The best and worst wood stains of 2026: Consumer Reports

Deck stains that fail in year one leave wood exposed to rot. Consumer Reports scored 30-plus products on outdoor weathering to find the best and worst

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A wood deck or fence is one of the most weather-punished surfaces on a home, facing ice, heat, humidity, and UV exposure through every season. The stain applied to that wood is its only protection against accelerated deterioration, and not all stains hold up under those conditions. Performance gaps between products are wide enough that a poor choice can mean visible failure within a single year. A strong choice can keep wood looking close to new after three.

Consumer Reports applies two coats of each stain to pine boards, exposes them on a south-facing roof in Yonkers, N.Y., and rates them annually for up to three years on resistance to cracking, color change, and mildew. Here are the top and bottom scorers in their current ratings.

Best: Behr Premium Solid Color Waterproofing Stain & Sealer

At $50 a gallon, the Behr........

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