5 Easy Steps to Stain an Outdoor Structure
We’ve been wanting to stain and seal Miss A’s play set since she got it almost a year and a half ago. I knew we had a short window of time here in the South where the weather isn’t too hot or miserable, but not too cold. Since Easter weekend had some amazing weather, we were able to knock this project out a couple of Saturdays ago. Woohoo for checking things off the list!!
On my hunt for the best wood stain finish, I found this Flood CWF-UV®5 Oil Wood Finish. It’s great for staining the wood, but also resists moisture damage and mildew. It features Penetrol, which helps to make the wood last for a long time. We ended up using the clear stain because I just wanted to enhance the color of the cedar wood.
As you can see, the play set needed a lot of work to clean it and make it ready for using it this spring and summer. It was covered with bird poo, pollen and I needed to sand down a few spots where the wood had raised up from moisture damage.
Supplies needed:
- Flood CWF OIL Wood Finish
- Purdy brush for “all paints & stains” {these are my hands-down favorite brushes. If you clean then, they will last forever. Like 15 years forever. True story.}
- Foam roller
- water hose {not pictured}
- hose nozzle
- cleaning bucket
- vinegar {optional: Thieves essential oil}
- scrub brush
- gloves
- sandpaper
Step 1: Sand
Sand down any rough spots on the wood. There were several places where the wood was coming up a bit. So, I just used some medium grit sand paper and sanded it down the best I could.
Step 2: Clean
I had a big job to clean this baby. I used a mixture of water, vinegar and Thieves essential oil to scrub this the nasty off this sucker. And I used those thin, disposable rubber gloves because I’m kind of a wimp when it comes to bird poo and the nasty diseases they might carry. Ick!
Step 3: Hose it off
I scrubbed away all of the poo and any other grossness, but it was much easier to remove all of the pollen with the hose. That was Coach’s job – spray it all down!
Step 4: Wait for it to dry.
Yep, just wait. We went and washed the cars while we waited. Little did I know that I should have probably sat on the couch and rested, because I was dog tired after we finished staining that night.
Step 5: Stain
And then we rolled or brushed on the stain. We rolled as much as possible and painted in the cracks and crevices where the roller couldn’t reach. It was super easy, but just time-consuming because our structure was so large. The great thing about the clear stain is that you don’t have to be super precise when applying it. You just want to cover everything and try not to let it pool up in places. But really, it was easy. It did take us about 4 hours with both of us busting it to completely stain the whole thing.
And then you can sit back and enjoy your work! I feel so much better knowing that the wood has been stained and protected for another year of use. It took so much work for us to build it, that I want to make sure it will last for years to come!
I didn’t really take before and after shots, but we did hide Easter eggs on the play set the next day and I happened to get this picture of the table. You can see how it deepened the color of the wood and just made it look nice and clean again. Love it!
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Great timing on this post, Laura! So many things around here need to be freshened up for spring.
Thank you for joining Grace at Home. I’m featuring you this week!
I need a new faucet / sprayer for my kitchen sink
I would paint my sewing room
I’m painting my kitchen cabinets right now & I’d love to use this to buy the rest of my paint!
I’ve been to our ACE three times this weekend! I would purchase masonry paint to redo our back patio/porch!
I need to remove wallpaper and paint.
I would like to fix up the deck – it’s been a hard winter here
I would re-stain our playset too! It needs it so bad!
I would stain my deck
I would complete the same project! We just bought a used wooden play set for my twins and it needs some work. I think it looks in worse shape than the one pictured. Our goal this summer is to sand and stain it. This would help tremendously!.
It would help finish up our bathroom remodel.
I love ACE. So many projects to tackle, but maybe start with painting the back porch railing. And maybe respray the patio furniture.
It’s the season to be cleaning, crafting, planting and updating! The list of projects is long and I always love the sense of accomplishment from tackling items. I have a garage mud room that Must. Happen. Now.
We just installed a new backyard fence and it’s waiting to be stained.
I’m at ACE daily when we are working on projects!
I’d use that gift card to restore some of the wood on my back deck.
Paint the kitchen and add some new shelves. Love ACE!
INstall new flooring in the kitchen thanks for the giveaway
I have big plans to refinish my deck this spring. It needs a power washing and using a deck restore product for the flooring. I would use the $90 gift certificate for deck restore products, rollers and brushes!
We could really use some stain for our backyard deck & playset.
I would definately buy some painting supplies with a gift card! Wish I had your info a few years ago when we were staining our pergola..I dumped a whole bucket of stain on my head.. no joke. It fell off a ladder 🙂 It was really – really a messy job!
Your playset turned out amazing!!! If i won the gift card i would stain some old chairs and redo my porch for Spring!!! That would be exciting!!!
I would paint some rooms in my house.
I would buy some paint!
Wow, look at that before and after! Amazing, Laura! It looks brand new. Hmmm…with the $90, I think Mark and I would put it toward our next big DIY project, our kitchen nook. It needs an “after” shot in a major way, lol.
I would paint my bedroom, it hasn’t been painted in 11 years!
I would add some colorful pots to our back deck and maybe a chair or two!
I would buy paint to paint my kitchen. Thank you for this great giveaway. I do not have instagram so I hope I am still eligible to win.
Id love to use it for lumbar to build a coffee table or shelves!
My screened porch needs new decor.
My girls and I have plans to build a chicken coop and this would greatly help with all the supplies.
Big job but such a nice fresh change!! Looks great- thanks for the tips Laura:)
I would paint/stain our own play set just like this!
I need to buy some cabinet paint to paint my kitchen cabinets and actually have some they sell at Ace in mind.
Our side deck needs a stain make over pronto!
The supplies from Ace would be perfect!
Finish mulching my flower beds! Thanks for the opportunity to win.
I would love to add some stone in my courtyard!
I would repaint my kitchen!
I love ACE! Paint,plants-everything!
Building a wall on my back porch.
I really need some type of storage unit for the garage
Thank you for this post!!! Our deck and the kids play set are in need of a good cleaning and refinishing.
-Marilyn
I would paint/re-do my bathroom.
You are so right – the local Ace Hardware has always been the friendly neighborhood place for us. We have a new mountain home that needs lots of landscaping and I can get everything I need at Ace. I could spend $900 if I had it :)!
My deck is in need of repairs and I would use it to restore the deck. This is the only means I have of entering so I hope I win.
I hope I can still have a chance to win, even though I don’t have Instagram!
I would like to install some corner shelving in my office. There is a glaring, empty space above where my computer sits.