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Parent Category: Defy Stain Reviews, Articles, How-To Tips

Need Help applying or prepping for your Defy Stains?

DEFY wood and deck stain products are formulated with premium quality synthetic resins that resist mold and mildew growth, are easy to apply and are environmentally friendly.

We are here to help you achieve the best possible results with these Defy Stains:

  • Defy Extreme Stain (Most Popular Defy Stain)
  • Defy Epoxy Stain (Second Most Popular)
  • Defy Stains for Hardwood Decking such as IPE and Mahogany
  • Defy Original Synthetic Wood Finish

 

To help us give you some advice, please answer these stain application questions

  1. info buttonFinal color desired?
  2. What kind of wood do you have?
  3. New wood or old wood?
  4. Smooth wood or roughsawn?
  5. Has the wood been stained prior?
  6. Additional info?

 

In addition please ask any questions you may have on prepping for Defy Stains:

  • Defy Wood Cleaner
  • Defy Stain Stripper - When to use this over the cleaner?
  • Defy Wood Brightener

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    Cope Gates · 05/12/2022
    What prep is needed to apply the same defy stain 2 years later
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      thesealerstore · 05/13/2022
      Use the Defy Wood Cleaner and then the Defy Brightener.
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    Matt · 05/04/2022
    Recently bought a 30 year old house with vertical cedar siding.  Siding hasn't been stained or cleaned in probably 10 or 15 years.  Very neglected. I can only see hints of old stain near the roof line.  Would like to use Defy Extreme Stain--what would be the best way to prep?  Should I sand first?  Or use the stain stripper?  Or just cleaner and brightener?  Thank you!
    • We will reply to your comment shortly.
      thesealerstore · 05/04/2022
      Defy stripper and light pressure washing. When done, use the Defy Brightener. No need to sand.
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        Matt · 05/17/2022
        Thanks for answering my question from before!  Just wondering how long I can wait in between using defy stripper/brightener and then staining?  Planning to strip in brighten in one day...could I wait a couple of weeks before staining?  Or should I do it as soon as possible? Thanks!
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    Benjamin · 04/18/2022
    We had a large outlet box here. I wanted to replace it with a smaller one. I removed the large one and found it wasn’t stained beneath, so I stained it and tried to blend it but it came out darker when the new stain went over the old. How can I lighten this area to match the rest?
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    Aubrey · 10/27/2021
    I have an older pergola of western red cedar. I've stripped it back to bare wood. Should I use Extreme or Extreme Hardwood?
    • We will reply to your comment shortly.
      thesealerstore · 10/28/2021
      Either would work equally well for the pergola.
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    Kurt · 10/04/2021
    I have what looks like lines on my stairs. it looks like the stair received one coat and on the sides where the railings were they dripped and were brushed. Where the brush stopped it looks like more stain was left on the edges. how can I correct the line? Do I have to sand the steps and stain again? 
    • We will reply to your comment shortly.
      thesealerstore · 10/04/2021
      You will need to remove and start over.
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        Kurt · 10/04/2021
        is it I will need to strip, brighten and sand or just sand
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    Rob · 08/13/2021
    I stained front deck with defy cedar tone and too orange/bright. Will another coat darken it up a bit?
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    Brett · 07/29/2021
    I am going to use some Defy Extreme Stain Butternut stain to re-stain a grill table.  This is the same stain as before but this time I will have to remove the old stain and dirt/grease build up.   
    Can I just sand it down or do I need to use a wood cleaner and brush it first before sanding? 
    Or can I skip sanding entirely. 
     Should I skip cleaning and just use a stripper?
    After applying cleaner or stripper can I just sand or do I need to scrub with a brush?
    Thanks,
    • We will reply to your comment shortly.
      thesealerstore · 07/29/2021
      Strip and brighten for prep is the correct way. Pressure wash off the stripper, rinse the brightener.
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    Alexandra · 07/27/2021
    I tried to use a sprayer to apply this stain to a fence, but it didn’t come out evenly. The sprayer manufacturer recommends thinning. Can I thin the stain? And if so, with what?
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    Marcii · 07/16/2021
    Can anything be added to Light Walnut to make it even lighter (paint thinner)? If this is done will the stain still protect the wood?  Also if only Clear stain is used will this protect the wood or do you need to apply colored stain for more sun etc. protection?
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      thesealerstore · 07/17/2021
      No, you cannot add anything besides the Clear into the Light Walnut to lighten. The tinted colors will last 3 times longer than the Clear when it comes to UV protection.
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    Warren · 06/30/2021
    First pic is the worst part of southwest deck, next is the worst of the north deck, east side looks same as the north sideWARREN
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      thesealerstore · 07/01/2021
      You will have to power sand to remove this as stripping will not work here. Sand with 60-80 grit paper. After all is sanded off, use the Defy Wood Cleaner for the last prep before staining. Stain with the Defy Extreme in Light Walnut color.
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    Warren · 06/30/2021
    Our decks are all redwood but we’ve used many different stains over the years, darker each time. We want to sand off old finishes and start over, maybe with the light walnut color…two decks are covered, the largest one (8x36) is not and is on the south/southwest side, we do have shade from a shade cloth canopy but it still gets more sun than the others….we’d like them to look as close to natural redwood as possible and all match…any suggestions ?
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    Confused · 06/16/2021
    After using Defy Stain Stripper directions say to immediately use the brightener.  Please explain this.  Let the wood dry from washing the stripper off before using the brightener; Use the brightener while the wood is still wet (sweep some of the water off first), ?????
    • We will reply to your comment shortly.
      thesealerstore · 06/16/2021
      Apply the brightener as soon as you rinse the deck down after stripping, while wood is wet. You do not need to sweep off water.
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    D · 07/19/2020
    Hello Defy,

    I have a few of questions:

    1) I need to stain five 6x6 posts about 8ft in height and one support beam about 20ft in length. How much stain would I need? Is 1 gallon sufficient?
    2) Since these are vertical posts, would you recommend a pump or stain by hand?
    3) What would you recommend to do with wood checking with respect to staining?
    • We will reply to your comment shortly.
      thesealerstore · 07/19/2020
      1. We would need a total sq footage of all wood that is being stained added up.
      2. By hand.
      3. There is not anything you can do about checking. Just leave as is.
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    Prakash · 07/02/2020
    Hi, I have put 2 layers of Defy Extreme cedar stain a few weeks ago and the color is too light. How can I make it darker now that its already dried? Can i sand it a bit and apply another layer of it?

    Thanks in advance,
    Prakash
    • We will reply to your comment shortly.
      thesealerstore · 07/03/2020
      No, not now as it will not take. Best o wait until the Spring of next year. Prep with the Defy Wood Cleaner first.
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    Oakland Hills_JC · 07/02/2020
    We have outdoor teak furniture that is 3 months old - starting to loose a bit of its luster.
    Furniture is exposed to sunlight 4hr/day and we have a lot of moisture as we live in the hills in Oakland CA.
    We want to protect the teak from mold and also reduce the garying and being back a little of the golden color. What do you suggest?
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    Polly · 06/23/2020
    I have pressure treated wood on my deck-never been stained before-3 years of weathering.....I notice in your prep directions for using defy extreme you do not mention sanding the deck as part of the prep steps. Is this true and if so why not? TU
    • We will reply to your comment shortly.
      thesealerstore · 06/23/2020
      Sanding can reduce the stains ability to soak in.
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        Jackie · 10/31/2021
        I have weathered wood exterior stairs that I've cleaned and plan to use Defy brightener and stain.
        Our priority is preventing wood damage and postponing replacing the wood for as long a possible.  Cleaning and scrubbing has removed areas of soft wood on one of the railings. This railing looks/feels in need of sanding, but I don't want this to inhibit stain absorption. Could I sand in between coats of stain? 
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          thesealerstore · 11/01/2021
          Sanding reduces stain absorption, it does not help it to absorb better.
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    Ann · 06/09/2020
    We have an EZ Log garden shed that we put up in 2016. It is made of kiln-dried spruce that I treated with a water based wood preservative before putting it together. We have never painted or stained it. It has turned a bit grey (from UV I presume) and I would like to stain it. I think your Defy Extreme stain would be a good choice. I am trying to decide between the Natural Pine and the Cedar colors. Any advice?
    • We will reply to your comment shortly.
      thesealerstore · 06/10/2020
      Any color you like will work. Make sure to prep with the Defy Wood Cleaner and then the Brightener.
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    DC in BC · 06/01/2020
    I will be installing a new Western Red Cedar fence in a few weeks. I'm assuming the fence boards are rough so I can stain immediately without prep. Is the 2x4 cedar frame also considered "rough"? Should I apply 1 or 2 coats to the fence and is it required to spray both sides? Looking to use defy extreme butternut.
    • We will reply to your comment shortly.
      thesealerstore · 06/02/2020
      If rough sawn you can stain now. 2 coats wet on wet. Both sides.
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        DC in BC · 06/02/2020
        I know one side of the fence boards are rough sawn, but the frame looks pretty smooth. Here's a pic.
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    Prakash · 05/30/2020
    Final color desired? Cedar
    What kind of wood do you have? Pressure treated wood
    New wood or old wood? New wood
    Smooth wood or roughsawn? rough
    Has the wood been stained prior? Nope
    Additional info? I had bought Defy Extreme Cedar Tone and applied it yesterday in 2 coats. While the handrails have come in a nice dark shade, the floor looks very light. On the handrails, I was able to wait for 15 mins before 2nd coat while on the floors, it was about 5 mins. I also had to put in wood filler in a couple of holes and that shows very prominently after the stain. So, how can I make the floor darker to match the handrails and hide the filler spots?

    Thanks in advance,
    • We will reply to your comment shortly.
      thesealerstore · 05/30/2020
      Wood filler does not work on exterior wood not will it stain to blend with the Defy stain. There is not a way to fix the filler spots. As for darkening the floor, you will not be able to add another coat at this point as it will not be able to fully soak into the wood.
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    Amanda · 05/25/2020
    1. Cedar tone
    2. One deck with cedar, another deck with pressure treated wood.
    3. Old wood.
    4. Smooth.
    5. Yes, we’ve used your stain for years.
    6. We usually pressure wash our decks, let them dry fully, then apply defy extreme stain to them. However, it seems to only last a year in the high traffic areas. Is that normal? Is there anything we can do to extend this? Should we strip off all old stain before applying new stain? Thank you.
    • We will reply to your comment shortly.
      thesealerstore · 05/25/2020
      Strip it off down the bare wood this time and see if that helps with the longevity. Apply two coats wet on wet.
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        Amanda · 05/25/2020
        Will do. Thank you!
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    Anna · 04/08/2020
    Can I use this on Trek deck?
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    Jon · 09/21/2019
    Hi, I have ~800 square feet of new cedar deck. Maybe 825 with steps. How much of the defy extreme would you recommend in order to cover it all?
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    Mary · 08/24/2019
    Do you have a product that can be applied to a composite Deck? We have an original Trex decking and it has really faded.
    • We will reply to your comment shortly.
      thesealerstore · 08/24/2019
      Not that will enhance or stain the composite. There is a Defy Composite Sealer but it will not enhance the appearance.
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    Ike L · 05/16/2019
    Hello I am looking at your product to use on a brand new 800 square-foot mahogany deck. I was wondering what product and how much of the product you would recommend. My supplier of the wood has also suggested doing the sides the bottom and the top to reduce any swelling or shrinking. Your thoughts?
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    Vic · 05/13/2019
    Will Defy Stripper remove Thompson Water Seal oil base?
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    Brandon · 05/02/2019
    Stained with defy extreme 4 years ago. Some areas show greater wear than others as to be expected. Do I need to do a full strip then recoat? Or can I just use brightener then stain?
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      thesealerstore · 05/13/2019
      Sorry for the delay. Do a full strip and then brighten.
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    Whit · 01/19/2019
    What is the annual recommended maintenance of a properly stain deck?
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    Bill · 07/09/2018
    I have Defy semi transparent stain that I bought awhile ago. I have a 7 year old pressure treated smooth cedar fence that I want to use the stain on. The fence was never previously stained and has weathered accordingly. How many times do I apply your wood cleaner and how many times do I apply the brighener before applying the stain?
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      thesealerstore · 07/10/2018
      Just once each. Apply the cleaner and pressure wash off. Once done, apply the brightener and rinse this after 15 minutes.
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    Margie · 05/07/2018
    Then can we use butternut on the IPE?
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      thesealerstore · 05/07/2018
      That only comes in the Extreme version and that is not suggested for IPE wood.
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    Margie · 05/07/2018
    We’ve got an IPE deck that was stained with the hardwood Defy year before last. Now have an adjoining pressure treated deck that’s aged six months. Plan to use butternut color. Can we use the hardwood stain on the pressure treated? It would be easier to get the five gallon. Thanks.
    • We will reply to your comment shortly.
      opwdecks · 05/07/2018
      Yes but the Defy Hardwood does not come in Butternut color.
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        Margie · 06/05/2018
        The butternut test ended up a bit too red toned. So the light walnut hardwood is going on both. Thanks!