20 Best Semi Transparent Stain For Cedar Siding (2023 Updated)

Redwood semi-transparent oil-based stain: before and after pictures. This playset was coated twice and used 4 gallons out of a five gallon bucket. The stain is oily and wipes off metal easily; not as easy off of plastic.

The five gallons was well mixed. No noticeable separation or layering of the stain when first opened. It was still stirred before application though. Brushes, rollers, and pads were used. This stain would work well in a sprayer.

This stain seems less viscous than a solid stain. Imperfections in the wood show through this stain. The second coat gave it a consistant appearance overall. Light colored wood filler will show through this stain no matter how many coats are applied.

I would use this again only on wood that has a consistent (previously stained or bare wood) color at the start of the stain application. Power washing marks will show through this stain even with two applications.

Surfaces remained oily to the touch for many hours after the second coat was applied. Unsure how long the color will last. Good price for decent stain. 4 stars overall. This site states that the pictures were too big to upload.

I stained both sides of a more than 300 foot, four foot high cedar fence, and I could not be happier with the results. The stain was very forgiving, easy to apply, and has a uniform color despite some inconsistent application on my part.

It also dried quickly holding up to a storm 16 hours after the project was completed. I did power wash several days prior, and it being a two year old fence, I had dry wood to work with when I applied the stain.

It did come out a bit darker than the image on the can shows, though part of that is certainly from the fence being cedar to begin with, and the end product is a wonderfully rich color. This was comparatively inexpensive to other brands I considered.

Highly recommend.

We received “semi-transparent” stain when we needed “transparent” stain. Other than that, it’s a good product.

EXCELLENT PRODUCT. Buy this and save time. 4 chairs and a table in under an hour. Took 3 cans. Its the only spray-on stain/protectant that I know of

This stain in an aerosol can is so handy. Use to find it at Wal Mart but no longer on the shelves. It is great for small projects and touch up. Great stuff and the color lasts!

In the past I’ve used latex primers, alkyd primers and other recommended wood sealer/primers to prep for outdoor painting and have seen the effects of weather on my exterior home projects including porches and railings.

The last bunch of years i’ve been using Flood CWF-UV water based as either a sealer without paint and as a primer under exterior latex paint. One project was a raised boardwalk made of treated 2×6 lumber.

The Flood held up under traffic and the paint stayed on nicely. I just go with the Flood now. It seems to penetrate better than the primers. The natural dries slightly yellowish. If I get drips I can see the runs but it always dries perfectly.

I’m no expert but I much prefer the Flood for exterior wood projects now.

I enjoyed this deck stain. Yes, there is better quality out there but that comes with a hefty price tag so it’s really just about what you are looking for. Personally. I wanted something affordable that looks nice and protects my deck while also giving an all over coverage and even color to the wood.

This product did just that and looks absolutely beautiful on the wood. If your on a budget and looking for a good affordable stain for your deck, I think this product is great! Like I said previously, yes there is better out there but for the price, this product works just fine.

New cedar deck built in 2020 in Zigzag Oregon. I went to Clackamas Miller Paint and bought Storm System type 2 sealer at $53ish a gallon. I have had nothing but problems with the sealer. The first application last about 6 months.

Looked failed and beat. In the summer, I cleaned and scrubbed the deck for 2nd application. FYI Oregon had record dry heat. Applied 2nd application. This time it only lasted about 2 months. Called Storm’s “customer service” for help, and got the run around.

Finally after weeks of waiting for Storm to call me back I proactively got ahold of Storms technical support. The support agent had an opposite answer for every question. He was very well rehearsed at playing both sides of the fence on why the sealer failed.

It tells me that this is not the first time this company or agent had someone calling for help because of the Storm System sealer had failed. Buyers consider yourself tipped off regard this product. Expensive and doesnt work.

Take your money elsewhere.

The shipping was excellent. It was delivered very quickly. I couldn’t find a sprayer that I could spray the sealer with so it took a little longer to apply. We have had our first rain since application and it did not bead up like a usual sealer.

Time will tell. The color allows for the beauty of the wood to come thru beautifully.

Bought 2 cans. One was black walnut, the other was blonde. Stirred like crazy but won’t turn dark. Also neither can seals the wood. Using Thompson’s sealant, the rain bubbles on top of the wood. With this product, the rain is quickly absorbed.

NO SEALANT.

Excellent quality stain. Highly recommend. One gallon covered our 8×10 deck. Easy application, great color and coverage.

This is a good oil stain product that looks great . This was a semi transparent oil stain that went on evenly soaked into the wood and didn’t clump. I am extremely pleased with this product.

I started using TWP products several years ago based on the poor results I was getting from the widely advertised well known products. I have never been disappointed with how well this stain holds up to the weather and sunlight.

In my opinion its the best stuff out there.

Worked ok. Coastal gray semi transparent sealer over somewhat yellowish pressure treated wood. Used a Wagner sprayer to apply. Project was a pergola, consisting of large wood structure and high end lattice semi rough cut wood.

Had to be careful to apply enough material. ,,or the yellow would show through. Pretty difficult. especially on the rough lattice. Even though I waited for the wood to cure out. after several weeks. it seemed a tad difficult to get an even finish.

I ran a roller over the spray job as I went. for even results. Overall I liked the results. but it was an exhausting project.

This product seems to work as advertised, but I’m not sure it’s been down long enough to give a good review (applied 2 weeks ago). The stain applied very nicely and it was the color I expected. It added a little color but allowed the wood grain to come through.

It dries quickly – so you have to work with a purpose. When the first rain came – water puddled up and didn’t absorb into the wood. The can did arrive damaged. It didn’t leak but it was definitely dented and bowed.

I’m surprised it didn’t leak.

Applied this exactly how the directions indicated onto a BRAND NEW deck, 6 months later it’s peeling and flaking off and looks like garbage. Absolute waste of money. Do not buy this product.

One coat covered well. Can’t comment on longevity of stain yet. Clean up was a cinch.

store has online in stock but had none This is not the frist time this has happen so i have to travel 20 miles to get instead 2 miles

Applied per wet/wet instructions. Last fall I was quite pleased with the results of staining my deck with Defy. However when I returned from my winter home in May, I was quite shocked at how poorly it survived the winter.

I have photos of how it looks less thana year of use (8 or 9 months). Undoubtedly the worst stain I have ever used. Larry Bulinski.

Defy Extreme is a great wood stain. Butternut is a medium dark stain, similar to an aged cherry or light walnut. Following the directions for prep is important and using care in application will give you a very beautiful deck or porch!.

Every year the deck looked a mess with other stains. Put this Defy Extreme cedar color stain on my completely sanded deck last year. Cleaned and put down a second coat this year. Says I can skip staining next year.

That will be the test. So far very satisfied.

Less expensive than Ace Hardware plus free delivery vs 130 mile round trip to Ace. I have used this product for 20 years now on log home and redwood deck. Product quality is high and consistent. If you apply product thickly you will end up with longer cure times and some gummy surfaces.

This penofin product is really great. The results bring out the woods beauty. I put it over wood the had a water sealer. Even though I thoroughly sanded the fence, not all the seal was off. This causes the oil to be shinny when it covers the sealer.

Better to do it on bare wood.

I applied this product to my fence iver 3 yrs sgo snd it still looks like it did from day one. BEHR Premium Semi-Transparent Waterproofing Wood Stain & Sealer is a penetrating oil-based stain that beautifies and protects your exterior wood surfaces.

This product is available in popular exterior premix colors and can also be tinted to a range of other exterior colors. This product is ideal for both horizontal and vertical surfaces. After application, this product will resist rain after 4 hours which provides project flexibility during unsure weather conditions.

I used this product, based upon recommendation of in-store personnel. The Transparent Waterproofing Wood Finish Penetrating Oil was an upgrade of the product used the prior year on newly-installed fence and was a great improvement over the previous version.

It covered the fence more evenly and resisted effects of direct sun exposure experienced with previous product. I am very happy with Behr product, as well as with in-store expertise with this project; it should provide on-going protection of the fence for the future!.

I applied this to an older deck that gets full sun all day long. The deck soaked up the finish readily. With the application of two coats using a brush, the deck looked great and still does 3 years later.

Prior to putting this product on the deck I had used traditional deck stains and they showed wear within two years. I hardily recommend this penetrating oil.

Applied this to a brand new horizontal cedar fence. Tried using a Wagner Power sprayer (airless one) and it was a disaster. Although Wagner shows you staining a fence in their training video, it turns out that this stain is slightly too thick to use with the model of sprayer we have and it kept clogging and spitting (information I only got once calling the Wagner help line).

We had to quickly grab brushes and even out the color and switch to brush and rollers. You need to mix the can super well or you will get clumps of solids especially at the bottom of the can and your application will be splotchy or uneven with the end of the can being really dark as the solids sink to the bottom.

We mixed continuously, not just once. The color is ok, darker than we wanted but had to coordinate with our house color. When you apply, you need to roll or brush quickly and evenly to get an even application especially on bare wood as it will soak the color up quickly and unlike solid paint, it can’t just put another coat on to even it out as it is semi-transparent and the splotches will show through.

Having used other brands of stain, this one was no better or worse for that. Will see how well it holds up on a fence – it has only been 6 months. I hope not to have to do this job again for a while.

We have a wood patio set from Ikea. Unfortunately the finish didn’t last and needed complete redo. Ikea was no longer selling the matching stain. This turned out good as it forced me to try this product.

After washing the set with some soapy bleach mixture I sanded all the top surfaces. Then applied the semi transparent stain and sealer in the custom mixed Sable color which is almost an exact match. The end result was amazing, looks better than new.

The key is making sure you don’t apply in direct sun as dries really fast. Aldo wet on wet if doing second coat. I don’t know how long it will last but should be much longer than the original finish.

Hello, I used Behr semi transparent stain on my deck after cleaning and prepping the surface. I applied 2 thin coats and it looked great. It was quite tacky for a long time as others have noted but this eventually resolved.

After the first winter the stain started to peel significantly and by the end of the first full summer it looked horrible. There is a portion of my deck that is covered and this has held up fine. I have now fully sanded the remaining surface in preparation of re-doing the project.

I am very reluctant to use this product again but need to do so to match the remaining covered deck surface. I would sure appreciate some advice and warranty coverage to repeat this process. Thanks so much.

I would very much like to recount my original review on Ready Seal Stain company. When we started this project we ordered redwood after doing some further research on stain colors I found that alot of people ended up with orange tints when staining their fences and this is because of the wood that the fence was used to construct it.

Some woods in their state have a yellow his to them causing the outcome to look orange. After speaking with one of the reps at Ready Seal who suggested doing the second coat in mission brown to counter out the orange we found that it worked perfect.

It’s a but Darker than we originally wanted but the orange tint is gone. And the strain looks beautiful. Sorry Ready Seal you have our business for life.

I used Redwood to paint pine siding of my cabin. The product was very easy to apply with super stainer paint brush and clean after. Good coverage. Redwood color transformed the cabin beyond recognition while covering imperfections.

It simply looks beautiful. I got lots of complements from the neighbors. I’m a very happy customer.

This product appears to be fantastic! My deck has needed attention the last two summers, but Illinois weather has not cooperated. It’s been too rainy and the temperatures have been too high including the humidity levels.

Ready Seal defies those weather barriers! After stripping the previously used product from the deck and cleaning away the caustic residue, we waited two days for the deck to dry well. Application of Ready Seal went exceptionally well.

Amazingly no start-stop marks could be found. This product blended well with no extra work. We applied with both roller and brush. For such a large deck the product did an awesome job of coverage. After one coat the water repels so well – it’s like a new waxed car, the water just beads up on the wood.

This was the results after only six hours before another rain passed through the area! Looks like maintenance should be easy and a follow up application can be applied in temperatures of 35-90+ degrees.

I’m so glad I found this product. I will definitely be using it again!.

This color in exterior gel stain is hard to find. (cedar). And I only wanted gel stain because I am staining over pressure treated wood and this was exactly what I was looking for. I’m thrilled with the results and ease of use! A tad pricey, but worth every penny.

I’ve used other brands in exterior gel stain, and like them as well, but not all colors are readily available and Old Masters seems to cover it all. The ease of having it delivered was also a plus. It was well packaged and quick delivery.

I will definitely buy this again!.

I have used multiple quarts of this stuff in the American Walnut color. It does an amazing job to change up golden oak to a beautiful rich walnut color in cabinets, mantels, stair rails and the bar stools I just applied it to.

Thanks Max Warehouse for carrying this!!!.

This thick stain makes a quality wipe on effect, truly white. Coated it with a water based clear matte polyurethane.

I used acorn brown to protect an old picnic table. I sanded the old hardwood, cleaned it and used a paint brush to apply the stain. I love the brown color and am so happy with the satin finish. definitely not glossy.

The stain is extremely thin and was a little hard to control with a paintbrush. I ended up with more drips than I would like. I’m also not sure if I ended up with two coats as recommended though I did go over each area while the stain was still wet.

Some of my wood absorbed the stain immediately and other pieces of my wood took longer to dry. In places where too much stain landed or a drip occurred, the finish is too shiny and opaque but hopefully I can sand the drips off without ruining the rest.

After the first rain I was very happy to see the raindrops bead up (see photos). This product is a great find for exterior stained wood!.

Our pergola was installed a few months ago and in need of being stained. Traditionally, stain is applied after the wood has been weathered for a year, but with this stain, it allows you to either apply to new wood or weathered wood.

I like that this is self-priming and that it has stain and sealant in one, cutting down on the workload. Since our pergola requires a ladder, I was also looking for a product that would not have to be applied every year or two.

This solid stain protects up to 5 years on decks and 15 years on fencing and siding, so I am optimistic. Due to temperatures and rain, I have been unable to prep and stain my pergola properly, but I did a test on one of the pieces of board remaining from our project.

Since our patio is in the sun nearly all day, the UV protection is a must and should help the stain last longer, thereby protecting the wood. The mildew resistant coating is also an added benefit I like since I live in the humid south and it can be easy for surfaces to mildew if not properly treated.

I applied one coat and two coats on my sample board. The one coat shows quite a bit more of the grain, whereas the required two coats provides a more solid, protected surface. I found it helpful to back brush to get the stain in the dents and crevices and to leave a wet edge while working.

I only did 1 board, but I used a 1″ brush and the wet edge is a must to encourage uniformity. Although I only did a small sample, I am satisfied with this solid stain. It provides even coverage and I can’t wait to get it applied to my pergola.

Olympic Exterior Wood Protector Water Base Semi Transparent Redwood Stain made our deck and fence look so professional, Our fence looked so old and needed something, and this was the ticket to bringing it back to life.

Olympic Wood Protector Semi-Transparent, COLOR: Redwood Semi-Transparent. Is a durable semi-transparent stain that provides a subtle natural redwood stain color and allows the natural wood grain and texture to show.

Exclusive Scuff Guarf stain formula gives the wood a tough finish and an enhanced level of protection. 100% acrylic latex wood stain formula is self-priming and cleans up easily with soap and water. It does take time putting this stain on but its worth it in the end.

I recommend Olympic Exterior Wood Protector it looks and smells like cedar. Everything ive used it on looks great. For all exterior wood. Bare wood,Finished wood , Old reclaimed wood , Stained or unfinished wood This stain is great for wooden decks and fencing and thats what I used it for.

I wanted to keep my fencing looking good and preserve the wood which was our deck. Olympic Exterior Wood Protector, protects for 3 years its mildew resistant, UV protection, waterproof sealer, you can also use a roller or a sprayer.

You will love this product.

I got the Olympic Wood Protector Solid in Deep Redwood Solid to update my shed, which was several years overdue for some protective coating. I like that this is solid so it helps hide flaws better, but the color was not what I was expecting.

I know it is called deep redwood but the picture examples on the Olympic website show this to be closer to brown. I was shocked at the bright red color in the can so I started with a swatch test before going all in.

It applies just as bright but when I checked it the next day after it dried it did deepen, though it still has more red to it than what is shown on the website (see my attached pictures for swatches).

There is a color dot on the sticker label on the can, though I am not sure that it came from the color in my can as it too is more brown than what is in the can. So once I was over the color shock, I decided I was going to roll with it and have a pop of color in my yard for the shed.

I still give this 5 stars because I like that it is a solid stain and sealant in one with waterproofing protection and UV defense. It is nice that it can last up to 5 years for decks and 15 years for fences and siding so I won’t have to apply more for a long while.

My shed is exposed to plenty of sunlight so I haven’t had mildew issues, but it is nice that this has a mildew resistant coating for additional protection if needed.

We had our older large deck and big privacy fence prepped and painted in early May 2022. We got lucky and it was optimum painting weather the entire time. The team that did the work was phenomenal. They washed, power washed, replaced a few boards, and sanded before painting.

We picked the Arborcoat in seagull Gray on the deck, and it looks spectacular. 4 Weeks later, the cleanability of the paint is not great. I have to use the pressure wash setting on the hose to get dirt and mud out.

Dried flower petals and their colors almost need to be scrubbed out. I’m pretty sure the rust marks from and old half barrel flower pot are permanent, even though the drips were seen after the first rain and the barrel was moved.

It’s really disappointing after spending so much money on paint to have it be so high maintenance after only a month, makes me worry that it will start peeling or chipping within a year. Again, the color itself is beautiful.

This Paint is probably better suited for a covered patio with no flowers.

I am a mother of a 1. 5 year old and was primarily concerned about paint odor and toxicity, and wanted to invest in a high quality paint that would make my job easy since painting with a toddler is not for the faint hearted.

Let me just note that I have painted with 2 other zero VOC paints in the past: Mythic and Colorhouse. Mythic to my knowledge is no longer available to the general consumer, so I won’t waste time on Mythic, but Colorhouse paints like a DREAM compared to BM’s Natura line.

Natura was exceedingly drippy, had poor coverage, and was very unforgiving of my starts and stops that inevitably happen when caring for a toddler. I had to paint extra coats to even out mistakes, and take extra time when applying to avoid drips or uneven painted areas.

This paint is not for the beginner painter. If all you care about is no VOC and no odor, you can learn to use it (use a high quality roller, use a spotlight, go slow, double check your work frequently), but if you also value an easy to work with paint, go with another paint!! My paint job took twice as long due in part to this terrible paint, but you can work with it if you are in the unfortunate group like me who bought the paint and had to stick with it.

When I switched back to Colorhouse paint at the end of my project, it felt like magic since it was so much easier to work with! Colorhouse is a brand that has staked its reputation on producing a non-toxic paint that is also high quality, and at about the same price point I would say throw Natura in the trash and go with Colorhouse if you have the option.

Unfortunately for me, I have to have Colorhouse shipped as it is not locally available, but looking ahead that is what I will be doing for all my future paint projects. Benjamin Moore, if you are reading this, the only thing that will make me rescind my review is if you send someone to finish painting my house and send my family on a tropical vacation since I lost my summer due to this terrible product.

I had the stain color matched to my Tree decking. It is a perfect match. I wish it was available in a quart size as I had to purchase 3 of the smaller containers. It is easy to use. I highly recommend this product.

Since it is water based, the paint was absorbed quickly. At the beginning of the painting, the panels look orange, but when the paint dried out, the color turns darker and prettier. I used less than 2 gallons for a 30 feet long fence.

Shake it before use. I only applied the paint once. The fence looks nice even after the heavy rain.

I have used several different stains and sealers on my deck and must say Olympic Waterguard stain and sealer is by far the best! We recently replaced our deck so I used this stain & sealer to finish it, in the past I had resealed my deck approximately every two years and this was by far the best experience I’ve had with this type of product.

It goes on smoothly without any tackiness and looks great with just one thing coat. Our deck is large and leads into our front door, the drying time is 24 hours so I did one half of the deck one day, and the other half the next.

I worried there would be a difference in color between the two but now you can’t even tell I didn’t do it all at once. It was completely dry in the 24 hour drying time too. Its been several weeks since I applied it and my deck still looks wonderful, just like it did the day after I applied it! My kids play rowdy games on it, running, dropping things, etc and there is absolutely no scuffing or marking on the deck.

When it rains the water beads up and runs off quickly. It is truly waterproof and the scuff guard works. I also really like the acorn color, it’s transparent with just a hint of color that keeps my deck looking perfectly clean and brand new.

I am so satisfied! Will definitely be using this brand & product in the future.

I put this on EXACTLY how it said and if I knew a lawyer I would sue this company! I have a 30 feet by 32 feet porch that cost over $6,000 to build and if only you could see it after this. If wal mart attaches tge pictures.

the steps to the right were what it looked like before and now look at it. looks like i threw a bunch of clay mud on it and streaked the crap out of it here and there and poured a whole gallon in other places.

this stuff is crap and ruined my $6,000 deck! Thank god i wasn’t stupid enough to do the 20×20 patio its connected to as well. Now I don’t know what to do but spend god knows how much sanding it and then just painting it.

Yay more money because of a suck 455 product!.