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The 8 Best exterior stain for wood of 2024

Are you trying to find exterior stain for wood among various brands on the market but aren’t sure where to begin? To assist you in finding the right one, we’ve put together a list of the 7 best to help you pick the perfect one!

We investigated and evaluated a number of the top-selling exterior stain for wood on the market in order to create our list of the best. Making a decision among the many options available is never simple. There are an infinite number of models available, each with a distinct price. And as you’ll find out, the best options aren’t usually the ones you imagine! This comparison is rich and relevant because of the numerous factors that were employed. You will find products featured in this ranking not only based on their pricing but also on their features and other customers reviews. To write this review, we completed 17 hours of research and did 36 exterior stain for wood tests. You won’t need to pick products at random any more. If you’re unsure of what to look for, browse our list and consult the buying guide!

An overview of our top picks

Table of contents

The best exterior stain for wood you can buy today

No. 1
#1 Deck Premium Semi-Transparent Wood Stain for Decks, Fences, & Siding - 1 Gallon (Dark Walnut)
  • PROTECTS AGAINST COLOR FADE AND PREVENTS GRAYING - #1 Deck Protects Wood From Damage Caused By Exposure to the Elements. Can Be Used On Pressure Treated Pine, Cedar, Fir, Redwood, or Most Other Softwoods. Hardwoods Will Require More Frequent Maintenance Coats.
  • BOTH A DECK STAIN & DECK SEALANT IN ONE - #1 Deck Stain Is a Dual-Purpose Stain & Sealer. It Adds Color to Your Wood and Seals it, Preventing Damage Caused by Water Penetration.
  • ALLOWS THE WOOD GRAIN TO SHOW THROUGH - Available in 5 Beautiful, Semi-Transparent Deck Stain Colors That Dry to Flat, Natural Looking Finishes That Will Enhance the Beauty of Your Exterior Wood.
  • BETTER FOR THE PLANET, EASY SOAP & WATER CLEANUP - With Less Than 50 g/L VOC Content, #1 Deck Sealer Is a Better Choice For Our Planet. Clean Up is Super Easy - Just Use Soap and Water.
  • WORKS ON DAMP WOOD, MINIMIZING THE WAIT TIME BETWEEN CLEANING AND STAINING - Once Your Wood Deck Is Visibly Dry, It's Ready to Stain.
SaleNo. 2
Krylon K03601000 Exterior Semi-Transparent Wood Stain, Cedar, 12 Ounce
  • Premium, durable stain
  • Water repellent and UV fade protection
  • Fast, even coverage
  • Model number: K03601000
No. 3
#1 Deck Premium Wood Fence Stain and Sealer - Semi-Transparent Fence Sealer - Dark Walnut, 1 Gallon
  • Long Lasting Fence Sealer - 3 Year Warranty on Fences
  • Easy to Apply Water-Based Fence Stain - Use an Airless or Pump Sprayer, or Brush & Roller
  • Available in 5 Semi-Transparent Colors Including Driftwood Gray, Natural, Cedar, Dark Walnut, & Light Walnut
  • Waterproof Protection for All Wood Surfaces Including Fences, Decks, Siding, Log Home Boards
  • Resists Fading, Graying, & Peeling on All Vertical Wood Surfaces
No. 4
DEFY Essential Semi Transparent Exterior Deck Stain and Sealer - One Day Deck Stain & Fence Stain - 1 Gallon (Butternut)
  • Adds Color & Highlights Wood Grain - Adds a beautiful, natural looking, flat finish to exterior wood surfaces while allowing the natural beauty of the wood grain to show through.
  • One Day Deck Stain - Your time is valuable, and now you can clean and stain your wood the same day. Clean in the morning, stain in the afternoon once the wood is visibly dry.
  • Easy to Use - This outdoor wood stain is easy to use, and easy to apply. Use a pump-up sprayer, brush and roller, or airless sprayer for easy application.
  • Deck Stain and Sealer - Get the benefits of both stain and sealer. Great for use on decks, siding, playsets, as well for use as a fence stain and sealer.
  • Quality That Lasts - DEFY Essential is made with the latest advancements in acrylic waterborne technology. Better quality ingredients means a longer lasting finish.
No. 5
DEFY Extreme 1 Gallon Semi-Transparent Exterior Wood Stain, Butternut
  • Water-Based Semi-Transparent Wood Stain – This water-based deck stain allows the wood grain to show through with a beautiful semi-transparent, natural matte finish. It's great for staining wood decks, fences, siding, playsets, outdoor patio furniture, and more.
  • Fortified With Zinc Nano-Particle Technology – It’s like sunscreen for your wood. Tiny zinc particles dispersed throughout the stain reflect damaging UV rays, preventing premature graying and color loss.
  • Durable Quality That Lasts – DEFY Extreme wood stains are made with the highest quality resins available that have better resistance to fading and darkening.
  • Easy to Maintain - DEFY is easy to apply and maintain by applying a single maintenance coat of DEFY Extreme Wood Stain when the wood starts to show signs of wear.
  • 250 VOC Compliant - Water based and VOC compliant everywhere except California.
No. 6
108500000 Wood Finish Stain, Water-Based, Semi-Transparent, True Black, 1-Qt. - Quantity 44
  • 108500000 Wood Finish Stain, Water-Based, Semi-Transparent, True Black, 1-Qt. - Quantity 44
No. 7
Storm System Protector - Sienna, 1 Gallon, Protects Outdoor Wood from Water & UV Rays, Siding, Fence & Deck Stain and Sealer, Outdoor Wood Stain and Sealer
  • STORM PROTECTOR: Storm Protector is a penetrating, semi-transparent stain and sealer that highlights the natural beauty of the wood grain while providing protection from Mother Nature.
  • PROTECT YOUR EXTERIOR WOOD SURFACES: This siding, deck and fence stain and sealer offers superior waterproofing and UV protection to help prevent color fading.
  • FOR A VARIETY OF WOOD SUBSTRATES: Storm Protector exterior wood stain and sealer can be applied to any exterior wood, including redwood, cedar, pine, douglas fir, spruce, cypress, mahogany and pressure treated lumber.
  • EASY TO APPLY: Storm Protector features a ready-to-use formula that's easy to apply. Mix thoroughly and apply to a prepared wood surface with a brush, roller, or sprayer. Packaged in a 1-gallon container.
  • PROTECTION TO WEATHER WHATEVER: From clear finishes that protect wood and highlight its natural beauty to more dramatic solid color stains, Storm Stain offers the look you want as well as the protection to weather whatever.
SaleNo. 8
Rust-Oleum Varathane 307414 Premium Fast Dry Wood Stain, Quart, Barn Red
  • Ideal for use on all interior wood projects: furniture, cabinets, doors, trim and paneling
  • One-coat coverage, fast-drying oil based formula
  • Dries to the touch in just 1 hour and covers up to 275 square feet
  • High performance stain system enhanced with nano pigment particles
  • Highlights natural wood grain to reveal wood's beauty
No. 9
Cabot Australian Timber Oil Wood Stain and Protector, Jarrah Brown, 1 Quart
  • WOOD PROTECTOR – Cabot Australian Timber Oil Wood Stain provides 3-way oil protection for superior penetration. The unique blend of oils is an advanced-technology treatment designed to protect wood surfaces from extreme weather exposure like never before.
  • SUPERIOR PENETRATION – Use this product as a wood sealer for your outdoor projects. The protector for wood penetrates deep into the dense, resin-rich woods for the ultimate protection and natural beauty.
  • RICH, NATURAL COLOR – Better than deck paint or other products, Timber Oil deck stain accentuates natural wood depth and patina for beautiful results that last. Natural wood stain is available in 4 wood toned colors.
  • IDEAL FOR – Use for outdoor furniture protection, as a deck stain or fence stain, and so much more. It’s ideal for decks, siding, railings, and outdoor furniture.
  • CABOT STAIN – Since 1877, Cabot has been a leader in wood care with easy-to-use prep products, long-lasting deck staining products, durable topcoats and more. At Cabot, we do wood care. And we’re here to help.
No. 10
Watco 67741 Exterior Wood Finish, Quart, Natural
  • Great for use on exterior wood surfaces such as decks, siding, fences and more
  • Oil-based formula of blended oil & varnish penetrates deeply into wood pores for ultimate protection
  • Dries to the touch in as little as 8 hours and covers up to 680 sq ft per gal
  • Protects against spills, abrasion, chipping and peeling; many projects can be completed in less than an hour
  • Convenient one-step application allows for quick project completion

How to choose a good exterior stain for wood

Does the idea of finding a fantastic exterior stain for wood make you anxious? When it comes to purchasing this product, specifically when deciding which model to select, has your head been spinning between options? You are not alone if that is the case. We are aware of the pressure involved in the purchasing process!

Your presence here indicates that you are interested in exterior stain for wood. Before choosing which product would be the best for your needs after being inundated with information, locate a reliable source with genuine selections. You can get that information from a variety of sources, including buying guides and rating websites, word-of-mouth recommendations from friends and family, online discussion forums where users can share their own experiences, product reviews that can be found all over the internet, and YouTube channels. You can only get the right product through exhaustive analysis. But you realize that’s not always simple. In order to ease your concerns, we have taken the time to develop a list of the top exterior stain for wood products available right now. You might be wondering how we came up with the list. How was this buying guide developed?

First, we used our algorithms to gather as much reliable data as we could about these products. To verify all the data gathered, we used both artificial intelligence and a lot of algorithms.
Then, our experts used criteria that are recognized in the business to evaluate them according to their quality to price ratio, allowing us to choose the top exterior stain for wood on the market right now!

The selection of the goods is not arbitrary. Before creating a list, we take into account a number of factors. Below are some of the criteria discussed:

Brand Value: What happens if you choose a dubious brand just because it appears to be a good deal? So the likelihood of receiving a product with a short shelf life increases. That is due to the fact that well-known brands have a reputation to uphold, while others do not. Top exterior stain for wood brands strive to provide some distinctive traits that set them apart from the competition. So, hopefully one or more of the items on our list will be perfect for you.

Features: Useful features are all you need, not tons of them. We consider the important aspects and select the top exterior stain for wood based on those.

Specifications: Numbers always help you measure the quality of a product in a quantitative way. We try to find products with higher specifications, but with the right balance.

Quality: A product’s quality may always be quantified with the aid of numbers. We look for goods with better standards that strike the proper balance. The best quality product that gets highly appreciated and recommended by experienced users.

Customer ratings:  Would it be accurate to suggest that the exterior stain for wood were used by hundreds of customers before you? Superior ratings indicate that many customers had better service.

Customer Reviews: Like ratings,  provide you with accurate and reliable information about the product from genuine customers. Customer ratings are very important to all of us because they contain accurate and reliable information about the customer service we received from several hundred customers.

Seller Rank: This is very intriguing! Not only do you need a good exterior stain for wood, you also need a product with rising sales that is trendy. It accomplishes two goals. First, the expanding user base proves the quality of the product. Second, given that number, producers must be able to offer greater quality and after-sales support.

Value: You get what you pay for, they say, so consider the value. Cheap isn’t always good and expensive isn’t always bad. However, that does not imply that spending a lot of money on a product that is flashy but underwhelming is a good idea. Before adding them to the list, we make an effort to evaluate how much value you can get for your money from your exterior stain for wood.

Durability: Durability and reliability are closely related concepts. You will benefit from a strong and long-lasting exterior stain for wood for months and years to come.

Product availability: Products come and go, and new ones replace the old ones. Most likely, a few new features and required changes were made. What use is it to use a supposedly good product if the maker no longer supports it? We make an effort to highlight products that are current and offered by one or more trustworthy sellers, if not more.

Negative Reviews: Yes, we do take that into account as well! The goods with the majority of bad reviews are filtered out and disregarded when we choose the best-rated one on the market.

These are the standards by which we selected our exterior stain for wood. Do we end our process there? Hell no. The most crucial fact about us that you should be aware of is that we regularly update our website with current and pertinent information. We have one more layer of filtration since we place the greatest importance on reader satisfaction. Please let us know if any product included here is incorrect, irrelevant, subpar, or simply out of date. We always value your opinions, and we’ll work hard to make any necessary corrections to our list in response to them.

Why should you believe us?

There are now thousands of possibilities for these products on Amazon, but choosing the best one can be difficult and time-consuming. And what exterior stain for wood should you purchase in 2022?

This guide is the result of more than 10 years of experience in researching, testing and writing about many topics. Each member of our team is an authority in their area. We read every article we could find online and every consumer review on every retail website for seven hours. Additionally, we discovered a ton of websites that offered helpful resources, including buying tips and thorough information on exterior stain for wood.