Hello brownthumbia,

My name is Christine, and I work in the paint department at The Home Depot.

I would suggest priming the surface first. Do you know if the stain that is on there is oil or latex based? If it is oil, you will have to use oil based primer, if it is latex, you can use either oil or latex.

After the primer is dry, use a paint that is specifically formulated for porches. Typically people apply 2 coats. Check on the back of the can to see how long it takes the paint to cure before you walk on it. Depending on the paint, it may take up to 3 days.

I hope this helped you out,

Happy painting!
Christine

Thanks so much Christine. I'm sure the dark stain was oil based, but the paint I used over that was latex. that may be where the problem came in. don't think you can paint latex over oil. Oh, how stupid of me. I didn't realize what I did until I just now typed it. But, I will take your suggestion and just repaint it and hope for the best. Thanks again for your help. BT

Oh G*D....here we go again...

DO NOT PRIME A DECK if using a "Porch & Floor" PAINT!!!!

THERE ARE NO P&F PRIMERS!
* The 1st coat of 99% of P&F paints needs to be thinned slightly to aid penetration.
* 2nd coat goes on full-strength.
* This assumes a cleaned, dried deck with little "grain-crush".

>>> How old is the deck?
>>> How high off the ground?
>>> Side(s) of house?
>>> Has the floor ever been sanded?

The ONLY floor primer I'd use is Cabot. It's one of very few out there. Check the link...

Faron

Here is a link that might be useful: Cabot's Deck & Siding primer...

Well, she did say "happy painting" .