How To Remove Old Stain From A Wooden Deck Or Fence

At Clear Cut Painting, we get called to a lot of Ottawa homes to strip an existing stain from a client's deck or fence in hopes of restaining it. It can be a real headache for Ottawa homeowners to figure out how to go about stripping their deck or fence, so we figured we’d make a quick post outlining our process to strip decks and fences of existing stain so we can apply the new stain.

What Type Of Stain Are You Removing?

The first step we need to take is identifying which type of stain is on the wood that we’d like to strip. There are two types of products that it could be; it is either a water-based stain or an oil-based stain. Generally, a more transparent oil-based stain is easier to remove, and a more solid water-based stain is the toughest. Identifying what’s on your wood will give you a good idea of the amount of work and money it will take to remove, even though the process is very similar.

What Do I Need To Buy To Remove The Stain?

Wood stain removers can be purchased at your local Ottawa hardware store, and they all work rather similarly. It’s important to get the stripper, and not the cleaner. In our experience, 1 gallon of stripper will remove about 100 - 200 square feet of stain on a wood surface, depending on what type of stain you have on the wood already.

How Do I Apply The Chemical To My Wood

At Clear Cut Painting, we use a garden sprayer to apply a mist of the deck and fence stripper to the wood. It’s important to not let the stripper dry out, otherwise, it will not work in removing the stain from your deck or fence. A light misting every few minutes will do the trick. 

Time To Pressure Wash The Wood Fence o Or Deck

After the chemical has been sitting on the wood for about 15-30 minutes, we like to take a power washer and slowly start removing the stain. You can do this step using a wire brush or broom if you don't have access to a pressure washer. If all the stain isn’t removed from the surface, a second, and sometimes even third pass may be required to completely remove all the stain.

Use  A Wood Brightener

The next step is optional, but Clear Cut Painting recommends using a wood brightener to restore the natural look of the deck or fence’s wood prior to staining. The chemical stripper can darken the natural tone of the wood, and using a wood brightener can neutralize the chemical and restore the natural look of the wood, leading to a more professional finished product.

Time To Stain The Deck Or Fence!

After all this, you’re ready to stain your deck or fence, and have it look like a pro has done it! Contact Clear Cut Painting to get a free estimate on your deck or fence staining project today!