Finding the Perfect Deck Stain Color
Hi, I’m Scott Paul, a licensed exterior restoration contractor with over 30 years of experience and 10,000+ deck restorations. This guide to choosing deck stain color samples is based on my own hands-on field experience, not manufacturer claims.
Deck stain color choice is a crucial decision for many deck owners. Once the stain soaks into the wood, it’s difficult to reverse your decision. You can find the color choice of most any stain printed on the stain container label. You may also order or pick up color swatches at your local stain store or go online to view the different color charts.
- Swatches and pictures are unreliable for choosing deck stain colors, as the final result often looks surprisingly different once applied to real wood.
- Wood porosity, age, and type significantly affect the final stain color, especially with transparent and semi-transparent stains, causing results to vary widely.
- Small deck stain color samples (1.5 to 2 oz.) let you test colors like TWP, Defy, Armstrong Clark, and Penofin directly on your deck.
- Sample costs apply toward a full 5-gallon pail purchase from the same site, making the samples virtually free when you buy.
Table of Contents
- Why Swatches and Pictures Aren’t Reliable
- How Your Wood Affects the Final Color
- The Solution: Deck Stain Color Samples
- FAQ
Why Swatches and Pictures Aren’t Reliable
The difficulty with choosing a stain color from a picture or swatch is that it’s only a close representation of what the color might look like. For example, some color tones are lighter in appearance than others due to the opacity of the deck stain. Many deck owners have been shocked by how different the color ended up being once they applied it to their deck, but it was too late.
How Your Wood Affects the Final Color
The trouble with deck stain, especially the more transparent and semi-transparent stains, is that the color can vary widely from deck to deck. The porosity, age, and type of wood will all play a role in the final color result, and many times it can be far from what you thought it would be.
The best way to know exactly what the deck stain will look like on your deck is to have the actual stain so you can do a test spot. Unfortunately, it isn’t feasible to purchase multiple cans of deck stain so you can sample them all to find the right look. That would be extremely expensive and a waste of resources. But now there’s a way.
The Solution: Deck Stain Color Samples
You can order small deck stain samples (1.5–2 oz.) to test on your deck until you find the exact color you want. Color samples for major deck stain brands like TWP, Defy, Armstrong Clark, Messmers, Penofin, and Wood Tux are available for purchase.
For a small fee, you can order as many deck stain color samples as you’d like. Once you decide to purchase the stain from that same site, the money you spent on color samples goes toward the purchase of a 5-gallon pail of stain, making the color samples virtually free.
This “try before you buy” approach is the best way we’ve found for deck owners to test spot stain colors and see how the actual color turns out on their deck. No more guessing with pictures and color charts.
For popular deck stain color ideas, see the full comparison at DeckStainHelp.
Deck Stain Color Sample FAQ
Why does deck stain color look different once applied than it does on the swatch?
Swatches and pictures only show an approximation of the color, since the actual result depends on your specific wood’s porosity, age, and type, along with the stain’s opacity level. A color that looks light and even on a printed swatch can turn out noticeably different once it soaks into your particular deck boards.
How much stain do I get with a color sample?
Deck stain color samples typically come in a small 1.5 to 2 oz. size, just enough to test a spot on your actual deck before committing to a full purchase.
Which brands offer deck stain color samples?
Samples are available for major deck stain brands including TWP, Defy, Armstrong Clark, Messmers, Penofin, and Wood Tux.
Does the cost of a sample count toward a full stain purchase?
Yes. If you purchase a 5-gallon pail of stain from the same site after testing your samples, the amount you spent on samples goes toward that purchase, making the sample cost essentially free in the end.
How do I test a deck stain color sample properly?
Apply the sample to a small, inconspicuous section of your actual deck, using the same prep (cleaning and brightening) you plan to use for the full project, since unprepped wood can absorb stain differently than properly prepped wood. Let it dry fully before judging the color, since many stains shift in appearance as they cure.
Can I order multiple color samples at once?
Yes. You can order as many color samples as you’d like for a small fee each, which is the most reliable way to compare several colors side by side on your own deck before making a final decision.
Please ask any questions you may have below.
do these work on a cedar fence?
Yes.
I have a deck that’s around 20 years old. When I bought the house in 2019 the deck had been stained with Olympic Elite Solid Color. That stain began peeling so I sanded the deck to remove the old stain and am going to stain the deck with Armstrong Clark. I also plan to use Restore A Deck (RAD) Cleaner and RAD Brightener before applying the stain. I’ve bought 3 sample cans and would like to test those on the wood. What is your suggestion to remove the sample stains if I’m unable to test those stain colors in an inconspicuous place? Would I need to remove the sample stains with RAD Stripper and then use RAD Brightener on the area of the deck where I applied the stain samples?
Yes, correct.
Do I need to clean and brighten my deck before applying the Armstrong-Clarke sample stain? Also, what is the best method to remove the sample stain from my deck if I don’t like it?
You always have to prep before applying. How to prep depends on the current condition? Pictures would help. Samples will have to be removed. Try a place to sample that is out of the way.
do you have transparent stains in kona brown, teak, cedar, mountain ceder samples
https://www.opwdecks.com/wood-stain-samples.htm
I have used coastal cedar on my deck in the past. Do you still provide that color and is not what is the closest color you offer to it?
Yes, on this link: https://www.opwdecks.com/defystain.htm
Do you have samples of the penofin, hickory bark and mission brown?
Sorry but no we do not.
We do not.
Do you have samples of Cabot semi transparent exterior stain. I live out of state.