TWP Stains are to be applied "Wet on Wet" when the wood is absorbent enough to handle more than 1 coat of the stain. This is typically for wood and decking that is older than 12 months and has been exposed to the elements. Applying the TWP "wet on wet" is similar to applying 1.5 coats of stain. The second coat covers twice as much square footage as the first coat.
Applying TWP "wet on wet" is very easy and not complicated once you understand the simple steps.
How To Apply TWP Wood Stains "Wet On Wet" to a Deck:
- Apply the TWP to the verticals first. This would include the railings, benches, and any vertical walls.
- Lightly apply one coat of stain to the horizontal flooring. Apply to the entire floor surface. If your deck has multiple levels, do one level at a time before moving to the next level.
- Wearing shoes that are disposable, walk back onto the "wet" stain and reapply another coat to the "tops" of and railings, walls, and benches. You may walk on your first coat of stain 10 minutes after finishing.
- Apply your second coat of stain to the horizontal flooring. Take care to not step in or leave footprints in your second coat!
- Finish stairs last, repeating the above steps.
TWP Staining Tips
- Do not apply 2 coats of stain to new wood or decking.
- In most cases, a second coat only needs to be applied to horizontals as the verticals will last twice as long.
- Apply your second coat of stain within 10-60 minutes of the first coat.
- Watching for puddling on the floor. This usually happens under railings and benches.
- Wear shoes and clothes that are disposable.
- TWP Wood Stains can be applied with a stain pad, brush, roller, or sprayer.
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398 Comments on "TWP Stain Wet on Wet Application"
We just finished staining a deck (that was pressure washed and very dry). We used the wet on wet process and may have over-stained. 24 hours later the deck was tacky, slippery and very shiny in some places. We read other suggestions to use mineral spirits to remove the thick or shiny areas. As we were doing that some of the areas started to create “pill balls”. We then used a broom to sweep these off. Will this deck dry?
It sounds like it was really over applied if doing this. Continue to remove the excess and then leave it alone for a few days. It should be okay. Careful with those oily rags!
if my deck gets rained after 24 to 36 hours after application will it hurt the stain. it feels dry to touch after about 6 hours.
It will be fine.
Do you recommend staining the underside of an elevated deck?
And if so, what technique?
Only reason to do this would be for appearance. Use a stain pad.
I have a 20 year old deck that I applied Sikkens stain to every year after letting wood age for a year. Just sanded the entire deck, wood looks brand new. Live in Norther VA so plan on 1500 series. Can I apply wet on wet to the horizontal boards and single coat as described. Is brush or pad better way to apply.
Stain pad is best. Do a two coat wet on wet application.
I installed my treated pine fence last Aug. It is now 10 months later. Do I need to pressure wash the fence and deck prior to staining?
Will the fence take 1 coat or 2 to stain?
Can I apply stain to a fence that may be damp or should I wait a few days and let it dry out?
Prep with the Gemini Restore Kit and pressure washing. Apply the two coats wet on wet. The wood cannot be damp when applying the stain.
My (old wood) deck is all clean and ready to stain. I am applying TWP 1500 to it with a brush. It’s about 160 square feet. Is It okay for me to apply stain to a few boards at a time–doing the two coat, wet-on-wet treatment and work my way across the deck? Rather than trying to do the whole first coat at one time, and then the whole second coat? I don’t think I could get the second coat on in time if I tried to do it all at once. Thank you!
Hi Jane.
If you use a stain pad you could do the entire 160 sq feet of flooring in about 10 minutes. It applied better than a brush as well and you do it standing up when you attach to a pole. I would highly suggest using one of these.
To answer your question, yes you could do it this way but it is not optimal.
You can try to lightly recoat all and hope it soaks in evenly and without it being over applied. If that does not work, you will need to strip it off and start over.
Have applied single coat of TWP 1515 Honeytone sealent to a now 20 year old cedar deck. It seldom lasts more then two years. Will a wet to wet application of two coats last twice as long? I also remember trying to apply a wet to wet process and found it very difficult to apply the second coat prior to the first coat being try( it became sticky and took long to dry). How can you tell when to actually apply the second coat?
No, it does not lays twice as long but it will last longer. Almost always needs a second coat unless the wood is new or you are applying a light maintenace coat annualy.
Can I use TWP on an oak door that has been stripped and sanded?
You should be able to but the TWP cannot be top coated like many doors are.
No. Just leave as is. TWP is actually not supposed to bead water but shed water so it seems you may have over applied in the areas that is beading. Should not be a big deal though.
Only had enough time to do one coat on a deck before dark, couldn’t do the wet on wet application. What is the best course of action to get a second coat? Will it last OK with just one coat?
Leave as is for now and do a light coat in the Fall. For the prep, lightly rine with soapy water to remove any dirt.
I was interrupted while staining and have a portion that didn’t get the second wet-on-wet coat. It looks noticeably lighter. can I apply a second coat to this area after it dried?
It would be best to not do this right now. Wait until Fall and light wash to remove the dirt and apply the coat then.
Hi, I had 50 year old cedar poles sawn and made a deck out of it. The whole deck is rough sawn except the deck floor is smooth. What is the best TWP product to use on this. The 1500 series or the 100 series? Should I use one product on the rough sawn and one product on the smooth floor or what do you recommend? Thanks.
Same but you will have to weather and prep. See this about new smooth wood: https://www.twpstainhelp.com/prepping-new-wood-for-twp-stains/
So even if the wood was old and dried out prior to milling, I should still let it weather for the 4 months? And the 100 series is what you recommend for the whole deck?
That is correct. 100 or 1500 depending on if your state is limited to certain VOCs.
The 1500 series has offers the natural color I like, but its reccomending 100 series in which I would get the cedar tone. Is there a big difference in color between the two, and if I went to the 1500 series what are the drawbacks as compared to the 100 series?
101 Cedatone Natural is basically the same color as the TWP 1530 Natural.
What will happen if I stain fresh wood? I have a lot of boards that will be replaced on my 8 year old deck (yay for behr acrylic!). My deck needs to be refinished and stain this season. What is the worst that will happen to the new boards? Couldn’t I resand them by hand next year when I do an update coat on the entire deck?
Worst case scenario for not letting your new wood season is that you will strip and redo the entire deck next Spring. Spot sanding for prep will not work and sanding, in general, is not the best way to prep.
I have a small wood door that leads to my house crawl space (about 3′ x 2′) that currently has some old Cabot stain on it. I want to re-stain using TWP 100. It feels that purchasing a full stripping kit is kind of overkill for such a small surface area. Could I just sand the old stain away and apply TWP to the wood? It’s a vertical surface so it doesn’t take the pounding that the horizontal boards do. How do you suggest I re-stain the door? Thanks…
Yes, you can sand to remove the Cabot. Use a stain pad or brush to restain the door.
What nap roller should I use to apply twp 1530… 1/2 “ or 3/4”
Use a stain pad over a roller. Much better application and it allows you to “push” the TWP into the wood grain.
1. and 2. Please read this article on new wood: https://www.twpstainhelp.com/prepping-new-wood-for-twp-stains/
3. Semi-transparent
4. All the TWP colors do. Clear will not
Use the TWP 100 Series after the wait and prep.
I did the wet on wet application. It turned out great, however, if shows water spots and if you walk on deck with shoes it shows footprints and to get the dirt off you have to scrub it and wipe with bath towel to make it look nice. What did I do wrong.
I have a huge deck and it was brand new cedar 1 1/2 years ago. We only did one coat of stain after the deck had been on for 4 months.
Most likley it was over applied slightly and it has not fully cured yet. Once fully cured, you should not have anymore issues. Could be a week or two.
TEP 1500 was on my decks. Now another stain is over that. I was told to strip it off. How should I do that?
Hello, this is more of a question for the brand you used over the TWP and the type of stain it was. I would ask them.
Using TWP 101. Have shiny boards, which I am assuming means I applied to much stain. The deck boards are new but we prepped with a cleaner that removes mill glaze.
What do I do now to remove the excess stain?
See this: https://www.twpstainhelp.com/twp-stain-is-spotty-or-shiny/
What is the best sprayer to use for application to a large wood siding building? Is there an epoxy resin wood restorer and epoxy filler recommended for repairing weathered wood prior to application?
There is not an epoxy wood filler from TWP. Wood fillers allso will not “stain” with the TWP to blend. As for a sprayer, might want to try an ariless sprayer since it is a large building. Spray on first coat and back brush the second coat with a brush.
We have just finished sanding off a solid color stain from 1500 sq foot of deck (horrible experience), we used large belt sander and hand sander with 35 grit paper. Do we have to wait until spring to stain, and if so, should we use the cleaner and brightener now after sanding?
You can stain now but you should clean and brighten for the final prep.
When can I put my deck furniture on the deck after applying twp stain
When it is fully dry to the touch. About a day.
My deck is sticky after applying the stain wet on wet method. Other than stripping it, is there anything else that would eliminate the stickiness temporarily?
Wipe it all down with paint thinner and rags to remove the excess stain. This will help speed up the curing. Make sure to take all oily rags and saturate them in water. Lay the rags to dry flat and outside.
applied first coat last year, now going to prep and apply wet on wet With the Gemini prep, do we use it full strength?
Yes since you are doing the two coats this year.
Bes to stick with the same 1500 Series. If you do the new boards now, you will need to touch those new boards up with another coat in the Spring.
How soon can it get wet after application?
12-24 hours.
Thank you!!
What happens if it gets wet sooner? Does it stain the wood?
If the stain is still wet when a rain comes, it could create water spots all over the wood. Looks like white dots.
How soon after applying borate can I stain? Thanks.
Couple of days after it dries.
my deck has a 12″ cedar ‘skirting’ all around. Do you recommend doing “wet on wet” application on these vertical areas too. The deck is weathered ‘prepped’ cedar. all surfaces have been stripped.
Thank you.
Depends on how absorbent the wood is. If in doubt and older wood, best to do the two light coats.
I have a 6 month old, 400 sq foot deck made of Ponderosa pine on the West side of my house. Southern half gets full sun, Northern half is very shaded. Can you confirm we should only apply 1 application of TWP 100 at this time? Assuming we do 1 application now, when would the deck be ready for a wet-on-wet application (i.e.-12 months, 24 months, etc.)
1 Coat now. See this about new wood: https://www.twpstainhelp.com/prepping-new-wood-for-twp-stains/
I have a 8 year old deck which I have prepped by cleaning ,stripping , applying brightener. If I apply TWP 100 or TWP 1500 wet on wet this year – in 2/3 years time can I just apply TWP 100 / TWP 1500 directly on top? What would be the process to maintain it in subsequent years?
Prep when reapplying with the Gemini Restoe Kit. It is a cleaner/brightener prep.
I just added a pressure treated wood deck for our pool. How long should we wait to stain and seal? The deck is in full sun and exposed to wind. We live out in the country in northern Illinois.
See this articles about new wood: https://www.twpstainhelp.com/prepping-new-wood-for-twp-stains/
Hi there,
I have a pretty large deck, and there is no way I could finish staining it within the 60 minute window to do it again w/ the wet on wet method. Is it best to do the deck 1/2 at a time fully (both coats) and then do the other half?
Thanks
Yes, you can do this. Make sure you have a very distinct dividing line between the two sides.
When you say “Do not apply two coats of stain to new wood”, what qualifies as “new”? I installed a pressure treated deck July 2016, going to be staining with 1520 in August 2017. Deck is just starting to fade/gray from it’s green pressure treated state. Will clean with Gemini Restore-A-Deck. Will this be considered new? One coat or two?
That is not new now. Apply two light coats wet on wet.
My painting contractor applied one coats of TWP 100, the next day he offered to do a second coat. Is 24 hours a wrong time for a second coat?
if the wood is extremel dry you can apply a coat the next day but you have to be careful and make sure it fully soaks into the wood.
Can I apply a 3rd coat on dry? I applied wet on wet but on 1/3rd of the deck it is a lot darker than the other 2/3rd. You can see from pictures. I used Dark Oak
Hi Kurt,
We have replied to your previous questions on this. No, it is not a good idea to apply more now. It will not soak in correctly and create issues with drying and curing.
Can TWP be applied to a boathouse deck that has had many coats of Thompson Tinted Water Sealer? It has been power washed.
The Thompsons will have to be removed fully first before using the TWP.
Hi, i live in Costa Rica i am going to stain my deck with your product. The wood is like walnut (costa rican corteza amarilla). The wood was cut a month ago. What should i do? What are the steps? If i have to wait….should i use another product in the meanwhile? And when i have to stain do i have to sand all over again?
See this about new wood: https://www.twpstainhelp.com/prepping-new-wood-for-twp-stains/
I have a five month old deck build out of treated pine. Do I need to apply two coats of TWP 100 stain? I live in southwest Kentucky.
One coat for new wood. See this: https://www.twpstainhelp.com/prepping-new-wood-for-twp-stains/
Should I apply two coats of two 100 stain on my new deck that I have waited five months to stain. The wood is treated pine.
Hello, no the colors are not off or mis-labeled. You can intermix colors of the same series. See this for more info on colors: https://www.twpstainhelp.com/twp-100-color-choices-and-tips/
Hello,
Sorry you had issues with the application. It is unfortunately not possible to add more stain or spot fix this. It would be best to have them strip this off so it is down to the bare wood. Use the Restore A Deck Stain Stripper. Repeat if needed until all is removed. Brighten the wood after the stripping as well.
CAN I APPLY TWO COATS (WET ON WET) ON NEW CEDAR SIDING ON A SMALL SHED (600 SQ FT)?
See this about new wood: https://www.twpstainhelp.com/prepping-new-wood-for-twp-stains/
Just one coat.
I totally missed how to apply wet on wet and just did one coat yesterday…I assume it’s too late to apply another one now?
Hard to say. Sometimes it works fine and soaks in and other times it sets on on top of the wood and dries shiny.
I applied two coats to my deck wet on wet but did run out of stain for part of it. I want to order more stain for the part of the deck that only got one stain but it’s been a week. Wasn’t sure if the second coat would take as well now that it won’t be applied wet on wet.
It will not take very well after the stain has cured a week. Better to wait until next Spring to to it.
I’ll be staining a solid wood screening panel 96 feet long by 8 feet high. The wood is 10 years old. I used RAD products to strip and brighten it in prep for staining. Imwas planning to apply 2 coats of stain, but just read verticals only require one coat. How will I be able to tell if one coat is sufficient.
Depends on how porous and dried out the wood is. Probably could do two light coats applied wet on wet.
The dark spots around the nails means your nails are rusting and are not treated nails or lost their effectiveness. We would suggest to brighten again to remove the rust.
I keep responding to this but don’t see it after I refresh the page. If I brighten this again, I suspect that I would have to wait 48 hours again then have another 24 hours of dry after staining? what is the down-side to not re-brightening/
Yes on the wait. Probably will not turn out as well if you do not brighten.
Well, I had enough left to re-brighten. Now I’m asking for prayers to mother nature on the drying time! There’s got to be a better way!!!!
Minnesota does not leave us with enough “windows” of opportunity!
Due to Gemini product delivery delays, lost big window needed for prep and staining. The deck has been prepped since the 10th of July and now there is finally enough time for the deck to be dry for 48 hours and then stain and be dry again for 24. I have noticed that there are dark marks around where the nails are now. Do I have t o get more product to brighten the deck again and then wait again for proper drying times or can I still go ahead and stain today?
Why does it say to not do 2 coats on a new wood deck? I have a douglas fir deck at my cabin I’m staining with TWP 1500. I was going to do a wet-on-wet, until I read this. Why should I not?
New wood is not very absorbent. Applying too much of the TWP stain on new wood will result in the inability to soak into the wood grain. This will create curing issues and potential for premature failure.
Yes, you need wood to dry after prepping for 48 hours. It can take a rain within 24 hours after application of the stain.