It's very easy to brush on transparent or semi-transparent
oil-base stain. No advice needed. Get a cheapo, blonde
bristle brush if possible. Personally I like solid oil stain, since
PT lumber is not very attractive. Solid stain gives it more
of a painted look, without the peeling. The only solid oil
stain I know of now is Cabot's. It still works well, but
reformulation has extended the drying time to 2+ days.

You can also use water base solid "stain". I wouldn't
recommend it. It wears away pretty quickly in that kind of
usage. Water base stains are OK for fences or siding, but
they don't hold up on decks. Also, water base *anything*
doesn't resist water on horizontal surfaces, which is
another factor in how fast it wears away. (On the upside,
it's easy to put on and you don't have to worry about
protecting PT wood from weather. So if you like the water
base stain and don't mind reapplying every spring, then that's
an option.)



"JAS" wrote in message
...
| Last Fall we had a 26' by 16' deck built with a 20' ramp on one side and
| stairs on the other. It was built with Yella pressure treated wood and
| we will be applying some stain and sealer in a month or two when it
| warms up. What kind or brand of product would be good and how is
| applied? I have heard of it being brushed on and some say they have used
| a yard pump sprayer. We live in Northwest Nebraska and the deck is on
| the east side so I will probably use a light or gray color.
|
| Thanks,
|
| JAS