72 hours 1-2 hours before recoat. Wait 24-48 hours before light foot traffic. 72 hours for full cure. Additional dry time may be needed in cooler temperatures and higher humidity.

Oil-based stain can be kept for 1 year if the cans have been opened, but unopened cans will last 2 - 3 yrs. Water-based stain will last 1 year, if opened, and 2 years, if unopened. Oil-based varnishes will be good for 1 year, opened or unopened.

If applied too thickly, they won't dry properly and will remain tacky to the touch. This can also happen if the wood wasn't stripped and sanded completely down to bare wood, since the stain will sit on the surface rather than soaking into the wood.

Types of Wood Stains Solid wood stains: Just like regular paint, solid stains hide the grain of the wood, and the best should last three to five years on a deck, the longest of the three types of stains.

While it may seem like more is better, staining wood more times than necessary will cause more problems. When in doubt, do not apply more than two layers of stain to a wood deck or log home.

Give it a few more days to see if it improves. Another possibility is that the stain was old or came from a bad batch. In either case, if the tackiness doesn't go away, wipe the wood down with mineral spirits or naphtha to remove most of the stain, let it dry thoroughly, then try again using a fresh can of stain.

The opposite is actually true: Wood stains tend to appear lighter when they're fully dry. However, stains may darken as they weather and oxidize with age. Stains might also darken on surfaces left in direct sunlight, as UV rays can break down pigment particles and cause them to darken over time.

two coats We always recommend two coats of stain for any wood project, but you should only apply as much stain as the wood can absorb. Extremely dense hardwoods may only be able to absorb one coat of wood stain. The general rule of thumb is to apply only as much deck stain as the wood can absorb.

While it may seem like more is better, staining wood more times than necessary will cause more problems. When in doubt, do not apply more than two layers of stain to a wood deck or log home.

The general rule of thumb is to apply only as much deck stain as the wood can absorb. Typically this will be 2 coats, unless you are dealing with extremely dense hardwoods which may only be able to absorb 1 coat of wood stain. Watch this video to see more tips on how many coats of stain to apply.

Most oil-based stains must dry for at least 12 hours before they are exposed to any moisture/rain; however, Ready Seal, if properly applied to prepped and dried wood, can get wet within a couple of hours, and it won't wash away. Oil-based stains will generally take 24-72 hours to fully cure.

If you applied the stain correctly, and it still remained tacky, it could be due to rainy weather or high humidity. Give it a few more days to see if it improves. Another possibility is that the stain was old or came from a bad batch.