Choosing Armstrong Clark Oil Based Wood Stains will ensure lasting beauty and protection for all your exterior wood surfaces. Backed by five generations of experience in oil-based coatings and cutting edge technology, Armstrong Clark Wood Stains will not only meet your wood protection needs but far exceed them.
Determine the square footage area of the surface you plan to stain. On decks be sure not only to measure the floor but also railings, spindles, steps and all areas that you are planning to stain. Armstrong-Clark Deck and Siding Stains will cover approximately 150-200 sq. ft. per gallon depending on age and wood porosity.
The Armstrong Clark Staining Instructions
Armstrong Clark Deck and Siding Stains come in many different colors and tones. Keep in mind that the actual color results can vary depending on the type, age, condition, and porosity of the wood. Color samples are available if needed.
Prior to using any of the Armstrong Clark Wood Stains it is important to prepare the wood surface properly so the stain will perform as expected. See the RAD Wood Cleaner or Stain Stripper products for properly cleaning the wood surface prior to staining.
Allow the wood surface to dry 1-2 days after it has been cleaned and prepped. Be sure no rain is expected on the day of staining and for 3-4 hours after application so the stain can cure properly.
To apply Armstrong Clark Deck Stain you can use a roller, brush, stain pad, or airless sprayer. Mix the stain thoroughly prior to use. Unlike other stains, Armstrong Deck Stain can be applied in direct sunlight and on hot days. If the first application of stain penetrates within 30 minutes another coat can be applied for added protection.
If applying by sprayer, use a roller or brush to go over the sprayed areas for a more even appearance. After 24 hours use a dry rag to remove any remaining puddles or glossy areas.
Armstrong Clark Wood Stain is environmentally friendly and does not contain an offensive odor. It is easy to apply and very user-friendly. Enhancing the appearance of your deck and giving it lasting protection is the best investment you can make and Armstrong Clark Oil Based Wood Stains makes it easy.
Need Help with Materials Needed? Ask Below with your sq footage.
How to Calculate Square Footage
Deck Sq. Footage
Flooring Length x width =?
Railing Length x height =?
Steps Width x Depth x #of Steps =?
Add up all 3 for the Total Sq. footage.
Fence Sq. Footage
Length x height =?
Multiply x 2 for both sides = Total Sq. Footage
Coverage Rate for AC Stains
The specified coverage rate for Armstrong Clark is 150-250 square feet per gallon for the first coat. Second will apply at 200-300 per gallon. This averages to about 100-125 sq. feet per gallon for 2 coats wet on wet. From this, and from measuring the surface you can calculate how much stain you need. For more aged wood you could easily factor in some extra stain. On newer wood that is still smooth and dense, you probably are not going to use as much.
Note: Hardwood Decking spreads about twice as far. 300-400 sq feet per gallon and only 1 coat.
For maintenance coats you are not going to use near as much stain as you did initially staining bare wood. There are just way too many variables to know the exact coverage rate. There is really no way of knowing exactly how much stain you will need. It is better to buy more than you need than to not have enough. You can always save left over stain for next time. Armstrong Clark has a shelf life of 1 year if opened and 3 years unopened as long as the can is properly resealed.
Hardwood colors.
We recently stained our deck (new redwood – con common) and now a milky/waxy residue is forming. What is this and how do we rectify it?
What’s the lowest temp recommended for staining?
50 Degrees F
What temperature does it have to be when applying to rough sawn? How long does it need to be at that temperature to cure before putting it outside in the cold (35-45 degrees)?
50 plus degrees. Should be at that temp for 4-6 hours and cannot drop below freezing the first night after applying.
We want to stain it in our garage.
The daytime temperatures are only in the 40s F now. Can we apply stain at that temperature? It is new wood that we have sanded and want to sand it in our garage.
The temp is too low plus see here about new wood: https://www.armstrongclarkstain.com/new-decking-and-armstrong-clark-stain
Just reapplied Armstrong Clark mahogany to my front porch floor (which is not mahogany but one of the wood species often substituted for mahogany). All good there. But I decided to also apply it to my oak front door threshold trying to make it better match the porch floor. Big mistake. Compared to the porch floor, the oak threshold is screaming orange. What are my options? If my only option is to strip it off and go with another color stain, how long do I have to wait before I can strip off the new stain from the oak threshold? (I imagine if I tried to do it before it cures it will just make a mess). In the alternative, could I wait for some period and then put a darker color Armstrong Clark stain over the mahogany one on the oak threshold? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.
You will have to remove it and you cannot top coat it. As for stripping, you can do that now or later, it will not matter. Your biggest issue will be trying to prevent the stripper from getting on the floor which we assume is right below. This would not be easy to prevent. Extremely well tarped and taped off would need to be done.
You may want to remove the door to strip. Make sure to brighten after. https://www.armstrongclarkstain.com/restore-a-deck-stripper
2 years ago I applied 2 coats Behr Redwood color semi-transparent stain to a new redwood deck. I applied it to all 6 sides of each plank before assembling the deck planks. After 6 months the stain began peeling off the horizontal surfaces and getting mildew. I complained to Home Depot and Behr sent me replacement deck prep and stain. I sanded off the peeling stain, used the deck prep, and carefully brushed on. 6 months later, same problem. I’ve given up on Behr stain. My brother-in-law is very happy with the Armstrong Clark stain, so that’s what I’ll use. I’ve sanded off the peeling stain from the horizontal surfaces. My question is, what do I need to do to prep for new stain? And what should I do about the vertical surfaces with good Behr water-based stain?
You would have to fully remove all the Beher before using the AC. Strip and sand to remove from the verticals. Brighenere after. Clean and brighten the floors for final prep after the sanding. Just one coat of the AC after all is is prepped and free of the Behr.
I applied your Oak semi-transparent stain/sealer this past summer to my outdoor deck and I would like to know if it will hurt anything if I use a soft bristle brush to lightly scrub the deck using water only to remove dirt and grime before winter sets in?
If you scrub too hard you may remove some of the stain. Best to just do alight water rinse.
Got first coat on. Didn’t cover old section to my liking. Been 4 days, rain beads water, today nice sponge moped deck to remove standing water. OK to do second coat?
Do a test board and make sure it does and cures correctly after a few days.
I just purchased the Black Walnut sample from opw and love it. We’re going to be stripping Sikkens off of Ash beams. I plan to strip with Restore a deck Stripper/Brightener Kit. Will the Restore a deck remove all the stain or will I need to sand after? I want to get to bare wood color so it matches additional beams going in. About how often will ash need reapplication if it gets full afternoon sun exposure and rain exposure?
We would need to see some pictures.
Sorry it took so long. Here are is a photo of the installed beams. We have more we’re adding that are still bare wood. I want to address these first while the weather is still warm.
Use the Stripper with both additives. If needed, spot sand and stubborn stain that does not come off. Brightener last.
Thank you! How often do you estimate they’ll need reapplication?
Every 3-5 years.
Does the wood need prepping if it’s brand new cedar?
See here for new wood tips: https://www.armstrongclarkstain.com/new-decking-and-armstrong-clark-stain
Here are pictures of the project. To my previous post.
Shannon Parham
I would like to use your semi-transparent rustic brown stain on our newly installed eastern red cedar screened porch. We installed cedar w the rough side showing. We haven’t installed the screens or the trim yet as I was going to stain before installing the screen. Now that I realize I will need to order the stain, I want to know if I can go ahead and install the screen and trim work and then stain all of the new wood at one time. Will it be difficult to stain around the screen or where the cedar trim meets the cedar siding to cause lap marks or darkening?
I also want to confirm that it is okay to stain the cedar now without waiting months.
Thank you,
Shannon Parham
Jackson, MS
You will need to weather and then prep the wood. See here for tips: https://www.armstrongclarkstain.com/new-decking-and-armstrong-clark-stain
You can stain around the screen later.
We live in the foothills of Western North Carolina. We have a covered cedar porch that is over 20 years old that has only had Sikkens on it which has been sanded but in the knots stain would not come off. Should we also strip it or would just cleaning it with the RAD cleaner and brightener be sufficient? Also what stain would you recommend in a semi- transparent? How do you calculate how much stain you need?
We would need to see pictures for prep help. Any color that you like in the AC will work. Use the calculator on this page for help with amounts to buy.
Samples of our deck
Use the RAD Cleaner/Brightener kit: https://www.armstrongclarkstain.com/restore-a-deck-kit
New deck built in June. Water is still beading. I can stain now or will need to wait to spring. What do you suggest?
Wait until Spring: https://www.armstrongclarkstain.com/new-decking-and-armstrong-clark-stain
How long do I have to wait after I clean and wash down the deck before staining. Does it need to be completely dry throughout the board or is a little moisture ok?
48 hours after prep. Has to be totally dry.
Hi, I am about to install new Redwood deck boards and rail. I will probably be done just a few weeks before it starts raining and the temperature drops to 57° day / 35° F at night. Should I wait till after the winter to stain with your Semi-Transparent Redoood Sierra?
Yes, see here about new wood: https://www.armstrongclarkstain.com/new-decking-and-armstrong-clark-stain
What airless spray gun tip size is recommended for applying the semi-transparent product? I’m trying to decide between .011 and .013.
Either is fine but we like the wider fan spray.
If the new deck after weathering been freshly sanded, does is still needs to be cleaned with the cleaner?
Clean and then brightened.
I have cleaned my Armstrong previously stain deck with bleach solution as per CA instructions, brightened with RAD and stained after 48 hour dry time.
I am four board lengths away from being done and have been on hold due to rain. I have a 24 hour dry time window and am concerned that this does not meet the 48 hour period. I have to go out of town and the temperatures are dropping.
i want thoughts on staining 24 hours after rain.
Probably not dry enough.
I can wait until I have a 48 hour dry period. Temperatures will be high in mid60’s and lows at night in mid forties. I can apply on sunny day. Need one hour to finish. You’d thoughts.
Temps are okay.
How do we deal with morning condensation?
You cannot apply to a damp deck so it has to dry off.
I stained my railings with your semi-transparent stain. Unfortunately I later found drips of stain on the composite deck boards under the railing. How can I best remove these stain spots from the composite (trex) deck boards?
Try a deck stain stripper.
I applied a semi-solid stain (one coat) 4 days ago. Although it looks like it soaked in and seems dry, a bit of stain comes off if I run a rag over it. So I wiped my entire deck with a rag and tried to take off the “excess” stain.
Is this normal? And how long before it will completely set? Or did we do something wrong and need to start over again (we sanded an existing deck prior to application).
You can take a rag and mineral spirits to wipe off the excess stain that has not soaked in. Saturate all oily rags in water and lay flat to dry outside.
Thanks for such a quick response. Can you clarify “Saturate all oily rags in water and lay flat to dry outside”? Is this part of what I need to do for the deck? I appreciate it.
After you are down wiping it down you do this to avoid spontaneous combustion.
Sorry for the additional question… can you use paint thinner or does it have to be mineral spirits? I just don’t want to strip the stain off the wood
Yes.
My new deck has been aging for 3 months and has been cleaned and dried for 2 days but my moisture meter is giving me 13.2%-16.2% readings. Should I continue to let the wood dry before applying this stain or is that an acceptable range?
That is fine. Just one coat.
Any special instructions using deck stain on shingles?
No, just apply.
I used your stain this spring, with the RAD cleaning system. Now at the end of the summer the deck is looking dark almost dirty. How would you recomend cleaning it
Warm water with a little bit of dish soap. Lightly clean with a car wash brush.
I bought a 5 gallon can of your transparent natural tone to use on my pressure treated stairs and walls….Great product by the way,best exterior sealer/stain I have ever used….I just sealed it beginning of September, did not want to go too heavy so just did 1 coat, can I seal again in the spring if I clean it well? Also I have 2 1/2 gallons left what is best way to store it? Plastic gallon cans or metal ? figured smaller cans would have less air than leaving it in 5 gallon pail it came in….And if I need to purchase more in the spring can I just get a gallon and mix it in with what I have left over from this year? Thanks so much your website and product are great !!!!
You can stain again in spring. Store in plastic or metal, just make sure it is closed fully. You can mix together.
After staining my deck, how do I maintain it and clean the mold off?
Mild soap and water.
When installing a new IPE deck, should I not stain before assembly? In other words. Finish deck, wait several months, RAD clean and brighten and only stain exposed surfaces. Don’t worry about the unexposed sides and end cuts? No problem with cupping or checking at ends?
Just exposed wood after weathering and prep: https://www.armstrongclarkstain.com/new-decking-and-armstrong-clark-stain
and is it the general consensus that applying end grain wax sealer is not beneficial in reducing end checking?
Obviously I’d like to do less work by both not staining unexposed sides and not wax sealing the end cuts. Thanks for the help.
No need to use an end grain sealer.
We are restoring old wooden garage doors. the doors were previously stained and painted over multiple times. Due to the texture of the surface, it is quite difficult to sand it back completely. The stain we tried is Nature Oak. It looks a bit patchy. Not sure because we didn’t mix the sample well, didn’t use the right technique or something. Can you give some tips? also Nature Oak turned out a lot darker than expected (we also tried nature tone which is similar in darkness) Thanks
this may be a better picture for the color of the door (lots of different types of wood used).
The color and the patchiness is due to the age of the wood and how you are prepping. The only way to get it even would be to sand it all evenly to 80-100 Grit. The AC cannot be applied over old coatings/paint so you will need to remove it all.
Thank you so much for the quick reply! Regarding staining wood after sanding, is there any difference between staining freshly sanded wood vs staining wood that was sanded weeks ago? Specially exterior wood like my garage door? The stained squares in pic were sanded multiple weeks ago.
We plan on staining our deck with the Driftwood stain. It is an old deck, we have power-washed, and are doing a bit of sanding in places. We have many plants, furniture, and a grill on this deck. We were hoping to do the staining in sections. Is there any downfall to doing a section, waiting for it to dry and cure, and then continuing on a different section in a few days or a week later?
Do all at once so it blends evenly is the proper way.
i have just sanded deck and will be applying your transparent neutral. Can or should I give it a wet on wet second coat
Just one coat since you sanded.
Also that light spot is sunshine
We are wondering if we should do another coat of the driftwood- it soaked in very quickly. We are about 18 hours out.
Maybe but make sure the second coat soaks in fully. Do a test spot and see how it dries in a few hours or so.
When using semi transparent or semi solid, why is a second coat recommended if the stain has a protective barrier?
I am not sure what you mean? Seconds coats are needed for older and more absorbent wood to achieve proper uniformity and protection and would be applied wet on wet. It has nothing to do with a “protective” barrier.
Thanks for the prompt response. How long do I wait after the first coat before applying the second coat?
Deck is 12 x12 with a 3 x 15 walkway. Don’t have a sprayer – can I use a brush or roller?
Wet on wet. 20-60 minutes after the first coat. Use a stain pad or brush, not a roller. About 2 gallons for 2 coats. The semi-solids will only need one coat.
I have a gallon of Behr Wood Cleaner Brightener, Conditioner. Can I use this instead of RAD? How long do I wait before applying stain?
No, the Behr is not a good prep. Wait 48 hours after prep to stain.
I’m ready to start staining the deck. The old paint and stain has been sanded off using 60 grit. Do I have to use the complete 2 step RAD or can I use just the brightner? I’m going to order the semi-solid stain. Will one gallon be enough – deck is 12 x 12, walkway 3 x 15, 4 steps.
Use both RAD steps if you have them as the stain will soak in better.
Unfortunately my forecast does not have three straight days of sun. Can I clean and brighten o. day, then have rain, wait just one dry day and then apply the stain? Will it be okay if it rains the next day?
a
No, 48 hours after prep or rain is needed.
Should I tape off my metal balusters? I’ve got the semi-transparent rustic brown with black balusters. I’m considering spraying the stain which will have a lot of overspray- but I may brush/roll it.
You should tape if you spray.
I have a new IPE deck installed. I would like to use airless sprayer because of the size of deck (1300sf), to be more efficient. Your instructions advice spray and buff with pad. However, you also advice NOT to use spray on IPE with AC hardwood in the Q&A section. Can I spray thin coat and buff with pad?
Not with ipe. A good stain pad to floor brush would be best for an even application. Also, did you weather and prep the new IPE wood? https://www.armstrongclarkstain.com/new-decking-and-armstrong-clark-stain
Good afternoon. I stained our deck boards 52 hrs after a rainstorm, last week. I had previously stained the balusters.
I used Transp. Nat. Tone 1 coat, as recommended. The deck boards in the far left of the pictures soaked in the stain rapidly, within 20-30 min., and appeared dry. They were. The rest of the deck was the same for the entire process. My question is should I wait until spring to put a second coat down, as I have seen in other posts, or now?
The balusters and rails appear more the color I had hoped for. It is much lighter and I stirred often. See enclosed pics, before and after.
Thanks
We would apply another coat now.
Thanks. Will do.
Is it due to the color difference, that it dried so quickly, or some other reason? Also would the pigments penetrate the wood so deep I can’t see them?
It looks like a combo of not prepping as well as you could and not getting enough stain on.
Thanks. However, if you look at my thread in the Prepping Instructions, I asked the question about my prep and included the before and after pictures and was told it looked good. I asked about sanding since I wasn’t sure. The response was not necessary.
What further could I have done?
How long will a solid deck stain last in the Pacific Northwest on a southern exposure? Is 5-7 years accurate?
Armstrong does not come in a solid stain and no stain will last more than a few years on a deck.
I have the 5 gallon stain container that has a metal top. I presume that has to be removed to stir it well. I can’t find a device even online to remove the lid. Any recommendations?
Pry up the tabs with a screwdriver.
I’ve previously used your semi-transparent cedar colored wood stain on my cedar fence and loved it. I’m currently building a covered patio in my back yard, and though the posts will get wrapped in cedar, there are 2 fairly massive glulam beams (see attached picture) that I also want to stain.
I believe they are fir, which I’ve been told can be a little blotchy when staining. My question is, can I use a wood conditioner after sanding and before applying your stain? If so, is there one you recommend?
Follow up question: The very ends of the beams (the part with the curves cut in) are going to be outside of the cover / exposed to the elements. Is there a wax or some other type of seal you would recommend for these areas (especially the end cuts)? I’m hoping to avoid a sheen of any kind…
Thanks!
Hello,
We did respond to you this AM via email with this:
——–
No, you cannot use a wood conditioner first and yes, fir can stain blotchy sometimes. We do not have any wax or end cut sealers. Not sure what would work of if even needed.
Thanks
Ok thanks for letting me know. Would you not recommend your stain for fir glulams or….?
It will work but not sure if it will be blotchy on the fir or not.
What type of roller should I use on rough cut lumber? What type on normal smooth pressure treated boards? Is it better to use a sprayer on either? If so what tip? I’m using natural tone.
Use an exterior stain pad or brush for both areas. Rollers do not work very well.
I have stripped and brightened IPE deck. dried for a few days. when I applied my samples that I ordered, I am at 48 hours plus drying and if I wipe it with a white rag color comes off. It won’t fully dry. 100% positive I didn’t over apply. I have concerns about using the product now. Do you recommend apply by brush or pad? I used brush, it looks great, it just wont dry fully, color continues to run from the samples.
Just one coat on IPE and yes it will dry and cure, just takes time-based on weather and temps. You can also wipe off any excess stain 24 hours after applying to help speed up the curing process.
I have an Ipe deck that is partially covered and partially exposed to the weather. Entire deck has been cleaned and brightened with RAD Step 1 and RAD Step 2. Due to high temperatures and constant rain it has now been 4 weeks since Step 2 on the main part of the deck. Using AC for Hardwoods Amber to stain Ipe. Should I perform Step 2 prior to staining?
I was able to stain railing and trim within 2 weeks of previous Step 2 but have noticed now with all the rain that it is spotted with water marks. How can I fix it and what can prevent it in the future? Thanks.
Do a light cleaning and brightener for the prep again before applying to the floors. Not sure what you mean about the watermarks. Can you post a picture?
We’re in Philadelphia.
Our deck is pressure treated pine, at least 15 years old, and may have never been stained. It was coated with a lot of dirt and algae, so we brushed it with oxi-clean and detergent and then pressure washed it. One coat of AC semi-transparent natural oak stain soaked in fast and was basically dry within about a half hour. We didn’t have enough to do a second coat then, so we ordered more. It’s been about a week. If we get enough dry days in a row to have the wood dry out from rain, should we put a second coat on now? We could wait until next year, but then there would be more cleaning to do than if we do it now. It looks good but we just want to make sure it’s well protected.
Post a picture or two.
This is about an hour after the tropical storm passed through.
We would suggest to leave as is and lightly prep/wash in spring and add a coat then.
We stained a new cedar deck (4 months old) with AC semi-transparent cedar. Unfortunately we forgot the AC instructions to not wipe and used rags to remove any liquid stain soon after application. Deck looks great but now we’re concerned about durability of the finish and protection of the wood. It’s been 3+ days since application. How may we address this? Apply a second coat now, after 3 days? Wait until next season and apply a maintenance coat?
Since it is new wood it will most likely not be able to take another coat now. Best to just wait until next year. Prep again and stain.
1)How long does the stain have to sit before wiping off?
2)Do I just do a spot large enough so I can reach the entire spot to wipe off then move and stain another section wipe and continue until done or stain the whole deck, 1000sqft then go back to the beginning and start wiping it off?
3) does it need to be wiped off?
4) I am doing two colors dark and lighter which one do I put down first?
AC is not a wiping “off” stain. You would only do this if after 24 hours if there is excess that has not cured or dried. You cannot do two different colors on the same wood or boards. There would be no reason as the darker will dominate and could create issues if you do two different colors on the same board.
Maybe I was unclear with the two different colors. I have two boards wide perimeter and two boards down the center creating four distinct sections. I am doing the boarder and the center dividing boards one color and inside on the four sections the other color. Like the photo shows. This is my deck after I built it two years ago before stain, just washed off with water. I am wanting it to have a similar look after using AC.
Okay, do the lighter color first.
Stained PT deck yesterday with Rustic Brown semi-trans – love the color. Stain went on well on a sunny day in the low 90’s. Started around 10 AM yesterday, finished around 5:30 PM. No wet spots at all this morning. Questions:
(1) is it safe to walk on now? It’s been 18-24 hrs.
(2) When I take a dry white rag and rub a small spot on the surface, I see a VERY faint brown spot on the rag. I assume this is normal and will go away with time?
(3) Chance of rain later today (24+ hours after staining). Do I need to do anything before it rains, like wipe it down with a dry rag? Again: no wetness at all this morning, and it’s hot and sunny again.
Thanks,
Greg M.
1. As long as it is dry to the touch.
2. Yes, it has not cured fully yet.
3. No, Rain actually will help it to cure and remove any excess stain.
Four days since staining, I assume it’s ok to put furniture back on deck?
As long as it is cured and dry, yes.
It’s definitely dry since it’s been four days since staining. How do I tell if it’s cured?
Is there a “standard” amount of time to wait after staining before putting furniture back?
Thanks.
You should be fine to put furniture on now.
Thank you.