Please pardon mismatched pages as we do a little renovating of our own.

How to Stain a Deck

You'll find a few methods of how to stain a deck out there and arguments for each method.

I prefer to do my deck cleaning and staining in mid-spring.
The temperature is not too hot, the bugs aren't out yet (to land in and get stuck on your newly stained wood!) and it will look brand new all deck-season long.
Try to pick a couple days when rain isn't predicted. It's best to let that stain dry for a day before it gets wet.

As in most outdoor structures, your deck can be made of cedar, redwood or pressure treated pine.
Once you know how to stain a deck, you should plan on doing it every 2 to 3 years to keep it looking great.
A neglected deck can start to splinter and get quite rough. Although it's tempting, I don't recommend sanding.
Other than sanding just the real sharp burs and large splinters that look like they could impale a foot, sanding takes too much wood off and makes the surface uneven.
If you have a pressure treated deck, be sure you are wearing a face mask and gloves. That dust is toxic (another good reason not to sand).
If you decide to do some sanding, be sure you countersink the screws some in the area to be sanded. Sandpaper will also sand off the galvanizing and the screws will rust so get them below the surface of the boards.

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Unless this is a brand new deck, the first step in how to stain a deck is first cleaning a deck.
You will see many ready-made deck cleaning compounds on the market and they work fine. Some of them screw onto your garden hose to make for easy application.
Personally, I find an oxygen based bleach (like OxiClean) solution of 40%bleach to 60% water works just fine and is usually cheaper.
Chlorine bleaches can be used in the same ratio but they tend to turn the boards white if left on too long and then you must rely completely on your stain for the color.

I do not recommend a pressure washer. They do a great job cleaning but also gouge and damage wood if you aren't very careful. Be sure to use a fan tip if you go this route and use it at a 3000psi.

Using good ol' elbow grease and your bleach water solution along with a stiff brush - a long handle attached will save your back.

get the surface of your deck wet first then scrub the solution into the wood.
By the time you've covered the entire area, you can rinse it off and get ready to stain the deck.

How to Stain a Deck

A semi transparent stain will allow the wood grain to show through while still giving great color and coverage.

Some people with a newer cedar or redwood deck prefer clear stain.

You'll want to wet down the deck if it isn't still wet from the deck cleaning.
The stain will penetrate better this way. A good, wide brush is the best and most effective way to stain a deck that I have found. You can really work it into the grain and that prevents you from having to make this an annual chore.

A roller can be used for faster coverage but it just doesn't get into the fiber of the wood as much as a brush, not to mention the stain that drips between the boards onto whatever is under the floor.
Same for a sprayer.

Try for even coverage. The flat surfaces are the ones that will have the rain water pooling on it so spend more time on them than on the rails.

When you are done, a 24 hour dry time should be sufficient. Now when water hits the surface it will bead up letting you know the stain is in good condition.

To help keep your deck in good condition, consider using plant stands or trivets of some kind to keep the pots off of the wood.

Check out some great looking container gardens for some ideas.

For a bit of shade or to make your deck a little cozier consider putting up a pergola following these steps. Or learn how to build a trellis to get some good climbing vines to give you some privacy.

I hope these steps on how to stain a deck encourage you to keep up with the maintenance of your deck to avoid weather damage.

Enjoy!