The Armstrong Clark Stain Photo Album
Armstrong Clark Wood Stains comes in 16 different color choices. Armstrong Clark penetrates into the wood grain while “enhancing” the natural color tones of your wood.
Very Important: We do not guarantee final colors due to age and species of the wood, and how wood is prepared, affects the final color of an applied stain. Please use an Armstrong Clark Sample can to test for color and absorption on your wood before beginning application. Please wait 48 to 72 hours after applying the sample before viewing for the final color.
Final Armstrong Clark color will vary based on:
- Type of Wood
- Age of Wood
- Prepping of Wood
- Application method
Any Questions on Armstrong Clark Colors? Ask in the Comments below.
Armstrong Clark Stain Photo Gallery
There are over 100 pictures of all Armstrong Clark stain colors. Descriptions of stain colors are below each picture.
Colors are listed in the same order as Color Chart.
If you have used the Armstrong Clark Stains, we would love to see your photos!
Please add them in the comment area below
My 20-year-old deck looks great with a fresh maintenance coat of Driftwood gray.
We have a shed its been up and weathered for one year its rough cut pine board and baton what would you suggested clean it and stain ?
Prep with this: https://www.armstrongclarkstain.com/restore-a-deck-kit
And stain with any color of the AC that you like.
We have a 25 year old log home made from standing dead Engelmann Spruce 12″ logs. The north and west sides of the house are shaded and the east and south side are full sun. The logs darken and turn more reddish-gold in color (especially the south and east sides after a few of years), and we power wash the logs before restraining and
they go back to the yellow or light yellow.
We tired samples of Natural Tone, Cedar, and Amber on a raw piece of pine and the colors looked light yellow to light yellow with hint of reddish. However, when we tried all three samples on the logs themselves, all (even the natural tone) turned reddish, similar to the sample swatch of Cedar on this page. Why did the Natural Tone turn reddish? And which color would be best for Engelmann spruce, as I think it is a softwood? We are located in the mountains of rural Montana if that is a factor. Thank you for your help.
Colors vary based on the wood type and age. If you have red in your wood then the Natural will enhance that tone of the wood. Any color that you like will work. That is more of a preference on your side. There is not a “best” color for any wood type.
Thanks. We decided to go with Amber. Really appreciate your quick, informative response.
D.D.
I have a new deck that I will stain this year. After prep what color would you suggest to color match the rest of the house? The picture is part of the over hang and house. It doesn’t get much sun.
Maybe Chestnut or Sierra Redwood. Best to get some samples to test first: https://www.armstrongclarkstain.com/samples
Hi, I appreciate your great site! Accordingly I’m waiting until spring 2020 to RAD/clean/brighten my now 1 month old pressure treated pine deck boards. I’m anxious and want to order samples now, but first would like to narrow the options down. I really like the Mahogany color but understand the swatch is on IPE, so I imagine it may come out more orange when applied on PTP? So, do you have a color/mix recomendation for achieving the same reddish/brown as the Mahogany pictured here on your site, but on PTP boards? Is it even possible? Thank you!
Yes, more orange on pine. Look at Chestnut color.
I bought a house which has a neighbors fence on one side of the property. I think it is pressure treated pine wood. It appears to be an old fence which was never treated with any type of sealer or stain. I cleaned it with water and a stiff brush because it is a neighbors fence and I was concerned about putting chemicals on it. It looks like a new fence. I wanted to put a light stain on it and was considering either amber or semi transparent cedar. Which would you recommend? Also do I need to treat it with a brightener first?
No need to brighten now. Use the Amber color.
Last year we stained our mahogany wood deck with Mahogany stain. It needs to be stained again. Can I use a different color stain such as Amber or Black walnut. The deck is 30 years old and a southern exposure……
sun most of the day. Thanks……Linda
Strip and brighten for prep and then you can switch colors. https://www.armstrongclarkstain.com/restore-a-deck-stripper
I have a barn sided with tamarack (aka larch) last year. I’m ready to stain it, I’d like to maintain the beautiful color it has now or slightly darken it. What do you recommend?
Look at the Amber Color for this.
Here is my larch deck stained with their black Walnut. First stain 4 years ago was a light stain when it was new, overtime it darkened.
I have 2 new con-heart redwood good neighbor fences built (early July 2019). I live in Northern California. I want to preserve the wood before Winter. Questions:
1. Is it too soon to apply stain now?
2. I would like to maintain the natural redwood grain look. Which stain is recommended?
3. Local retailer, Kelly-Moore, sells your product, but 5 gallon pails are not in stock. Better to order through them, or this website?
4. Can you please confirm how much stain I should buy? Each fence is 77′ x 6′ and gates add an additional 200 SF. Both sides of each fence will be stained.
1. Yes: https://www.armstrongclarkstain.com/new-decking-and-armstrong-clark-stain
2. Any color that you like will work well!
3. Website.
4. For one coat on new wood about 6-8 Gallons.
My Brown Pressure Treated Deck is 1 year old…Parts of it are turning black…Any recommendations before I stain?
Prep with the RAD cleaner and brightener: https://www.armstrongclarkstain.com/restore-a-deck-kit
Is the price the same for the transparent and semi-transparent if not which one is more expensive?
Same price between the transparent and semi-transparent colors: https://www.armstrongclarkstain.com/wood-and-decking-stains
Pressure treated wood with Black Walnut. Easy application, great results. Use of stain pad was a great tool for quicker completion.
If i apply the black walnut to my Mahogany deck will I still see the grain? since it is an oil I would believe that I would but want to make sure. It is a second floor deck and I dont need to do any floorboards, however it is directly in the sun for a majority of the day.
Yes, it shows the wood grain as it is a semi-transparent stain.
Hi
First cost of AC Transparent Natural Tone applied yesterday to cedar cabana. See attached photo. Stain has dried. Looks great. Can I apply a 2nd coat on dry stain or only “wet on wet”. Please advise. Thanks
You do not need another coat. More is not better.
Can the hardwood colors be mixed to achieve the color we want? We are applying over new red oak porch flooring.
Thanks.
Yes, you can mix colors.
Can we do a coat of Amber on top of the already-done natural, or do we have to start over? Will the Amber have a yellowing effect? We have used other products that made the Mahogany look yellow, which we are trying to avoid.
The Natural would have to be stripped off. Amber is a golden color or tint. We do have sample for testing colors: https://www.armstrongclarkstain.com/samples
Second photo that didn’t upload.
What is wrong with our mahogany deck? We pressure washed, used the stripper and the brightener. This is result after we used Armstrong Clark–natural. We refinish our deck every year–stripping, brightening, sanding. We always use clear, natural products vs. with color or pigment. We would rather have the natural beauty of the wood and have to treat it every year than to use a stain with color. This is the first time that we have had this outcome, regardless of the products that we have used. What happened? Do we need to do the whole thing over again? Worth noting that we followed the instructions this year and didn’t sand, given that we were told last year that if we use brightener after the stripper, we should not need to sand.
It is because you used Natural color for an exotic hardwood deck. There are three colors for hardwoods: Amber, Mahogany, and Black walnut. Natural is very lightly tinted and does not have enough pigment to work correctly for Mahogany wood. The Amber color would have given the rich wet look needed for your wood type.
We are refinishing a covered Ipe balcony deck that faces east – very little direct sunlight. Mahogany color is too dark/ red, we want to keep the look of the ipe – so Natural or Amber ?
Amber. Natural is not a hardwood color for IPE.
What is your suggestion for staining pressure treated pine wood to achieve Rustic Brown to Black Walnut color? I attempted to stain horizontal pine fencing boards with Ready Seal Dark Walnut stain, but stain comes out super light on those boards, but true to color chart on 6×6 pressure treated posts. Any advice?
Either the Rustic Brown or the Black Walnut colors should work. Try some samples to test.
My deck is made of mahogany. What would be the difference between using your semi transparent stain (probably Natural Oak) and your hardwood/IPE color. Is one better than the other for a deck made of mahogany? What about the transparency? The most long-lasting?
The hardwood colors are designed for your wood type. Better to use one of them like Amber. They work better with UV protection and appearance.
What semi transparent color will look good on treated pine for my deck?
Any of them. Color are your choice and preference.
Chestnut semi transparent on pine deck.
Semi transparent chestnut
Do you have any photos of a deck done in semi trans chestnut
Yes, they are in the photo album.
*Pets = parts
I’m installing a cedar ceiling on my outdoor patio. 3 sides of the patio are bricks, and the floor is painted cool decking.
after I install the cedar and wait 3-4 months and then use the RAD to prep for staining, will either pets of the RAD damage, streak or otherwise alter the brick or cool deck?
is the RAD sprayed in and rinsed off?
It should not harm either. Apply the RAD, pressure wash off, then rinse.
I am going to be refinishing this 10 year old cedar fence that was previously stained a brown color. Would one of your semi–transparent colors work for such a project?
You will need to prep by removing the current stain with this kit and pressure washing: https://www.armstrongclarkstain.com/restore-a-deck-stripper
Building new garage with cedar ruff cut vertical channel siding ,rustic brown sample seems to match stain on house the best .
Would this be good stain to use? I am planning on using on house later when needed it is also cedar ruff cut vertical siding previously stained with Olympic no longer available
Yes, the Rustic Brown is a great color.
Sierra redwood semi transparent on 2.5 yr old deck. First stain application. Looks beautiful!
Some of the pics didn’t load on the first go
I intend to use your semi transparent stain on 1,000 sq ft of redwood deck. I’ve pressure washed and will sand before application. Any favorite color recommendations for redwood?
The house siding is rough sawn cedar stained red. I want to strip it and stain it the original brown. I’d like to try a chemical stripper before I resort to cob blasting, Any recommendations for a chemical stripper?
Thank you
Scott
All previous stain must be removed from deck and house. What brand and type of stain is on the house?
I understand about removing the existing stain. This is an estate property and no one to ask about previous coatings. I removed a large number of old stain cans from the property. It would appear from the old cans the siding top coat is likely Olympic Oil on the rough sawn cedar. The neighbors tell me it was originally a medium brown. No indication what brand the brown might be so best guess is Olympic Oil over another oil based product.
I see my options in order of preference as strip and return cedar to the original appearance via pressure washing, chemical stripping, sanding, or cob blasting (or some of all of the above).
Attempt to use a solid stain or paint to achieve the desired color.
Replace the siding with new cedar.
This is not my primary residence, but I will be there this week to see how resistant the stain is to removal.
The amount of work involved in removing the stain isn’t a deterrent so long as it can be done with a good outcome. When I refinish my log home, I sand it eves and all with a palm sander. Unfortunately the rough sawn doesn’t lend itself to that approach.
Suggestions welcome. I am sitting down to order some deck stain samples.
Send a better and close up picture of the siding stain when you have a chance.
Will do
Attached are pics of the cedar siding. I believe the top coat is Olympic oil based redwood. Under it is a thin coat of the original brown stain visible in the knot. Interior pic of cedar siding also attached. Same siding was used outside. Exterior window trim is redwood.
That cannot be stripped. It is a solid stain coating. You will need to corn cob blasting to remove.
My deck is around 15 years old. Two years ago, I used a product called Deck Over. Worst mistake ever. Peeled in about 7 months. (I live in Central Illinois). So I stripped and sanded every inch of this 400 ft deck. Applied Thompson’s stain and sealer, and the same thing happened. I am about at my wits end. Would this stuff work on my deck?
It will once you fully remove the Thompsons. Thanks!
What product would you recommend? My deck is pressure treated pine.
Any color that you like in the Armstrong Clark will work well for you.
I have a new deck that was built in August and not yet stained. It is pressure treated pine. What prep needs to be done and I am looking at the cedar colors. Would transparent be better to use or can I go with semi transparent?
See this for prep: https://www.armstrongclarkstain.com/restore-a-deck-kit
Use the semi-trans.
Thanks, Even if I use the transparent stain I need to do that prep? The deck is only a few months old. I am most likely going to go with redwood transparent after discussing it with my wife.
ALSO, We just had our front porch built with pine pressure treated wood. Would you advise a waiting period before staining it or will this product work on that kind of wood right away?
Yes, you have to prep.
https://www.armstrongclarkstain.com/new-decking-and-armstrong-clark-stain
I have a small cedar deck but some of the surrounding rails are pine. If I use semi-transparent mountain cedar will the colors look similar on the two different woods?
Yes, it should.
I HAVE BEEN USING ARMSTRONG CLARK HARDWOOD STAIN FOR OVER 10 YEARS MAHOGANY COLOR, IT IS THE BEST STAIN BY FAR, BEFOR I WENT THROUGH AS MANY AS 7 INCLUDING TIMBER OIL, ARBORCOAT THE WORST, PENOFIN NOT FAR BEHIND ARBORCOAT,SANDING AFTER EACH, NOW MY QUESTION IS I AM INSTALLING A NEW FRONT PORCH MOSTLY COVERED EXCEPT FOR STAIRS, CAN I USE A SEMI TRANSPARENT, OR SHOULD I STICK WITH THE ONE MADE FOR HARDWOOD,THANK YOU
What type of wood is the new porch?
My new poach will be mahogany
Stay with the hardwood colors.
I have rough cut posts and beams on my newly built porch. They’ve been in the Southern Arizona sun at 4700′ elevation for a 8 weeks now and the wood is very dry on the surface but a couple of posts drip sap. Can these be stained now to protect from the sun or should they be seasoned longer?
Longer. See this for tips: https://www.armstrongclarkstain.com/new-decking-and-armstrong-clark-stain
Sorry, just saw that is is rough sawn wood. You can stain that now.
I plan to use one of your semi-transparent stains on my deck. Coverage is only 150-200 sf? This is significantly less than most stains. Is this correct?
Also, can I use the black walnut on pressure treated wood?
That is correct and is an average amount for most brands of stain. Our coverages are more realistic and true than many other brands “suggestions”. Yes, you can use Black Walnut for treated pine.
This is some outdoor furniture that is at least 18 years old it’s been outside the entire time did the strip/brighten had to do some light sanding on areas that had hidden poly the used the hardwood/IPE Black Walnut
Nice! Thanks for sharing!
Beautiful Natural Oak Semi-Transparent Cedar Deck! Thanks Armstrong Clark Stains!
Great Job!
Can Colors be mixed (by the user) or tinted? I am trying to match another section of deck and the color is not in the stock pallet .
You can mixe the AC colors together but you cannot add tint to them.
Can the Semi-Transparent and Semi-Solids be mixed?
Yes.
And hard to tell from the Pics … Which has more red tone? Oxford Brown or Espresso.
Oxford has some red in it. Espresso does not.
I have your natural oak stain on my cedar shingle house siding and I love it. Would this stain also be suitable protection for my new doug fir front door?
Sorry but no.
I live in Virginia Beach, VA. Where is the nearest dealer?
I have vertical t&g cedar deck skirt stained with A-C semitransparent in 2015. Some boards have had to be replaced. How well will Chestnut or Rustic brown blend the new with the old when restaining the skirt with SP A-C?
There are not any dealers in VA but we can ship to you directly from our website. You will need to prep all wood and remove the previous coating to get the wood to blend better. New wood will always be slightly lighter in color as it is less absorbent.
Rustic brown turned out beautiful work done 8/15/18
The deck and dock are 2900 square feet. Some of the wood is new (replaced after last hurricane) and some is 3+ years old. How many gallons of semi transparent cedar would you recommend? Also can i do a section at a time with out it looking bad
You can break it up into sections but make sure it is a clean break at a deck board. You will need about 15 gallons for one coat of the AC. Give or take on the porosity of the wood.
Looking to use one of your products on a deck over fresh water.
Have already cleaned and prepped the dock
Will semi transparent cedar work
Yes, it will.
I am looking to use this to stain (mountain cedar semi-solid) and seal red cedar Adirondack chairs I am making. Will the color rub off on clothing after it dries.
Thank You,
Mark
When using a semi-solid on new wood, the wood will need to season outside fully exposed for 1 year and will need to be clean and brightened for prep after. If you do this correctly, it will fully cure and not rub off.
What color would be closest to oiled ipe on select grade pine ship lap siding?
Chestnut.
I am using mangaris boards for a wall-topper, what colors would you recommend?
You want a hardwood color. Amber, Mahogany, or Black Walnut.
I have jarrah wood, what would be the best color match?
You can use any of the 3 AC Hardwood colors. Amber, Mahogany, Black Walnut. Preference as to what color is up to you.
Can Driftwood be lightened to look more white?
Sorry but not it cannot.
Hello,
I have a mahogany panel wall on the exterior. Would this Oxford Brown take on the Mahogany?
No. You would need the Amber, Mahogany, or Black Walnut for mahogany wood.