Tell me about deck stain...17 gallons later...

[Viva_La_Revolution]

5. Oh yes, ours was first painted a hideous orange tint

We let it weather good for 2-3 years, pressure washed the crap out of it, then redid it with a redwood tinted oil stain. Looks great now with bits of the orange undercoat peeking thru. Other areas where it never really soaked in (first coat was sprayed) took on a much darker color and several coats. I think we went though about 22 gallons, letting it soak in and bake under the sun for a few days between coats. You just keep putting on layers until the wood no longer soaks it up.
It was so shiny it was unnatural. now several months later it looks great