Episode 3: Drying time and appearance

It took about 7 days before I could no longer find any sticky spots
anywhere on my deck. I had estimated 5 days from previous experience,
but that was only to the point of being able to walk on it in the
usual traffic areas. This time I actively searched for sticky spots,
so it's not really a good comparison. My experiment of adding 1/4 cup
BLO and 1/4 cup MS to a gallon of Behr stain DID dry okay, but I can't
say if it took any longer with certainty. It obviously wasn't less.
The fastest drying areas were those with the highest traffic, most
sun, and heaviest sanding (last year). These absorbed the stain
quickly, felt dry within a day or two, and have a flat appearance. The
shaded areas and those with little or no traffic had retained the
previous stain and came out fairly glossy, certainly moreso than with
previous unmodified applications. The accumulation of stain on these
areas makes them look more solid than semi-transparent, but that
always happens. The glossy areas cause water to bead very well; the
flat areas bead less. I'm tempted to brush some additional stain onto
those flat areas to get more consistent protection and appearance. I
expect the gloss to disappear over time with age, dust, wear, etc, but
we'll see what happens. I also want to see how long the water beading
lasts and if any separation occurs between the new (modified) and old
(unmodified) stain layers.
Incidental note: I had added a packet of mildewcide to the mix and was
disappointed that it did not disperse/dissolve well. (I do NOT believe
it had anything to do with my addition of BLO and MS, which are both
traditional paint ingredients.) But I don't see any little globs of it
on the deck; I assume that the roller "smushed" them, mixing and
spreading them out.
So now we wait to see if my experiment improves anything. I'll report
here if I notice anything happening, good or bad.