Can I Get Step By Step Instructions To Clean and Stain My Deck?

Hi ,

Sure. One of the best approaches for a new pressure treated deck is:

1. Lime Clean

2. Sand 35-50 grit.

2. Mountain XT Stain Base -(Dilute 1 quart per gallon with Pure Citrus or Corn Solvent)

Color selections could be Mountain Laurel, Mountain Laurel Deep or Butter Toffee these are all in the walnut ranges.

I would probably go with Mountain Laurel Deep since I like that color and it has the most colorant, thus the most protection from the sun.

But all of them hold up well and look great. Butter Toffee is also very popular.

This is the simplified approach. If you want to read more specifics here a couple links.

Washing new pressure treated with Lime Clean helps open the pores.
Adding some solvent to the Mountain XT Stain will help it soak deeper into the chemical treated wood.

Coating the board ends as much as possible will reduce splitting, since that is the fastest moisture escape.

This coating will allow the deck to acclimate to it’s new setting, drying out slowly, reducing warping, splitting and movement.

Whenever possible, coating all six sides of a boards can also help to reduce cupping and warping.
This is because wood dries out at different rates on different sides of the board. We try to help the moisture escape more evenly, which is very helpful for the wood.

Hope this helps.

Best wishes,

Tom