My deck stain project turned into a neighborhood wildlife drama

I was finally staining my deck in Denver last Tuesday when a squirrel decided my open can of 'Cedar Naturaltone' was a personal hot tub. It jumped right in, panicked, and then ran across the fresh stain on half the boards. I spent the next two hours with mineral spirits trying to fix the tiny paw prints before everything dried. Anyone else have a simple job completely derailed by an unexpected animal guest?

3 comments

3 Comments

kelly.dylan2mo ago

That "tiny paw prints" part is too real. Had a raccoon walk through wet concrete on a patio job once. We kept a bucket of water and a sponge right next to the mix after that. For your stain, a quick wipe with a rag dipped in mineral spirits right when it happens is the only thing that works. Once it dries, you're sanding.

alex_hall912mo ago

Learned the mineral spirits trick the hard way after a squirrel got into some fresh deck stain. Now I keep a small can of it and a pack of shop rags in my truck at all times. That quick wipe saves hours of sanding later. Honestly, the wildlife around job sites causes more problems than the weather some days.

mason_flores211mo ago

The "causes more problems than the weather" line is a bit much, man. I've seen a raccoon walk through wet concrete too, and it's annoying, but it takes ten minutes to fix. Weather can shut down a whole day or ruin a pour that you spent hours on. A squirrel running through some stain is a minor headache. You just wipe it down and move on. I think we're giving these animals too much credit. It's not like they're out there planning workflows or messing with your foundation.