What is a Solid Body Stain?

Many people have asked us to use a solid body stain on their home instead of a paint. Most homeowners think that a solid body stain is NOT a paint. We just wanted to clarify a few things regarding solid body stains.

A solid body stain is more of a marketing term to describe a certain type of paint that is thinner in the look and feel than ordinary exterior paint. Home Depot along with other hardware chains marketed the products mainly for fences and new wood siding on a home. If a homeowner did not like the look of a thick quote of paint, stores would recommend a "solid body stain." Theses so called stains would penetrate new wood very well and would leave a solid color with the wood grain still showing. It was a great look if a homeowner liked the natural wood look. 

A solid body stain today is really just a watered down acrylic paint. There is nothing special about it, though there is nothing wrong with it either. You can take an exterior paint product, pour water into the paint can, stir it up and have your own custom "solid body stain." It will perform the same and last about the same amount of time. One of the key benefits of using a solid body "stain" is that is tends to resist peeling on new surfaces. Why? Because it soaks into the wood instead of laying on the surface like most paints.  A solid body stain applied over an existing solid stain only causes the surface to look a little more thicker in texture and cleaner. 

Before you purchase or request a solid "stain" next time for your home projects, get a profession opinion from us. We'd be happy to tell you whether the surface can use such a product and give you an idea of how long it will last. We're here to help!