Staining Exterior Wood

[mashtun]

Hi All
I have just finished a new porch on the back on my house. Most of the visible lumber is t-111, and if the weather co-operates I want to stain it tommorow. I have been messing around mixing different stains to come up with one I like. I have discovered that some stain that would look good on say a book shelf, just looks completely overwhelming on something with as much real estate as a porch.

My question is, can I use a mixture of Mixwax stains for exterior wood? The guys at HD say yes, and the guys at Lowes say no. I really don't want to screw this up since I may not get another change this year to stain.

John

[cabinetman]

I would use a stain that is formulated for exterior use, for decks and fences. Interior stains are not designed to deal with UV, algae, mold, and fungus. There are other sources of consideration, like wood boring insects and those that use wood as a food source. There's also moisture, decay, and fading, to deal with. I would be interested in minimizing my maintenance.
.

[WayneJ]

I did the T-111 around the porch base with Thompson's ext wood stain with water seal(solid type) in an earth tone about 10 yrs ago and it still looks good. If its open on both sides, stain both sides to prevent warp.
Wayne

[herb fellows]

If the question is 'can i use a mixture of exterior stains', the answer is probably yes. I've done this on interior with no problem, can't imagine exterior would make any difference.

[Pappy]

I had good results with Sherwin Williams deck stain. The last I bought was about $35 gallon.

[ragswl4]

I have used and mixed Behr exterior transparent stains with good success. It has something called Nano Technology or some such buzz words. Got it at the Borg for about $29 a gallon. Easy to use, can brush, roll or spray. Must be careful though as it is pretty thin and runs easily. Best to do a couple of coats. I used an HVLP sprayer and running wasn't much of a problem. Only had a big issue with that when rolling or brushing. (Probably my technique) I used it on Hardi board, Tru-wood and pine.