How long will your can of Armstrong Clark stain last?
You might find that when you’ve finished that big staining project, that you’re left with a bunch of Armstrong Clark stain left over. It would be a shame to throw it away, wouldn’t it? If you intend to store it, then there are a few things you should know first. Armstrong Clark deck stains are designed to be usable for a long time so long as they are stored correctly.
Unopened containers of Armstrong stains – just like regular paint – have a shelf-life of up to 3-4 years as long as they are stored in a temperature controlled room. So if you didn’t have enough time to finish your project this year then there’s no reason to worry – you can use the stain at a later date.
A more common problem is that you have already opened the can of stain and it is now only half-used. What can you do in this case? Armstrong Clark stains can last up to 12+ months if stored correctly with the lid tightly sealed. If the substance has contact with the air, the solvents will evaporate and you won’t be able to use your stain again. When properly stored, you will not need to buy another tin, saving you money in the long-run.
Things to note when storing Armstrong Clare stains
- The ideal environment for storing the AC stain is a cool, dry room with a steady temperature. Try not to expose the cans to sunlight
- Make sure the lid is 100% sealed. No air gaps
- Do not store where it can freeze
Armstrong Clark wood and deck stains can help you save money by providing quality products. The tips in this article are suggestions, if you follow them, you will increase the shelf-life of your oil-based stains greatly.
Hi, I just used a 2 yrs old opened (AC Semi transparent natural oak) product on a small deck to test. Although it had been resealed and stored in my basement, no film or crust and it mixed well with a drill attachment, I think it had passed its prime. The boards beaded after a light rain (48hrs cure at sunny 25C) but after raining all night some areas were not beading. I still see some oily spots brought out with the midday sun and the pigment rubs off. I will order new products for the big deck. What should I do with the small deck? Will cleaning and brightening again allow a new coat to be absorbed? Or at least remove the surface oil and pigment from leaching? Thanks!
Strip and brighten: https://www.armstrongclarkstain.com/restore-a-deck-stripper
I bought 5 gallons of simi-transparent stain 3-1/2 years ago. I used half and put the remaining in a new plastic pail from Menards with a food grade cover. When I opened it up it looks great. I mixed it like crazy with an electric drill but when I used it there were a lot of fine solid particles that settled to the bottom of the paint pan. What are these particles? Would more mixing melt them into the liquid? Will the stain performance be degraded if I use the stain as is with the particles.
It has gone bad. Shelf life when opened is 12 months.
What is the lowest temp you can store AC stain?
40s
stained our deck last fall, stored the remaining stain in the original 5 gallon can. When I opened the can there was a very thin skin on the top of the stain. After stirring, the stain looked fine in the can but the skin simmed to stick together in the stain. Is my stain any good to use this spring?
No, once it has skinned over it has gone bad.
I’ve read that to use a pressure washer on a pressure treated lumber is should have no more than 500-600 PSI. Is this true and if not what size pressure washer would you recommend that would limit the possibility of doing damage to the deck?
That is not true. You can use 1200-1600 psi. Pressure washers that are rated higher can still be used. For example, a 3000 psi pressure washer is only 3000 psi when right at the top. When it is 8-12 inches away, it will lose more than 1/2 of its pressure. Always use a proper deck cleaner or deck stripper while pressure washing so you can use less pressure. https://www.armstrongclarkstain.com/restore-a-deck-kit
I have a gallon of stain that I left outside accidentally this winter. Any chance it’s still good/worth checking or does freezing definitely kill it? Thanks
More than likely it has gone bad if it frooze.
I’ve used the stain for years and it has been regularly subjected to -20 degree winters. Have not noticed any negative effects. I did however transfer the 5 gallon bucket to new one gallon cans as the buckets are a pain as you can’t stir them without taking off the lid, which is sketchy to reseal. Empty gallon cans are about $4 at Menards. A whole easier when dealing with $250 worth of product.
i stained a covered deck on friday , monday now and it still has wet spots . must have over applied stain , how should i go about getting it to dry . has not been over 55 degrees where job was done .
Wipe it down with rags and mineral spirits to remove excess stain. Saturate all oily rags in water and then lay flat to dry outside when done.
First coat is on. LOOKs great. When should the second coat go on? Newly sanded deck all old other stain is off. So another coat tomorrow and then in 2-3 years?
If it looks good then do not add a second coat. Redo every 2-3 years.
how much time between applications?
Every 2-3 years on a deck is normal.
What happens if the weather forecast was wrong and it started raining 2 hours after I finished staining my deck with the semi-transparent cedar stain?
No way to tell until the rainwater dries off the deck. If it looks okay then no worries. If uneven and blotchy, send some pics.
How can I return unopened (and still in the box) 5-gal container, and is there a restocking fee? It has been in a controlled environment for 9 months. Great product. Thanks.
You can see our policy here: https://www.armstrongclarkstain.com/refund
Sorry but we cannot accept a return from 9 months ago.
Dumb question, how do you reseal the 5 gallon lid? I had to use a screw driver to pry up the tabs?
You cannot reseal it. Best to get a couple of empty gallon containers and store it in them. They sell them at any paint store.
Hi! Purchased a 5 gallon pail for a large cedar deck. Thought we’d need to order more but the coverage is insane! We’re going to probably have 3-4 gallons left over. Can we store the remaining in the pail? We will of course hammer down the sides and make sure it’s tightly sealed. I guess just concerned about the air at the top of the pail? We probably won’t be using it again until next fall for The second coat. Do we have to open and stir every few months? Amazing product by the way, we are incredibly impressed! 🙂
As the article above explains, opened stain will not last more than 12 months or so. If using next Fall, you should be okay as long as it is airtight fully.
I have about 1.5 gal of my original 5 gal natural oak semi-trans pail from Fall 2017. Though it’s been stored well, it’s still got some clumping going on. Any way to strain or salvage that old leftover stain and/or combine with the fresh leftover gallon I have from my freshly-utilized 5 gal pail? Or should I just add cat litter, trash it, and chalk it up to “oh well, use it sooner next time, dummy?”
(Also: before > RAD cleaned/brightened > after photos on 4 yr old SYP. Bee-you-tiful!)
Sorry but no, it has gone bad.
I would like to know if a gallon can of semi-transparent stain is opened for 30-45 minutes at a time on numerous occasions over a 2 month period and never exposed to sunlight will the stain still be good if the lid is tightly sealed after each use and can kept at a temperature of 72 degrees, 55% humidity?
It should be okay.
We have a 5 year old Western Red Cedar (WRC) deck as well as WRC soffits, fascia and a considerable amount of WRC siding on our Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada home (zone 3 for you gardeners). All cedar was originally stained with the same competitor’s cedar semi-transparent stain which was had a beautiful appearance when first applied. The vertical surfaces have stood up well, even on south exposures, but the deck surfaces had to be re-stained after one season. The deck was stripped, brightened and re-stained with Armstrong-Clark semi-transparent cedar 3 years ago. It has stood up well but I was never knocked out by the color as it has a much more yellow hue than the original stain we used. Your transparent Redwood appears to be a much better match to the rest of the cedar on the house. Will your redwood transparent stain be sufficiently pigmented to prevent graying of a south exposure deck surfaces. I assume I’ll have to strip or sand the semi-transparent cedar stain off the deck surface before applying the transparent stain.
Strip and brighten for the prep. The semi-transparent colors have better UV protection than transparent colors. You are better off with one of those for a deck.
CAn you clarify :
A more common problem is that you have already opened the can of stain and it is now only half-used. What can you do in this case? Armstrong Clark stains can last up to 12+ months if stored correctly with the lid tightly sealed. If the substance has contact with the air, the solvents will evaporate and you won’t be able to use your stain again. When properly stored, you will not need to buy another tin, saving you money in the long-run.
If the can is now only half used…the stain has of course been exposed to the air….even though it says you won’t be able to use your stain again….it says it will last up to 12+ months if stored correctly with the lid tightly sealed.
After using, store with a lid so it is not evaporating and you will be fine for 12 months.
Thanks…that clears it up!
My deck is on the North side of my home in MN, so it doesn’t ever get really hot & dry. It is pressure treated lumber and I have never treated it with anything. There is mildew where the sun never gets on it. Will it be good enough to use and follow your directions for “restore a deck” products before applying your stain, or do I need additional steps?
Nothing else is needed. Prep and stain.
I stored a previously opened 5 gal pail of semi-solid AC stain in my garage in Massachusetts for 3 years. I had 3-4 gallons left in the pail. I added more than a quart of paint thinner before re-sealing the pail. Our winters easily get down to the 20 degree range, sometimes single digits. I stripped and brightened the deck. I re-opened the can, added a little more thinner, mixed thoroughly and reused the stain with excellent results. I did not notice any color deterioration. The stain spread easily.
Is it normal that brand new cans look like they have been resealed? I just got my shipment of 8 gallons about 20 minutes ago via UPS to Canada and it looks like 4 of the 8 cans have been opened/resealed as the top isn’t flat (see pic). I’m concerned that they have been tampered with, and whether or not I should use them.
They have not been resealed or tampered with by any means. That is just a dent during shipping.
Hi, I stained my new PTP deck after 12 months of weathering with Sierra Redwood semi. Looks absolutely gorgeous, exactly what I was looking for. This is now year 2. My question is: do I need to put a maintainance coat on the whole deck, or just the horizontal surfaces?
Just horizontals are good.
How can I tell if my stain is still good. I stored it in a plastic pail in the garage. The weather was cold in the winter … how can I test to see if it is still useable?
Open it up and check for skinning or clumping of the stain. If none, mix well and make sure it is 100% fluid. If so, you should be okay to use it.
Thanks so much!
I bought a 5-gallon tin of Mahagony to stain my ipé deck. It had been treated one year ago with Penofin (horrible stuff). I first pressure washed the wood, although I know this isn’t advisable. The job is finished and I used only a gallon of stain at most. I found that it makes no sense to flood the wood because ipé is so hard that not much stain penetrates and you end up going through dozens of rags wiping the excess off. Does it make sense to apply a second coat now that the first coat has cured? Or should I wait a year and stain it again? I am hesitant to power wash it again because it damages the wood by fuzzing up the grain.
Wait a year. AC cannot be back wiped as well. Must be applied and let to fully dry.
Two Questions:
1. I ordered 7 gallons of Semi-transparent Cedar last year to stain my new deck (after waiting 6 months to let the wood cure), but only used 5 gallons. It’s time to put on a second coat. Should I plan on using 5 gallons again or assume that the wood won’t soak up as much and therefore plan on using only 4 gallons?
2. Can I mix last year’s 2 gallons with the new stain I eventually will order?
Thanks,
Gene, Fort Lauderdale FL
1. the coverage is slightly better when you have a base coat.
2. Yes as long as it has not gone bad by freezing, etc. It should be fine if stored correctly.
I ordered a 5 gallon can and based upon having completed half the job, I will have more than 3 gallons left. Are you saying that I need to pour the remaining 3 gallons into another container so that the container is filled up to the top? No air gap means no air between the surface of the stain and the top of the can?
BTW, I was concerned about my choice of the Mahogany stain for my 15 year old Ipe deck – it has been impossible to find a stain that matches the ‘wet look’ of clean wood. My worries dissolved this morning when it rained and the untreated deck color was the same as the treated section. Just amazing!
You can have air gaps but the lid will need to be 100% closed so there is not any airflow going in and out of the container. Glad it turned out great!
hi can you store the stain also in a plastic container or bottle?
Yes, in a plastic 5-gallon pail.
thanks
how long to dry
4-12 hours.
Hello,
My deck is 16′ x 20′, I’m staining only the floor boards, no rails or steps. I believe the wood is maple. Can you tell me if one gallon of semi transparent stain may get the job done? I read that an opened can will only store for a year and I don’t intend to be redoing this job again for at least 2 yrs. (Awful expierience removing Behr deckover that failed me twice) I’m pretty much outta dough and at my limit of labor to put into it for a little while anyway. I plan on getting the brightener and stain as i still have plenty of Behr cleaner .I’d really hate to have to have any stain go to waste, and was wondering what your thoughts are? Thanks so much for your advice.
For two coats, you will need 2-3 gallons.
What stain is on the deck in your photo?
Which photo?
We are staining a pressure treated deck we installed in November. We would like this same look.
That is Cedar Semi-Transparent on clear (no knots) cedar wood.