More Adventures in Deck Staining; Part 1

Well hallelujah! It DID get up into the 50s today. Of course, it took until after 3 PM before it did get that high, but I'll take it!

I was even able to do a little staining on the rail of the deck once the temperature crossed that 50 degree line. I managed to do the top rail's surface and sides all the way around the deck. I really wanted to get that much done before tomorrow afternoon's rains come. That wood has been washed and scrubbed and was super porous as a result.

The stain is Honey Brown by McCloskey (same folks that make the deck wash). I chose the Honey Brown because of the shade shown on the can and because the stuff we use on the logs is also called Honey Brown--that's by a different company, however and is most definitely a BROWN, albeit a light brown. McCloskey's Honey Brown came out of the can more of a Honey Mustard--that is it went on with a definite yellow tinge; mush more yellow than what was shown on the sample. I wasn't too pleased with that but figured it will protect the wood so I can live with it. Especially since it dried much less yellow than it went on wet. Besides, in a couple years when it has to be done again, I can always get a different, slightly darker shade. You can always go darker. It's going lighter that is difficult.

While I was doing the staining, Terry--who had returned from visiting her Mother and Daughter in New Jersey--washed the rail on the little front door porch and prepared dinner. It was too late to do the that rail once I had finished the big deck's rail so that will have to wait. At least the dust and grime have been removed.

Oh, dinner? Stir fried vegetables and shrimp. With a nice big slab of Mom's cherry cheesecake for desert.

Clear skies and no wind this evening. It's going to get cold again. The rain (1.5 inches of it) won't get here until late in the day. Plenty of time for the stain I just applied to dry. Especially since the wood just soaked it up like a sponge. Still, the low morning temps and the impending rain mean I won't be staining tomorrow or even Wednesday. If the rain ends Wednesday early, I might get to do some more staining on Friday. It all depends upon the unpredictable rain.