Person wearing red flannel, blue overalls, and red bandana on ladder painting wooden structure

How To Choose A Stain Opacity

Finding the right stain finish

Person wearing red flannel, blue overalls, and red bandana on ladder painting wooden structure

How To Choose A Stain Opacity

Q: How Do I Choose the Right Stain Opacity?

A: From clear sealants to solid color stains, we'll help you find a stain opacity, or finish for your deck or fit any other outdoor staining need you may have. Let’s walk through the different opacities to better understand which option best fits your next wood staining project.

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Most Transparent - Clear Sealants
Most Transparent - Clear Sealants
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Most Transparent

Clear Sealants

Clear sealants are the lightest, most transparent opacity option. A clear finish will show the most amount of wood grain and impact the color of your wood the least, allowing it to weather naturally. This is a great option if you prefer the natural look and color of your wood. 

While clears provide the lowest amount of protection for your wood among all opacities, our Olympic® Maximum Waterproofing Sealant is warrantied up to three years.

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Slight Hint of Color - Toners
Slight Hint of Color - Toners
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Slight Hint of Color

Toners

Toners provide a slight hint of color that maintains or restores the natural beauty of wood.

Our toner products, such as Olympic MAXIMUM Stain & Sealant in One Toner, offer great protection against water damage, UV rays and scuffs.

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More Pronounced Color - Semi-Transparent Stains
More Pronounced Color - Semi-Transparent Stains
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More Pronounced Color

Semi-Transparent Stains

Semi-transparent stains offer a subtle, yet more pronounced color appearance, while still allowing some wood grain and texture to show through. With over 45 semi-transparent colors available, this opacity is a confident compromise between showing off wood’s natural beauty and still adding a touch of your favorite stain color. 

ELITE Advanced Stain & Sealant in One Semi-Transparent is a super-premium stain formulated to protect and enhance the natural look of your wood.

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Hides Some Wood Grain - Semi-Solid Stains
Hides Some Wood Grain - Semi-Solid Stains
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Hides Some Wood Grain

Semi-Solid Stains

This option provides the same rich color as semi-transparent stain, however, it also hides some of the wood grain while still allowing its texture to show. 

ELITE Advanced Stain & Sealant in One Semi-Solid is a good choice when you need to hide wood imperfections.

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Covers the Wood Grain - Solid Color Stains
Covers the Wood Grain - Solid Color Stains
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Covers the Wood Grain

Solid Color Stains

Think of solid color stains as being the most opaque of the opacities. These stains, available in dozens of colors, offer the most protection and will cover your wood surface completely, not allowing any wood grain to show.

Olympic MAXIMUM® Stain & Sealant in One Solid Color gives you a lot of variety to choose from as it is available in over 140 colors.

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