Home Exterior Stains
Stains in general, as well as deck stains have been a problematic item of paint contracting challenges within the past few years. More specifically, these projects are more challenging. This is due to new strict regulations went into effect limiting the amount of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) in paint. Let’s get into a little bit more about home exterior stains.
As a house painter in Westchester County, New York, I have been looking for a stain product that protects and beautifies wood surfaces, resists mildew, has an easy application, can withstand the elements, and more importantly, it’s environmentally safe. One of the good products we have had success with is Benjamin Moore Arborcoat Stains®. Our painting crew loves the way it lays out and has been applying it for most of our new wood staining projects. Sherwin Williams also makes good stains called Woodscapes and Deckscapes for siding and decking respectively.
Arborcoat
Arborcoat Stain® comes in Transparent, Semi Transparent, Semi-Solid, and Solid. It is 100% acrylic, formulated to penetrate and protect the wood, resists abrasion, and beautifies wood surfaces on deck, siding, and fence. The fact that it is 100% acrylic makes it a perfect solution for mildew prone areas and surfaces. Arborcoat Stain® may be applied to new and pressure-treated lumber and is ideal for soft wood such as cedar and pine. However, I’d avoid using it on hardwood such as mahogany, ipe, and oak.
Additionally, one major characteristic I like about Arborcoat Stain® is its ease of application and hiding property on solid colors. But, the transparent and semi-transparent Arboarcoat Stains® have to be top coated with Arborcoat clear protection coat (636). This is a low-luster protective coat which protects the stained surface against weathering elements. The good news is that this clear coat can be applied on the same day as you stain the deck.
Finally, for the maintenance of transparent and semi-transparent surfaces, Benjamin Moore recommends washing the surface lightly and applying a coat of clear protective (636) each year to keep the wood looking beautiful and structurally sound.
For more information on Arborcoat visit the Benjamin Moore website at www.benjaminmoore.com
