How soon after prepping my logs should I apply stain?

Try to stain no more than a month after prep and preservative application is complete. Loose, unsound wood fibers can start building up in as little as 10 days after prep. All of those loose, unsound wood fibers will eventually fall off, taking your stain right with it. So, it’s best to not prolong the staining.

That said, if you power wash to prep, you also don’t want to stain too soon after power washing. Those logs need to be dry! (Dry means, at minimum, below 19% moisture content level as measured with a moisture meter. This should be closer to 6-7% in dry climates like Nevada and higher in humid climates like Pennsylvania.) In Colorado, dry time may only mean a day or two. In Tennessee, that may take a week! So, keep your type of prep and your climate in mind when planning your work time..