Deck Staining Plan
Measure the railing separately — it is nearly half the job. Two coats maximum, and check the overnight low.
BFCBrilliance · bfcbrilliance.com/tools/deck-stain-calculator
The deck
- Date
- Deck length
- Deck width
- FLOOR AREA
- Railing length
- Railing type
- RAILING AREA
- Steps
- Stair width
- STEP AREA
- TOTAL AREA
- Coverage from the TIN
- Coats
- GALLONS
- Product
- Colour
Figures and rules
- Semi-transparent coverage
- 100-350 sq ft/gal (SW SuperDeck)
- Solid colour coverage
- 200-400 sq ft/gal (SW SuperDeck)
- ⚠ Old weathered wood
- needs MORE, not less — it is porous
- ⚠ Maximum coats
- TWO. A third will peel
- Semi-transparent second coat
- within 7 days of the first
- ⚠ After application
- must stay above 50F for 24 HOURS
- Semi-transparent needs
- BARE wood only
- Baluster railing
- about 4 sq ft per linear ft
- Solid panel railing
- 6 sq ft per linear ft (both faces)
- Cable / glass railing
- about 1.2 sq ft per linear ft
- Each step
- width x 1.5 ft (11 in tread + 7 in riser)
- Code — guard openings
- no 4 in sphere may pass (IRC R312.1.3)
- Typical 16x12 deck
- 376 sq ft total — 49% is rail and steps
Before the first coat
- Overnight low checked — above 50F for 24 hours after
- No rain forecast for 48 hours
- Deck cleaned, and mildew killed rather than coated over
- Old film-forming finish stripped, if using semi-transparent
- Sanded where the surface is furry or splintered
- New pressure-treated timber left to dry out first
- Test patch done on an out-of-the-way board
- Railing measured and included in the total
- Steps measured and included
- Enough stain for TWO coats bought in one batch
- Second coat planned within 7 days
The railing is nearly half the job
A 16x12 floor is 192 sq ft. Forty feet of baluster railing is 160, and four steps another 24 — 184 sq ft, or 49% of the total. Buying for the floor alone is the commonest way to run out.
Old wood drinks more, not less
The data sheet is explicit that new wood needs LESS product than old, weathered wood, because older wood is more porous. Nearly everyone guesses the other way round. On a deck that has been bare a few seasons, use the low end of the coverage range.
Two coats, never three
Stain penetrates; it does not build a film. Once the wood is saturated a third coat has nowhere to go and cures on the surface, where it peels. The solid-colour data sheet says do not apply more than two — this is the opposite of how paint behaves.