What kind of wood stain should I use for my pool deck?

Petroleum/oil based stains will penetrate and provide you with the best finish and durability with this. I personally and professionally prefer Cabot's Brand stains and they have both a water and oil based decking stains for you to consider. . . both are excellent, but again, I suggest you go with the oil base on this being around the pool and it's being subjected to alot of chemically enhanced water and the elements. Cabots website is http://www.cabotstain.com/ and the site offers alot of reference materials for the do-it-yourselfer.

Also, Lowe's features Cabots.

Mike Lonergan

TradesProfessional, Inc.

http://www.tradesprofessional.com/

Wood Pool Deck

Oil based is the only stain that will protect the wood...do NOT stain it dark, for it will get very hot in the sun! Brush on with the wood decking boards, starting at one end and completely to the other end of each board or 2..otherwise, you will get nasty looking job (been there, done that). Do 2 or there deck boards at once, making sure that the stain is even as you go...it isn't just a stain, it is a sealer also! Allow 2-3 days to dry...should NOT be tacky in any way when it is dry. And remember, moving deck furniture may scratch the finish, so try to protect the deck from being scratched with some kind of leg protectors on chairs, etc. I prefer Bear brand, but I suppose any brand will work in the same manner...I do not like Thompsons, for it is too heavy and gives a plastic looking finish. Goldwing

Deck Around Pool

Todays treated lumber doesn't have to sit and dry as long as the older stuff did, and is safer as well. Let it dry in the sunlight for a few days, and use a penetrating exterior stain, either solid or semi transparent , whichever you prefer. Do NOT use a polyurethane. It will be very slippery when wet or snow covered. I use a product called "X-100". It can be pressure washed off in the future [don't use too high a pressure or it will raise wood fibers] if you decide to change colors, and only require re-coating every 5-7 years, rather than every 2 years like "Sikkens" products [which need to be stripped off]. Everyone has their own preference, both of these products are outstanding as far as quality goes, where Thompsons is mediocre. Both can be found at a paint supply store, and sometimes at home centers.

dont powerwash the wood seeing thats going to raise the grain. just go around it and scrub it clean with deck cleaner.

let it dry.

you need 3 sunny days for the stain to dry so..

Oil based stain is the best and DONT thin it out with thinner.

use a natural bristle brush to apply the stain not a roller. rollers cause odd markings with stain.

dry overnight..

and boom! BBQ time!

You've gotten good answers so far. However, use a semi-transparent stain not solid. It'll weather nicely and you won't have to do any sanding or scraping when you reapply stain in the futrue. As for brands, I use "Superdeck" from OSH. It's reasonbly priced and I've had good results with it so far. Good Luck