How To Deck Tips

Mahogany is a popular choice for decking because of its tight grain pattern and knot free appearance. It also does not tend to splinter as easily as other wood types. Although mahogany is naturally resistant to decay, it must occasionally be refinished to help protect and maintain the deck’s beauty.

Many deck stains are too heavily pigmented to penetrate into mahogany, leaving it vulnerable and risking stain failure. It is best to use a penetrating oil stain that will soak into the wood pores to give a mahogany deck the best protection possible.

There may be several good stain choices but the best stain for a mahogany deck is one that serves two purposes. One, to protect the deck from weather damage and secondly, to replace the wood’s natural oils. Replacing the wood’s own diminishing natural oils revitalizes and conditions the wood.

A penetrating oil based deck stain like Armstrong Clark the best stain for a mahogany deck that we have found. For reasons mentioned above, this stain is ideal for mahogany. The stain’s non-drying oils separate from the drying side of the stain. These conditioning oils replace the mahogany’s natural oils while the stain’s drying oils remain on the surface to lock in the conditioning oils and to lock out moisture.

This formula is also ideal for a mahogany deck because it comes in a mahogany color that really enhances the deck’s natural beauty. The semi-transparent formula still allows the wood grains to show through but adds just enough tone to the deck for a gorgeous finish. With conditioning oils and a durable barrier of protection, this truly is the best stain for a mahogany deck.

This user-friendly mahogany deck stain is the only oil based stain that can be applied in direct sunlight. Other stains may flash dry and cause and inconsistent finish. It is also a one or two coat finish depending on the absorption rate of the mahogany. If needed, a second coat can be applied wet on wet or wet on dry. It is a very versatile, easy to use stain that most any homeowner can apply over a weekend.

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    Jim · 06/04/2023
    My Mohegan deck is 25 years old and nothing has ever been put on it. It has been power washed 2 times in its life and i an about to do it now. It is 4500 square feet and I’ve only replaced 8 10 ft boards to this point. I would like a more Mohegan color finish but I’m worried that it might trap moisture and cause decay . What is your advice? 
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    Chris · 06/13/2022
    Every 2-3 years I clean, prep/scuff sand with 60 grit and then stain my mahogany deck with 2 coats of Olympic Elite semi transparent kona brown oil stain. It has stood up ok, but I do get some fading and graying after about 16 months, especially in traffic areas, as my deck gets about 6-8 hours of New Jersey sun a day in the summer. First is this a good choice of stain? And second, if AC is better, is there a similar color that will allow me to use it without stripping all the way to bare wood? I have been able to get away without stripping by sticking with the same brand/color, but if there is something more durable, I'm all in.
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      The Sealer Store · 06/14/2022
      AC is much better than Olympic stains and if you want to switch, you will have to remove the current stain first.
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    Lori · 06/02/2022
    My Mahogany porch and steps were painted mahogany semi solid stain. It has alot of orange in it and does not look like new. Is there a stain that provides more of a sheen, to give it life?
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    Nancy Mock · 05/21/2022
    My mahogany deck was stained with Benjamin Moore Arborcoat.  When I put things on the deck, and later move them, marks occur.  What sort of stain is needed to avoid ugly marks from furniture rugs, etc.?
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      The Sealer Store · 05/21/2022
      You will need to remove the Arborcoat and then use a penetrating stain. Send pics for prep help.
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    Ray · 05/11/2022
    We just installed a mahogany deck at our beach house in NJ. Is there a certain amount of time we should wait before sealing? Is there anything we need to do prior to treating/sealing? Recommendations on a product would be great. Thanks.
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    Wendy · 09/23/2021
    We have a mahogany deck that has been painted over several times (from previous owners). We have stripped the paint off. We plan to sand it to try to get any residual paint in the grain etc. Do we need to use a cleaner and brightener before applying a stain?
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    Maureen Owens · 07/24/2021
    Is Thomson’s water seal good to apply to a mahogany deck
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    Barbara · 07/24/2021
    I have an 18 year old mahogany deck. Should I use transparent or semi transparent stain to bring back beauty of wood deck?
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    Lenny · 05/10/2021
    I should have stated that he used oil based Varathane Polyurethane.
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      Lenny · 05/10/2021
      Specifically Varathane Ultimate Spar Urethane
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    Lenny · 05/10/2021
    Hello.I recently had a Batu (type of Mahogany) front porch floor installed on the north side of my house.  The contractor used oil based Varathane.  Was this a good choice?  Will it need to be reapplied eventually?  Thank you
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      The Sealer Store · 05/10/2021
      No, very bad idea. It will peel and attract mildew. You will have to sand it off to fix this.
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        Lenny Freilich · 05/10/2021
        So, what should I have used on bare mahogany?And after I sand the Varathane off, what should I coat it with?How long do you think it'll take to peel off?And Finally, what is Varathane Ultimate Spar Urethane supposed to be used for?
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          The Sealer Store · 05/10/2021
          Use Defy Hardwood stain: https://www.opwdecks.com/defyhardwood.htm
          It will peel within a year. Never to be used on decks or porches, it will peel.
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            Lenny · 05/10/2021
            Does it come in clear?  I don’t want to change the color. The first coat of the Varathane completely sunk into the wood. How deep do I have to sand?
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              The Sealer Store · 05/10/2021
              Clear coatings will not provide UV protection from graying. They must be tinted to do this. 
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                Lenny · 05/10/2021
                It’s a covered north facing porch that never gets sun. 
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                  The Sealer Store · 05/10/2021
                  It will still gray unless 100% enclosed on all sides.
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                    Lenny · 05/11/2021
                    I don’t care about greying that much.  But what causes the spar urethane to peel off the wood?
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                      Lenny · 05/21/2022
                      A year later and it looks great. A little of the shine has worn off but no peeling or mildew. 
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    Susan · 05/07/2021
    I need to seal mahogany decking that’s in an Interior 4 season sunroom.  Not looking for a stain as I want to keep the natural mahogany look. Need a sealer that will not be slippery as I made that mistake once before at a different house. 
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    Carl Dean · 03/19/2021
    I have an exterior mahogany deck I will be sanding down to bare wood. The client wants a semi gloss look. It is mostly covered by a porch, but some areas do get hit with rain. What would be my best choice for a finish that will look nice and give a long lasting finish?
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      The Sealer Store · 03/19/2021
      Sorry, but we do not sell coatings that leave a gloss shine as that will lead to severe peeling and mildew on an exterior deck or porch.
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    Bill · 03/14/2021
    What is drying time for A C oil based stain on mahogany? In New England.

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      The Sealer Store · 03/15/2021
      2-8 hours for most scenarios.
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    kim · 02/08/2021
    I have approximately 30 Mahogany functional shutters with heavy duty hardware...what can I use to clean shutters thoroughly of dust,mold,and lightweight paintlike-stain applied 3 years ago that will not ruin hardware my hardware, but properly prep wood for Armstrong Clark semi-transparent stain...so much hardware to remove , I was hoping to get around it with the right cleaner...
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    gp6450 · 09/22/2020
    I recently had my 15 year old mahogany deck stained and had 9 1 inch thick boards replaced. The new wood was given a black spot treatment. The entire deck was then stained with two coats. 5 of the new boards blended in nicely. Four of them did not and have a reddish cast to them. Could I apply a 3rd coat of stain to the four boards to get them to blend in better?
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    Gino · 08/13/2020
    I have a mahogany deck (~15 years old). about 5 yrs ago I sanded and stained deck, most of deck has greyed except a couple areas where rugs/mats were covering so there's still some stain showing. in other areas there's some black stain/mold that were shaded & didn't get much sun. I intend to sand the deck, should I also use RAD prep afterwards? if so, should I use stripper with brightener or cleaner with brightener? I plan to use AC mahogany as the stain.
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      The Sealer Store · 08/13/2020
      Post some pictures.
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        Gino · 08/13/2020
        Pics of diff areas of the deck
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          The Sealer Store · 08/13/2020
          Strip and brighten for prep.
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            Gino · 08/19/2020
            So should I follow these steps?
            1) Power wash & let dry for a couple days
            2) Sand
            3) Strip & brighten & let dry for a couple days
            4) Apply stain & let dry for a couple days
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              The Sealer Store · 08/19/2020
              Yes, that would work.
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                Gino L · 08/29/2020
                Hi - I’ve restained the deck and it looks great. I’ll probably go with the darker Mahogany color next time. It recently rained (a week after applying), how much should I expect water to bead up, if at all?
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    paul · 07/31/2020
    Our current house came w/ a mahogany deck (20+/- yrs old) that was not well cared for. I've cleaned it w/ Dawn & Oxy-Clean; it's now mostly a salmon color, lustrous dark red when wet. I've tested several penetrating oils, but the wood will not take them up; they stay on the surface sticky and shiny. A previous owner likely applied a garden variety (i.e., non-penetrating) stain (there is "resiny" residue on the sides of the boards) which is preventing absorption; Note: the bottoms of the boards readily absorb the oil. Is there a product that will break down this incorrect stain and allow the wood to take up the penetrating oil? Thanks
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    reenie · 06/27/2020
    I have a mahogany deck that has been repaired over the years. I believe the last time it was Penofin was in 2007 Western Red Cedar. It's greyed out, but just testing with a power washer some of the boards came back to a beautiful brown. Will have it all power washed to see how consistent the brown is. Do you recommend sealing with a clear or stained penofin or can we let it just continue au naturel with occasional power washing?
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    Cheryl · 05/28/2020
    We have an attached porch at our lake house and the floor is mahogany. It appears it has never been treated. We want to just bring out the natural tone of the wood. What do you recommend?
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    Phil · 05/27/2020
    The day after I applied Armstrong Clark Mahogany Stain to mahogany boards I am using to build a platform in front of a door, we had a light rain and the drops beaded up. Would that indicate that a second coat is not needed? Can a second coat do any harm?