On Fri, 22 Jun 2007 10:47:13 -0400, curmudgeon
wrote:

Generally speaking, it is not wise to put solid stain on
horizontal/walking surfaces.

I want to be sure you understand what the walking surface is in this
case. It's Trex, which is a composite product made of wood and
recycled plastics.

www.trex.com

Would your comments apply to this product, as well as to ordinary
wood?

It's film is softer than paint and will show a walking path within
months. Even dogs
toenails will wear a path in a short period of time.
On vertical surfaces solid stain over something like T-111 siding will
last for 15 or 20 years.
Semi-transparent stain will sink into the wood

We're not talking about "regular" wood, but about the composite
product sold under various names, Weatherbest, etc. This one is Trex.

I need to learn the distinction between the way between the way solid
stain wears on wood, as opposed to on Trex.

I have time to deal with this, as Trex recommends the steps "fade" for
12-16 weeks before painting/staining, but want to Do the Right Thing
when the time comes.

Anybody familiar with the effect of solid stain on Trex steps?

TIA

Aspasia

a little better and will tend to fade more than "wear". You should
be fine with multiple coats,
but do no more than two.
BTW, if solid stain "peels", it was definitely applied wrong.

I was under the impression that the second coat might not stick to the
first coat, and I might need to sand the first coat before I could
apply the second coat. I am glad to hear that this is not the case.

Great. This means I can apply several coats of the semi-transparent
stain next time when I stain the deck. I choose semi-transparent
stain _not_ for allowing the base color of the wood to show, I prefer
to use semi-transparent stain because I am under the impression that
semi-transparent stain tends to wear gradually, instead of peeling off
in large pieces like the solid paint may do. I am not sure if the
semi-transparent stain will still wear gradually if I apply multiple
coats instead of just one coat. Hopefully, this will be the case.

Jay Chan