Last Updated on December 1, 2022 by chuckm
Defy Extreme vs Other Water Based Decking Stains
Oil based stains have been around the longest but their formulas have not changed much. Many of them are still not VOC compliant in certain states. The bottom line is they are not eco-friendly even though they do provide a fairly adequate amount of protection. To come up with an eco-friendly water based stain that could compare to an oil based stain, Defy went to the drawing board. What they came out with not only performs well against the oil formulas, but it outperforms 4 of the best selling national brands of water based stains.
To prove why Defy Extreme is better than other water based decking stains you have to look at the latest stain technology. Defy utilizes what they call “nano-technology”. In combination with their existing technology, this newly developed nano-technology has been found to drastically increase the toughness and weather resistance of their synthetic resin based deck stain called Defy Extreme. This technology acts like a sunscreen and reflects the harsh UV rays that are responsible for greying and fading wood decking. Defy Extreme’s technology also helps prevent unwanted water and moisture in addition to resisting fungal growth.
The nano particles and high-grade resins of Defy Extreme provide protection from the sun like no other tinted wood finish ever has. This is a complete breakthrough in the stain industry. This light stabilizing innovation improves stain performance 200-600% by Defy’s calculations. No other water based stain on the market performs this well. Defy Extreme can be used on both interior or exterior smooth hardwood surfaces from wood furniture and siding to decking and other hardwood surfaces. Cleanup is a breeze with soap and water due to the eco-friendly formula.
The Defy Extreme high-grade resins are different than any other Water Based Deck stains. Utilizing a completely different resin type, the Defy Extreme has the penetration ability of an oil based stain. No filming on top of the surface and peeling.
What percentage UV protection is the clear? What percentage is the pine? Thank you so much
It is not a % that creates UV protection. Clear will last about a year. Natural Pine will last about 2-3 years for a deck.
What is the recommendation for a deck at 9k feet subjected to the extreme weather of the Colorado Rocky Mountains?
The Defy Extreme Stain is best: https://www.deckstain.com/wood-restoration/wood-and-deck-stains/defy-extreme.html
Hello. Just finished powerwashing, sanding and staining my 300sqft deck with 2 gallons of Defy Extreme Water Based Semi-Transparent Stain. Attached is the before and after. I had assumed 150sqft per gallon with 2 coats. I brushed in the stain on stairs and tigh spots, waited and did another light coat. I rolled the main deck, waited and rolled again and then brushed in stain to remove shiny spots. But I just barely finished covering the entire deck. And worry that I might not have given the wood all the stain it could absorb. Is there a tell-tale way to check if the wood is under treated? Also the wood surface does not have any “film” or “paint” coverage like the previous stain did (which power washed off the wood) — is that expected? Attached is the before (sanded and ready) and after pics. Mike
Looks good. More is not better and the Defy is intended to fully soak into the wood grain.
I have just installed a new deck. It is premium yellow pine and we want a light grey finish with some grains visible.
we like driftwood but wonder how light it will be on our wood?
See this about new wood: https://www.defystainhelp.com/prep-new-wood-for-defy-stains/
Best to order a sample: https://www.deckstain.com/defy-stain-samples.html
Here’s a pic of it…
Looks great!
Alright! Finally got the weather I needed. Got the new deck cleaned, brightened, and finished applying the stain today, the Natural Pine. Do have one question. Today I applied the stain to the deck boards using a pad. Went very well. As I moved on across looking at some of the areas already stained it looked like some had really soaked tbe stain up and looked lighter. I applied pretty uniformly with each board getting a wet coating. It’s been a couple of hours and is looking very uniform, but I can see some areas I wish I had applied it heavier. Looks like some of the wood just soaked it up for than other areas. My guess is that going back and adding more on top is not a good idea now? I should just wait 12 months or so and give it a 2nd coat then? As I said it’s looking good, I’m just a little OCD about stuff like this!
Yes, wait until Spring of next year to lightly wash and add another coat if needed.
Ok, got everything here, cleaner, brightener, and stain. The cleaner instructions say to only do small areas at a time, 20-30 sq ft. My deck is 480 sq ft, and I thought it would all be sprayed down, brushed and rinsed. Doing 20-30 sq ft at a time is going to take several days, since my deck is in an open area and I plan on working in late afternoon to avoid the direct sun. Is this correct to only do such small areas at a time?
You can do more if you keep it from drying out. Try doing a couple of hundred feet at a time.
Great, thanks. I’m waiting till late afternoon when the sun is blocked by trees to avoid it drying out. Thanks again…
This might be a dumb question, but…when using a stain pad, what do you use to dip the pad into to load it with stain? Rollers have pans for that, but a roller pan isn’t big enough, I have 12″ wide pads. Maybe a 13×9 cake pan? I don’t think you’d want to dip the whole pad into the 5 gal bucket of stain..
You can get paint trays that are wider.
Does Driftwood gray wear off eventually without flaking or peeling so that cleaning and brightening are the only prep required before applying new deck stain. I have been using oil based stain and it usually just wears away so that pressure washing and cleaning are all that is needed to renew stain. I do not want to get into a cycle of flaking that requires sanding to prep the deck. I need a product that just weathers away
The Defy can be cleaned and recoated as needed down the road.
Ed, did this weather away or flake? I am also wondering this before I place an order. Thanks
Ed never bought any Defy Extreme from us.
Defy when prepped and applied correctly will not peel or flake. Just clean and recoat as needed.
On a new PTP deck, do I use the cleaner and brightener on the railings and spindles too?
Yes after the wait.
Forgot one thing. It’s a 400 sq ft deck with wood built railings. I plan on spraying the railings and sides of the lower structure. I’m using a LPHV sprayer but realize that there will be more waste vs brushing. Is there a calculator on you site that will tell me how much stain I will need? Thanks…
You only need one coat. About 3-4 gallons.
Im getting ready to apply the Defy Extreme stain over the next month. My question is what do I have to do to prep the deck? It’s a new PTP deck built over the holidays. It has typical dirt from being snowed on, etc. I know it will need to be cleaned before staining. Is there a recommended product to use for this?
See this for prep and stain of new wood: https://www.defystainhelp.com/prep-new-wood-for-defy-stains/
Another question…for the railings ans undersides of the deck, can the stain be applied with an inexpensive HVLP sprayer? While still having more waste than a brush, it seems that would be a big time saver for the tedious stuff. Do you recommend a brush or pad for the horizontal decking, or is either ok? Thanks…
Yes it can be sprayed. We like stain pads for the horizontals.
I have a new PTP deck that we’re waiting for better weather to treat. My wife and I like the natural color of the wood and dont want to alter it much. Question is, I see you have a natural pine color, and a clear. Does the clear also contain the nanotechnology for UV protection, and how much different are the clear and natural pine in color? Also, once the weather breaks, we’re in northern Ohio, how long should I give the deck to dry out? It was built in late December. Thanks…
The Natural Pine will have 2-3 times the UV protection as the Clear. Best to get some samples to test the colors: https://www.deckstain.com/defy-stain-samples.html
You will be better off with the NP. You will be okay to prep and stain the deck in April.
Great. Thanks for the quick reply…
If I use Defy for the first time on 30 year old treated lumber deck that we have sealed each winter, what pretreatment is required and how often would we have to restain?
You would need to remove any previous coatings first. How depends on what you sealed with. Pictures would help as well. Redo with the Defy every 2-3 years.
Many years ago, I stained my deck with Defy. I bought too much and used the remaining stain to redo the deck about three years later. It has been the best stain I have ever used. Now its time to stain again and it looks like the formulation is different. I thought the old stain was an epoxy but I’m not sure. Anyway, can I use the current Defy over the old (after cleaning of course) or do I need to strip the old Defy first? Thanks
The Defy extreme is an approved version of the older Epoxy versions that was discontinued. You can prep and apply over it.
my deck looking good after 1st year will be applying a second coat on around end of June beginning of July so far this stuff rocks
update I hand rubbed the entire project in the 1st week of September 2019 great time to do this in the Alleghany Plateau region of P.A. deck porch steps etc etc etc, talk about sealing the grain! after a week the wife and I both had been out in our socks walking around on those surfaces and had to keep in mind it was slick and it was bone dry outside what a pleasure this product is to work with I even pressure-treated my 9-year-old LL Bean ADK oak furniture and hand-rubbed that with this product the results are breath taken we have gotten so many compliments on the finish on both also built a new woodshed saltbox design hand rubbed that as well ties in the outside on the property nicely
I have a 3 year old 910 sq ft pine deck that has been treated with Defy Extreme each year. This past winter, we had a lot of wet snow that froze then more snow, got heavy so I pushed it off the deck due to the weight of the snow. Now parts of the wood show the stain gone, maybe from the attachment to the frozen snow that I pushed off the deck. How to I treat this deck this spring? Clean and brighten again, then Defy Extreme or do I need to sand the entire deck?
Strip and brighten the wood for the prep:
https://www.deckstain.com/defy-stain-stripper.html
https://www.deckstain.com/defy-wood-brightener.html
We have a deck that is mixed cedar and pressure treated pine. What treatment do you recommend? Does Defy come in solid stain?
Use the Defy Extreme after prepping correctly: https://www.deckstain.com/wood-restoration/wood-and-deck-stains/defy-extreme.html
Defy does not make a solid stain.
My pine deck is three years old. The areas exposed to the elements are gray but the ones under cover have not. how do I get a consistent color overall?
You have to prep correctly and how depends on the current condition of the wood and if you have a stain on there or not? Best to post a picture.
no stain on the wood. it was purchased at Lowes. Some of the wood is exposed to sun and rain and has greyed and is splitting.
Use the Defy Wood Cleaner and then the Defy Brightener for the prep on all the wood.
we live in southern new england we put only one coat on our new pt deck how soon would we or should we put a next coat on was we did not use the wet on wet technique would nine months from now be okay
9-12 months is correct.
Hopefully, you let the new wood weather and you prepped it first:
https://www.defystainhelp.com/prep-new-wood-for-defy-stains/
Our reason for PT on the 700sf deck is we have nasty carpenter ants that are worse than termites.
We are having a brand new deck installed of pressure treated kiln dried wood. Can we stain it and if so what is the best option
See this about new wood: https://www.twpstain.com/gemini-s-restore-a-deck-cleaner-and-brightener-kit
Use the Defy Extreme after the wait and the prep.
I have a 23 year old cedar deck that is in perfect condition. I have fully sanded the surface. Do I need to use your wood brightener on the surface before applying your wood stain?
I live in Alberta Canada. Do you have a distributor here or can you ship from the USA?
For the final prep, you should use the Defy Wood Cleaner and the Defy Wood Brightener. There are not any dealers in Canada but we can ship to you.
We have a large PT pine deck that has been neglected for years (by us and the previous owner). The wood is old and gray by now and most of the old stain has worn off. We plan to sand the surface boards but hope we don’t have to sand the railings before applying Defy Extreme. Will that work?
If you have a previous coating you will have to remove that first before using the Defy. Strip and or sand. Brighten the wood when you finish.
https://www.deckstain.com/defy-stain-stripper.html
At present my deck is finished with a solid stain. Can I use Defy Extreme to refinish it?
what do I need to do to prepare the deck surface?
Hello Pat, the only way to use a product like the Defy is to fully sand off the solid stain first.
I’ve used oil-based stains on my redwood deck for years. After using a cleaner and gentle power-washing, will DEFY then soak into the previously stained wood?
Hello, to be able to use the Defy you will need to remove/strip off the oil-based stain. The Defy cannot be applied on top of an oil-based stain or any stain of a different brand.
[quote name=”aidan”]I have TREX Accent boards that are approximately 7 years old. Decking is losing color and water spots. TREX says I can stain and seal deck and still maintain warranty. Has your product been tested on composite? If so, do you recommend?[/quote]
We have a composite sealer here:
https://www.deckstain.com/wood-restoration/wood-and-deck-stains/defy-composite-deck.html
I have TREX Accent boards that are approximately 7 years old. Decking is losing color and water spots. TREX says I can stain and seal deck and still maintain warranty. Has your product been tested on composite? If so, do you recommend?