But what distinguishes sealing from staining, and which is best for your deck ... environmental damage and wear. Unlike deck stain, which adds color to the wood, sealant primarily acts as a ...

Rollers are best for large, flat surfaces, like a flat deck railing or fence ... which have lots of color pigment, take a day or longer to dry. The stain packaging will typically have three ...

But the best semi-transparent stain in our ratings isn’t as tough as the top solid stains, and our data suggest that this type of stain will probably last only two to three years on a deck.