resolved to tell future guests the patio door was permanently stuck so no one would venture outside.

Earlier in the week Sera and I went to the store and compromised on a stain close to the color we wanted for a bit of a discount. It was a reputable brand, and I figured most stain is pretty much the same. While I don’t know if that assumption is true, I do have more of an opinion on how to select a stain for your deck.

First, I’m certain the sample colors they display in the store are purposefully incorrect. Many years ago I recall helping my parents stain the deck and not understanding why my dad chose to stain the deck orange. As I glance out our living room window to my now orange deck, I’m beginning to hypothesize that wasn’t his original intent. What’s the point of having sample colors if the final product looks nothing like the sample?

Second, don’t choose a semi-transparent stain unless you know what you’re doing. Also, be sure you know what you’re doing. I had assumed our semi-transparent stain would go on just fine, and we wouldn’t have too much to worry about. Do you know what happens when one part of semi-transparent stain meets another part of semi-transparent stain? The overlapping area looks darker than the rest. At times, this blends in without much notice. Other areas of the deck don’t look nearly as good.

My main problem was the edge of the deck. Take note, inexperienced deck stainers! Do not think you are smart for doing the hard parts of the deck first. Our deck has a raised railing, meaning there is a few inches of gap between the railing and the base of the deck. Knowing this would be a pain to stain around, I did the entire outside edge of the floor first. To this day it still sounds like a great idea, but it was foolish when you think of how semi-transparent stain works. All of the outside edge of the deck had dried by the time I got around to staining the majority of the floor. As I finished the floor, it became transparent to me that the semi-transparent stain was not drying well at all. There was a clear distinction between the stained edge of the deck and the stained main floor, looking like someone had sloppily dragged a mop dipped in paint around the outside of the deck.

Being completely honest, it looked awful. I knew a second coat would be necessary from the start, but I began to doubt how much good it would do. Adding another layer of semi-transparent paint to an already unattractive mess of transparency certainly couldn’t completely solve the problem. Sera was being very encouraging and claimed she didn’t see that much of a problem, but I could tell she was just attempting to increase my self-esteem. She had offered, nearly insisted she help throughout the process, but I wasn’t about to have my pregnant wife bending up and down and overworking herself this far into the second trimester. Sera took up residence on the couch inside and frequently checked-in as I began the second coat to show her support. Her main advice: Put the second coat on thicker so it will be harder to see the inconsistencies in the first coat.

My wife is no staining expert, but it seemed like a good idea to me. Several days later with a mostly-finished deck, I can look at it as a mildly successful endeavor. One of the key takeaways is that we shouldn’t judge something before it is complete. Another life tip that was reiterated for me in the process: Don’t continue down a path that isn’t working. Everyone should continue to learn from their mistakes, and please, learn from mine as I share them. I may have messed up the deck briefly, but I didn’t leave it in an unfortunate state.

 

Rochester resident Matt Knutson is the communications and events director for United Way of Olmsted County.