[nurselaurenc]

We stained our house with Behr water based stain last year and now it's peeling in the exposed, snow accumulation areas...mostly the tops of the railings. What do we have to do to make it actually protect the wood? We live in Park City, Utah, so the wood gets a lit of weather wear and tear.

 

[Gymschu]

Very, very rare for stain to PEEL. It sounds like it did not penetrate into the wood but rather laid on the wood like paint. To me a good stain repels water. If you see rain water beading up on your deck railings, the stain is being effective. If the rain is soaking into the wood, it has become ineffective. I won't get into the Behr product talk, but, to be perfectly honest, I have never had any luck with Behr paint products.

 

[jsheridan]

Who did the staining and how was it applied? What was the condition of the wood previously and what was done to prepare the surface for the now peeling coat?

 

[nurselaurenc]

We did the staining ourselves. We pressure washed and sanded the surface, but apparently didn't sand deep enough. We didn't use a wood prep solution.
The wood was fragile and soft prior to our sanding because the people that lived here before let it go and didn't take care of it. How do we fix this mess?

 

[Gymschu]

Nurselaura, it sound like the wood fibers in the railings have seen better days. It's almost like painting over dirt.......the stain simply did not penetrate or adhere. I would almost bet it's time for new railings.

 

[fubar79]

I have the exact same problem with behr stain. My deck is two years old, pressure treated wood. I let it dry out for one year, then prepped it with Behrs prep solution, then stained according to their instructions.

One year later it is coming off in strips. :furious: Pressure washed it today, it bubbled and blistered like crazy, but majority didnt come off so it looks horrible.

Will chemicals take this off? Or does it have to be sanded?

 

[Gymschu]

Fubar, chemicals will take it off, but, it makes for one heck of a mess. I'd give sanding a shot first. Be careful not to damage the wood. Since it seems the stain did not stick very well, I think you will be able to get the majority of it off.

 

[poppameth]

This has actually been a very common problem with Behr stain. Evidently they use Silicone in the product. It tends to fail terribly and peel like this. The silicon makes it a real chore to try and strip chemically. Sanding will definitely be the better route so long as it doesn't clog the sander up.

 

[fubar79]

Thanks for the replies. I should of just left it and let it peel slowly. It looks HORRIBLE after I attacked it with the pressure washer, so now I have to do something with it, when I should be working on the basement.

The deck is about 250 sf ft.... am I crazy to tackle this with my palm sander? Or should I rent a floor sander? What grit of paper?

 

[Matthewt1970]

I just finished getting all the Behr stain off my girlfriends deck. 40 grit and a palm sander seemed to be the best. You will be able to tell when you are down to good wood. The weaker strippers really don't work all that well and the really strong ones are quite nasty but do get the job done. You do need to neutralize the stripper afterwards.

 

[fubar79]

Thanks Matt, I will try the palm sander with 40 grit.

I don't know what stain to try next... the neighbour tried Benjamin Moore on his Cedar deck and its peeling off too. The only thing he can think of was it was too hot when he stained... and it dried before it could absorb into the wood.

 

[Matthewt1970]

Thanks Matt, I will try the palm sander with 40 grit.

I don't know what stain to try next... the neighbour tried Benjamin Moore on his Cedar deck and its peeling off too. The only thing he can think of was it was too hot when he stained... and it dried before it could absorb into the wood.

On walking surfaces you really want oil. Benjamin Moore still makes MooreWood which comes in semi-ransparent, semi-solid and solid stains.

 

[housepaintingny]

Rom what I've seen in person that's a common problem with Behr stain. We re finish a lot of decks every year that DIYers have applied Behr stain too and have had problems. First before applying stain the wood surface should have been Cleaned with a per carbonate, as per carbonate cleaners are gentle on wood and have no long term effects like bleach and chlorine, then followed with a brighter. A deck needs to be cleaned before sanding otherwise you are forcing mold, mildew, dirt, dead wood fibers back into the wood pores defeating the purpose. At this point with a stain peeling it would be best to strip and start fresh. I won't recommened any strippers as the strippers we use are caustic and need to be followed up with a neutralizer to return the woods ph back to normal. If you search online you can find some good stain strippers.