Customer Reviews for Wagner Renuvo Deck Staining Tool

Overall I'm pleased with the Renuvo deck staining tool -- worked pretty well staining my deck (see pics 1 + 2) without the issues involved with using rollers and brushes. But there are a couple of issues. The trigger releases the stain through about 5 portals into the pad. More portals would be better for more even application. The groove brush was a smart idea and does a fair job of applying stain between the slats. But it is not anchored to the pad well enough--it kept popping off the tool (see pic 3). Wagner should look at better anchoring mechanisms, perhaps even a screw. Also, the seal from the reservoir to the tool needs improved (perhaps an o-ring) because while I used the tool, the stain was dripping out of the back of the reservoir (see pic 4). But in the end, staining my 12'x12' deck took about an hour and looks great (see pics 5 + 6). Clean up requires disassembling the tool to 4 pieces and cleaning each, with special attention to the pad so it can be reused. Dis- and re-assembly is easy and straight forward.

what good is this product if you can not buy pads from home depot

This made the job go so much faster. I have a 35' X 16' deck and was not looked forward to staining it. It took no time with this product. My wife did have to touch up the ends and edges as I stained but I would recommend this product. Well worth the money spent.

My Renuvo Deck Staining Tool worked well, it was effortless and easy on the back, no more bending over on hands and knees to stain the ramp to my barn with a brush. Nice flow control built into the handle, I needed to slightly open the flow valve for the stain I was using, and the trigger allowed just the right amount of stain at the right time.. Easy clean up also, just soap and water, rinse and done. Ready for my next project.

The Wagner Renuvo deck staining tool required some quick assembly out of the box. The tube, pad, and brush needed assembly, but this task was done in minutes. The unit is very easy to use and the printed instructions are very clear and easy to follow. The most important part of the process when using this tool is to adjust the flow rate of material from the product. Once my husband increased the flow rate, we had no trouble finishing the staining process in under 1/2 hour. My husband has used a paint roller with extender in the past, and this tool seems to be a bit easier. This is because there is no need to keep dipping into a paint tray over and over. The roller process also requires moving the paint tray as you continue to stain the deck. The second reason for a 4 star rating would be that we have to still use a roller for our deck benches and cannot use the renuvo tool for that process. The only drawback on this tool would be the clean up process. It took about 20 minutes to properly clean the tool, as we want to put on a second coat of stain in a couple of days. With the old process, we would simply throw away the roller and be done. That is the reason that I gave this product a 4 star rating. I do feel that the product works perfectly and that the result was perfect. After looking today at the first coat, I wonder even if we need a second coat. So, my opinion is that the pad probably does a better job of total coverage than a roller. Overall, this product worked well with our deck stain and we are very satisfied.

Great idea that flops! It refused even coverage and the gap brush is useless. Threw it in the trash after 5 deck boards and went back to brushes & roller

This tool was just what we were looking for to re-stain the deck, it works smoothly and quickly. The railing of course has to be done by hand but that was ok for us. It just really quickly and with a minimum amount of effort did the floor of the deck. The price was very reasonable, the order was easy and the tool came quickly.

I was looking for a quicker, easier way to stain my deck and this looked like it would help. The handle broke almost immediately. I tried to tape it but it just would not hold. I would not recommend wasting your time with this product.

The tool made staining the deck boards real easy. the applicator gave a great finish. Clean up was easy. I highly recommend this tool. great buy for the money.

Okay...first of all I HATE going to a paint tray, so when I discovered the Renuvo I was immediately sold. It had some great reviews and some poor reviews. I feel that some of the poor reviews, as with any product, is user error and less product error. So, for $35, I knew the product would not be amazing...here are the issues that arose that were not ideal, but not a huge hindrance in completing the project: 1) the bristles off of the brush that get in between the cracks tends to shed it's bristles 2) The stain does not come out evenly (with that said, you can learn to use the Renuvo in a way that will get plenty of coverage but it's not as simple as pulling the trigger and pushing the tool straight ahead) I I feel the coverage is best if you squeeze the trigger to release stain while not moving the pad. 3) the pad will snag...I sanded my decking with a medium grit then a fine grit...let's realize the wood most people work with is not perfect, so I still had a few rough spots...it tended to collect little splinters With the negatives out of the way let's get to the positives. 1) It holds the paint so you don't have to dip into a tray constantly. This is a HUGE selling point for me. TIP: some of the reviews complained about stain dripping out of reservoir where you screw the cap back on...I only filled the tank about half way which barely reaches the cap to make sure this was not an issue...ZERO drips! 2) Will allow you to stain your decking boards very quickly. With that said, take your time to make sure coverage is good otherwise you won't be happy with the end result 3) Clean up is easy...I would much rather clean this product than my Wagner Flexio 590 sprayer. All in all, I believe this product is worth the $. It's not a piece of junk, nor is it perfect. If you take your time and don't expect to simply push the tool forward and backward then you'll be satisfied with the purchase.

Very easy to use, spreads the stain very nicely. Simple to load, no worries about viscosity of the stain etc. I used it with a solid Behr stain. The clean up is about 15 min. but the time saved using it is well worth it. Not real impressed with the "crack brush".

Didn't work like I was hoping it would. The tube inside wouldn't stay on and made more of a mess. Great idea, just fell short on it's construction

Didn't work in the slots between boards very well. Touch up required between every board. Tank leaked leaving drips. The clips held the tank on great but it leaked. The little brush kept popping out of the head. If ether a screw head is not countersunk just right or wood beveling up around it the pad would catch on it. This might work better on a new deck. I'll just go back to a garden sprayer so I get application between the boards.

This was easy to assemble and easy to use. The only disappointing thing is that HD does not carry the refill heads so if you are planning on reusing this tool make sure you clean the brush head as soon as you finish applying stain.

This product is the absolute worst ever! I rarely write reviews, but after trying to stain my deck with this product, I immediately came in to write this review. First, the unit continued to leak, and by "leak" I mean really bad! Drip marks all over everything, everywhere I went. It leaked right at the tank connection. Then as if that wasn't bad enough, the connector which holds the handle together kept breaking apart so the unit would constantly fall out of my hands and I would be holding only the trigger handle while the pad end would leak more stain onto the deck. I kept trying and putting it back together until finally the pad connector simply broke off. That was it - the tool was then launched into my neighbor's yard. I now have to re-sand my entire deck thanks to this atrocious tool, not to mention the $40 worth of stain I lost. Unbelievable!!

The worst product I've ever bought for any purpose, ever. Stay away. Things that are horrible about it: - Volume flow is hard to control. The volume control slider is located in a place where it's practically impossible not to nudge it with your thumb while holding the handle and using the product... even worse, you can't even tell that you've done it until you start wondering "why is the stain gushing from this thing like a geyser." Keeps creeping up. - Thin pad with poor dispersal, very hard to get it to apply evenly on a wide swath. It wants to dump all the stain on a narrow path about 2" wide, despite the pad being considerably wider. Takes a lot of back-and-forth scrubbing to get the dispersal wide enough to cover, say, a 4" wide deck plank. - Combination of flimsy, thin pad and poorly-shaped design for the plastic pad support means that the tool is hyper-sensitive to even the smallest obstructions; it's incredibly unforgiving. Let's say you're trying to use this on a deck that has a fair number of nails that protrude by a millimeter or so from the surface. Whenever this tool runs into one of those things, it stubs its toe and comes to a crashing halt, causing it to flip over and spatter stain around. Makes it practically impossible to use in a smooth fashion unless the surface is smooth enough to ice-skate on. - Flimsy and not durable at all. Didn't even last 100 square feet of the very first use before it started leaking stain like Niagara all around the rim of the stain reservoir. That is, the big plastic tank just wasn't sealed. I'm not talking a little dribble here, I mean a full-on flow that leaked most of a can's worth of stain in the couple of minutes it took me to find a bucket big enough to set the thing in. Wasted a can of stain and ruined my deck. (The design of the thing is such that once it starts leaking, there's pretty much no angle you can hold it which will stop the leak. Your only hope is to find a large container big enough to hold the whole tool.) This is the first Wagner product I've ever bought. I expect it will be the last.

This staining tool is actually pretty handy. It works well and the design makes it easier than the paint tray and roller. You do still need to cut in the edges some and brush tight ares, but once you get the hang of the flow rate,you can get the job done much quicker.Nice added feature with the little brush attached to get in between the boards at the same time. This tool would be great for someone who has a new wood fence to install.If you buy the fence panels pre built just lay them on the ground up on blocks of wood and stain the complete fence before installing it.. SO much easier than after it's installed!! Wish we would have had this tool before we put up our privacy fence years ago!! I only wish now they would make it so we could stain in a vertical position!! We have to many windy days in our area so a sprayer isn't as convenient for us to use. The one con I have is the cleaning part--takes a while....

This is one of those products that makes you say "Why didn't I think of that". Well designed and works as expected. Fairly easy to apply the right amount of stain. The flow adjustment works pretty well. I found it easiest to release a small quantity of stain, work that in, then release more stain. Apparently, the product comes in both a completely assembled version (the one I got) and one requiring some minimal assembly. A couple of design elements that I would comment on: The spring connector holding the two handle pieces together is too weak. The handle come apart several times during use. Also, even after careful cleaning, the application pad seems too gummed up to use again. Replacement pads would be helpful. Overall it does the job very well.

This is a great time saver when applying stain to a deck. The 1/2 gallon tank is easy to fill with a large mouth and the pad puts the stain on evenly once you get the flow control and feed adjusted properly. Like any painting tool you must clean good after each use and if you are using oil based stain clean both the tank, pad, and wand until is run clear. This is a must to keep the tool in good working condition. The results are very good and better than a roller or a brush for decks.

I used a paint roller with extender in the past, and this tool is much easier to use because there is no need to keep dipping into a paint tray .It keeps your hands clean and it is fast to finish the staining job.

This device saves so much time,I used to stain the deck with a roller and brush. This works really well if you have a smooth deck,make sure there are no splinters sticking out or it will get caught on the fiber pad.Its easy to use and covers well and saves a lot of time.Now I don't mind staining the deck.

This makes staining your deck very easy now, there will be more time for cooking on the grill. Application is even and cleanup is easy. Recommended.

Big improvement over any mop type staining device. Keeps you hands clean and far away from the stain. You can do your whole deck with one pad then clean it out or throw it away. Nice long handle so there is no bending over. You just set the flow control valve and squeeze the trigger to dispense just the right amount to cover your boards. Put your name on it because your neighbors are gonna want to use it.

Snap on the pad and handle, fill the 1/2 gallon reservoir and start staining. Its trigger feed from the handle with a variable flow rate dial on the handle as well. Clean up by emptying remaining stain back into the can and fill reservoir with what your stain instructs you to cleanup with and run that thru the unit into a bucket or sink until its all cleaned up. Dry and lubricate the gaskets and your done.

I love it. its amazing and it helps apply stain very easily