Deck Stain and Priming

Questions & AnswersCategory: Wood Deck QuestionsDeck Stain and Priming
Michelle asked 10 years ago

Vertical and horizontal wood (old P.T. wood.) My question is; I used pressure treated wood that was clear coated on a deck and in garden as trim. I stained it after I was told that’s all I had to do. 2 years latter it pealed. So I stripped it. Then did wood prep. I am now going to try to re-stain it with a transparent stain or a solid stain with a self primer. On the can it says no primer needed on most woods, such as exterior redwood, cedar or cypress. And other bleeding woods. Do I need to prime pressure treated wood? Is pressure treated wood a bleeding wood?

Thank you in advance.

2 Answers
MagicDave answered.

You cannot STAIN over surfaces that have any sealers, dirt, wax, paint or any other "coatings" on them… STAIN needs to penetrate the surface, unlike paint which apples a film coating over it…

No priming is necessary or advised after stripping and before re-staining…

Wood that has been pressure treated simply has had chemicals added to it (under pressere) to give it more durability… and it has no bearing on "bleeding" … 99% of wood will not bleed after re-staining it from a stripped condition…

Crowder Painting answered.

The clear coat caused the peeling. It's amazing the stain lasted 2 years before peeling. Primer isn't needed for true stains. Follow the manufacture recommendations for the best results.

Pressure treated wood is not a bleeding wood. No need to worry about that.