HickoryDickoryDecks.com

If you have purchased a Maintenance-Free deck, you will not have to read any further.

Read and follow the instructions of the product you are using.
It has been our experience that a cedar deck has to be stained every year.
Unless you can stain all 6 sides of a board yearly, staining a deck is more for looks than to make it last longer.
If good BC western red cedar is used, a grey deck left unstained will last as long as a stained deck.
Before using any stain on your deck, see one 2 or 3 years old that has used the same product.
Cedar should be below 20 percent moisture content before using most products. Therefore, let your deck dry for a couple weeks after construction before staining.
To open the wood pores to accept the stain you should use a deck cleaner or lightly sand before staining.
We recommend using a brush for better penetration on most products rather than a roller or a sponge.
Try to stain the entire deck at one time and definitely the floor all at once. This will prevent blotchy patches.
If you can live with a grey cedar deck, don't stain it. If you do this you should still wash your deck several times a year with soap and water to remove dust and pollution from the air.
A cedar deck grays much nicer on the south exposure (sunny) than the northern exposure. In complete shade they can turn black and moldy if left unfinished.
If you are hiring a staining company to stain your deck, make sure to see a few projects that are more than 1 year old.