I have stained many wooden items and never had a problem with staining. I contacted the company to verify which stain to use;
washed and scrubbed the old deck as requested. Spent all summer staining the old and the new deck. Last winter I watched it all peel off. When I contacted them; I was told I should have primed the wood. Stain is suppose to penetrate the wood not sit on the surface as regular paint would do. Now I am stuck with a mess. So now I am using Flood Stain with excellent results.