Deck Staining | Best Deck Stain Reviews Ratingssolid stains, deck Resurface Coatings, and Paints will not. Clear sealers without any pigment/color will not prevent UV graying. Lighter Pigmented stains that are Transparent, Semi-Transparent, or Semi-solid will have less UV protection than Darker Pigmented stains in the same transparency. More color/tint = better UV protection. deck stains are either Oil Based or Water Based. Filming or penetrating. Transparent, Semi-Transparent, Semi-solid, solid (opaque) stains or a deck ...