DEFY 5 Gallon Semi-Transparent Deck Stain for Hardwoods, Light Walnut

This made our bleeched out wood porches look beautiful and water resistant. Much better than the Thompson's Water Seal that we had used prior.

I've had an Ipe deck for about 12 years (it's actually Red Belau, which is very similar). After many years of using penetrating oil (all the top brands) I've slowly watched our once beautiful deck get darker and darker, to the point of almost being black, despite regular maintenance. It also seemed to be growing green slime quicker every year. (We live in Western Washington.)This year, after scouring the interwebs, I decided to try something new, and I'm SO GLAD I did. Here was my regimen, which I'll be using forever going forward:1. Pressure washed: Got off all the dirt, grime and green slime, like I normally do.2. Defy Stain Stripper: This was new for me and a critical step. Over the years, I've never used a stain that created a coating so I didn't think a Stain Stripper was necessary. But I realized that the penetrating oil I'd been using over the years had created a sort of coating of its own that needed to be removed. The stripper pulled years of built up oil out from the wood and you could see the dark red and brown being washed away. (I scrubbed it with a push broom before hosing it off, just to loosen up more stuff.)3. Defy Wood Brightener: This is something I've done before and did it again this year. Lightens the wood up another shade but, more importantly, it resets the PH balance of the wood to its natural state so it accepts the stain better.4. Defy Extreme Stain for Hardwoods: This product was also new to me this year, and again, critical to the success of my project. I bought 3 gallons each of both the Cedar and Light Walnut colors. I tested them on an inconspicuous board and honestly, I could barely tell the difference between them. Maybe due to the age of my deck, I dunno, but since they were essentially identical and both beautiful, I mixed the colors together in a 5-gallon bucket and went for it.The results? Amazing. I never thought I'd get my deck back to anything close to its original state, but this stain (and general approach) did the trick beyond my wildest dreams. Hopefully it holds up well over the winter. Next year I'll just clean, brighten, apply more stain (without pressure washing or stripping).The photos show my progress about halfway through, so you can see the difference.

Our deck is mahogany and we needed to buy a stain specifically made for hardwoods. This is easy to use and went on way smoother than a lot of products I've encountered in the past. Our deck has a ton of sun exposure and we get a lot of snow, plus some spring storms, so I don't expect this to last forever, but it certainly seems to be doing the job so far. It's only been down for about 6 weeks.This does have a reddish cast to it, but not overly so. If used on cedar it will definitely bring out a brighter orange-y color, but that's the nature of that material and you don't need to use a hardwood formula for that anyway. I wanted to go with this color because I wanted something relatively neutral. Mahogany wouldn't have been my choice for a deck in the first place (the previous owners installed that), but this color looks really nice in my opinion.Follow directions very closely! We did a DIY refinish and washed thoroughly with teak cleaner and teak brightener (again because it's formulated for hardwoods). This stain is easiest to apply by pouring it in a paint tray and using a broomstick with a soft/feathered bristle head like the ones made for washing cars. Trust me—get one of those for $8 and you'll be so happy you did! Apply sparingly or, like all deck stains, you WILL end up with a sticky surface and then you'll have to deal with that huge headache.

Great product... bought 4 gallons to do my upper deckin back of house. Loved the results so much decided to restain my other 2 deck with same product so bought 20 more gallons in 5 gal pails (about 2500 sqft). Really nice results after stripping deck with Hydrogen Peroxide. Sure hope is lasts for several years with same look. I think it will... The rain is just beading right up on the cedar.Oh yes, as per instructions, i used a garden pressure sprayer to apply... WOW that was a life saver. Super even application... no hands & knees brushing

I have used this product 4 prior times on my IPE deck. It's much more transparent than expected and needs 3 coats to create an even look. I went with the Cedar, but should have tried the light Walnut. I don't remember prior years being so transparent. Labeling is different, maybe the recipe is too. They say when it no longer beads water it needs a maintenance coat. Well that is 2 or 3 months later. With a maintenance coat in fall you can get 3 years out of it. If not the 2nd year will look pretty bad half way thru summer. Wish I went with a stamped concrete patio. Although my IPE deck looks like furniture when I'm done, it is a LOT of work.

Did a great job

I was disappointed in the color. I was searching for a pine stain. Something natural looking like pine wood. This product has a yellowish gold stain not what I wanted.

This stain is amazing! We just had a new deck installed last year, and we used this product to seal and stain it. It looks amazing!!! It is worth the extra money spent over Thompson’s. Is a much better seal and stain. Highly recommend. Amazon shipped quickly, as well.

This stain is somewhat pricy!! But, definitely worth every penny!!