How to stop drips going through the cracks when staining a first floor deck?

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Sienna

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#319031 15-Mar-2025 12:47

I have a first floor deck that I want to stain. How do I do it so that the stain doesn't go through the cracks between the boards and fall onto the pavers and outdoor furniture at ground level below? All the decks I have stained previously have been at ground level so I haven't had to worry about drips falling through the cracks. Thanks in advance for any suggestions or tips provided.

duckDecoy

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#3354193 15-Mar-2025 13:00

Im not sure you can prevent the drips so you need to mitigate. You could just use a big tarp to cover everything under the deck, or as a cheaper option do what we did which is tape a bunch of painters masking film underneath the deck itself:
https://www.mitre10.co.nz/shop/3m-advanced-masking-film-2-5m-x-27-4m/p/182997 (it comes in different sizes).

Bung

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#3354195 15-Mar-2025 13:05

I don't think you can stop it dripping. so you have to cover anything under it.

Sienna

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#3354196 15-Mar-2025 13:07

Taping masking tape under the deck sounds like a good idea except that I am not sure how I could get up high enough to tape it. Maybe I should just get some disposable drop cloths and lay them underneath. This will mean that any drips don't contaminate whatever is under the deck. However, it won't stop the drips from being visible if you look up at the underside of the deck. I have outside dining furniture at ground level and I am keen that if anyone sitting there looks upwards that they don't see an amateurish assortment of drips on the underside of the deck. I am something of a perfectionist so would prefer to avoid this if I could.

richms

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#3354203 15-Mar-2025 13:56

Then you will have to sort out access to it and stain the underside with the same stain.

Richard rich.ms

mdf

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#3354205 15-Mar-2025 14:22

Will require some effort.

I've done this before by carefully brushing the whole thing on hands and knees with a smaller brush (~50mm) and being super careful. Would honestly not recommend this unless its a small deck. And even then...

If I had to do it again, I'd probably try doing as a two person job, one staining the deck topside and the other below with a brush or cloth on a pole to clear up any runs before they dry. If you use a decking mop and bucket well squeezed you can minimise the runs but there is no guarantee of eliminating them.

eracode

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#3354254 15-Mar-2025 20:43

Bung:

I don't think you can stop it dripping. so you have to cover anything under it.

Yes - use a drop sheet. Not even sure why the question needed to be asked - it has lead to over-thought and complicated, impractical answers.

Sometimes I just sit and think. Other times I just sit.

Bung

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#3354262 15-Mar-2025 21:25

duckDecoy:

Im not sure you can prevent the drips so you need to mitigate. You could just use a big tarp to cover everything under the deck, or as a cheaper option do what we did which is tape a bunch of painters masking film underneath the deck itself:
https://www.mitre10.co.nz/shop/3m-advanced-masking-film-2-5m-x-27-4m/p/182997 (it comes in different sizes).

A friend was using masking film to cover a deck while walls were being painted and complaining about the wind and the noise the plastic made. I reminded her that she'd dropped off a load of old carpet at the tip a few days ago. Sometimes you need to plan ahead.

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SepticSceptic

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#3354272 15-Mar-2025 23:19

Perhaps air gunning your stain, rather than brush or roller?

Though you may need a couple of coats to get the stain density to match brush or roller coating

Goosey

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#3354347 16-Mar-2025 08:17

1) remove everything from the lower level that’s under the deck…

2) buy plastic drop sheets

3) tape on these sheets to both the walls of the house side of the deck and surface of the deck.

4) don’t use the lower deck until your done staining the top deck

alternatively, if you don’t want to move stuff from the lower deck, hire scaffold and simply move stuff on the lower deck to then tape drop sheets to the underside of the deck.

eracode

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#3368941 29-Apr-2025 20:12

@Sienna What did you end up doing?

Sometimes I just sit and think. Other times I just sit.

Sienna

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#3370384 4-May-2025 17:10

eracode:

@Sienna What did you end up doing?

I have put the problem on hold until next spring. I think that the only way that I will achieve what I want is to brush on the stain using a narrow brush as per someone else's suggestion. This will be tedious though and hard on my knees. I figure if I use a brush that is narrower than the boards then when the brush is first loaded with stain, I can do the centre part of the board and then do the outer parts when there is less stain on the brush. I am hoping this will avoid the drips going through the cracks. With all the multi-level buildings around now, I don't imagine that I am the only one that has this problem.