Painting Tips
Can You Stain Over Stain? (The Honest Answer Is It Depends)
Quick answer: Sometimes. It works when the existing finish is penetrating, still sound, and you are going darker or staying in the same tone family.…
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Painting Tips
Tips, guides, and advice for painting contractors on pricing, estimating, and growing your business.
Painting Tips
Why Is My Deck Stain Peeling? (The Real Cause, and the Fix)
Quick answer: Deck stain peels because a film-forming product was applied over a surface that could not hold it: damp wood, a dirty or greasy…
Painting Tips
How to Strip Deck Stain (Without Wrecking the Wood)
Quick answer: To strip deck stain you apply a chemical deck stripper to a clean, wet-shaded surface, let it dwell for the time the label…
Painting Tips
How Long Does Stain Take to Dry? (Dry to Touch vs Recoat vs Cure)
Quick answer: There are three different times and confusing them causes most stain failures. Dry to touch is the fastest, the recoat window comes next,…
Painting Tips
How Often to Stain a House (Siding, Logs, and Exterior Wood)
Quick answer: There is no single interval. House staining frequency depends mostly on pigment level, sun exposure, and climate. As a general guide, vertical siding…
Painting Tips
When to Restain a Fence (Signs, Timing, and the Water Test)
Quick answer: Restain a fence when water stops beading on the wood, when the color has faded or greyed, or when the surface feels rough…
Painting Tips
How Long Does Deck Stain Last? (Realistic Lifespans by Stain Type)
Quick answer: Deck stain life varies widely. As a general guide, clear and lightly tinted finishes are the shortest lived, semi-transparent stains sit in the…
Painting Tips
How to Stain Pressure Treated Wood
Quick answer: The number one rule with pressure treated wood is patience. New pressure treated lumber comes soaked with treatment chemicals and moisture, and it…
Painting Tips
How to Stain Wood Stairs
Quick answer: Sand the stairs down to bare wood, vacuum every speck of dust, apply a pre-stain conditioner where the wood needs it, then stain…
Painting Tips
How to Stain a Butcher Block Countertop
Quick answer: The whole job hinges on one word: food-safe. Sand the butcher block through progressive grits to bare, clean wood, then either color it…