Deck staining/sealing? What do you know?

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Deck staining/sealing? What do you know?

Posted: 9/29/2005 9:36:42 AM EDT

One of my customers asked me if i'd give them a price on staining or sealing there deck. I never stained a deck so i don't really know whats best for a deck. They deck is 1 year old, and is build out of basic treated wood. What do i do? Do i have to power wash it first? What stain or sealer is best?

Thanks
Matt

Posted: 9/29/2005 9:54:04 AM EDT

[#1]

Look for a product called Penofin. Its about $100-$120 for 5 gals. It comes in various colors as well as clear. If the deck is a year old its probably pretty dirty. I would powerwash it beforehand.

Posted: 9/29/2005 9:56:34 AM EDT

[#2]

I know that it sucks. I restained my parents deck this year. Stain is the stickiest nastiest crap. And with a wagner pro sprayer, I got mist all over me. I will never stain/re-stain a deck. The deck I'm building at my house will be out of the plastic wood that never needs stains, doesn't warp/expand/discolor.

Posted: 9/29/2005 9:59:55 AM EDT

[#3]

Decks don't need it unless you don't like the look of aged, weathered wood and like to re-stain decks.

Posted: 9/29/2005 10:10:21 AM EDT

[#4]

I just recently refinished the deck on the back of the house I bought. All of it was painted with an exterior latex that was starting to peel. I stripped the paint and used Mason's Superdeck Transparent Stain; www.superdeck.com/2000spec.htm I brightened it first; www.superdeck.com/1450spec.htm so that the grain would show through well. Turned out OK although stripping it took forever.

Posted: 9/29/2005 11:34:31 AM EDT

[#5]

Quoted:
Look for a product called Penofin. Its about $100-$120 for 5 gals. It comes in various colors as well as clear. If the deck is a year old its probably pretty dirty. I would powerwash it beforehand.

+1 Stay away from crappy wax-based sealers like Thompsons. Penofin has kept our redwood looking brand new for 5 years.

Also, before you power wash, use some deck cleaner - it's a light acid that will pull of the decomposed wood pulp.

Posted: 9/29/2005 11:40:25 AM EDT

[#6]

Quoted:
I just recently refinished the deck on the back of the house I bought. All of it was painted with an exterior latex that was starting to peel. I stripped the paint and used Mason's Superdeck Transparent Stain; www.superdeck.com/2000spec.htm I brightened it first; www.superdeck.com/1450spec.htm so that the grain would show through well. Turned out OK although stripping it took forever.

Superdeck is good stuff too.

Posted: 9/29/2005 11:40:26 AM EDT

[#7]

You can powerwash with common household bleach instead of soap. Then when it's THOROUGHLY dry, use the product found here--it is the BEST preservative on earth, made for log homes: www.totalwoodcare.com

Posted: 9/29/2005 11:40:47 AM EDT

[#8]

Try these guys,

Rot Doctor

Posted: 9/29/2005 11:47:38 AM EDT

[#9]

OxyClean.

I swear. OxyClean. It works better than bleach. Get it in powder form and mix it concentrated... Spray it on using a garden sprayer, then pressurewash it off.

If you want the deck to be absolutely sparkling clean, after you get done pressurewashing, spray on more oxyclean and get on your hands and knees and scrub it with a hard-bristled brush.

Yes, it is an ENORMOUS pain in the butt... but the deck will be so clean you could eat off it.

Then, treat.

Posted: 9/29/2005 11:57:03 AM EDT

[#10]

I would avoid anything that's called a stain. I refinish hardwood floors in my part-time job and I really hate stained floors and I don't see where it adds anything to protect the wood. Must my opinion. I covered my deck in Olympic brand deck treatment. Water beads on it like a freshly waxed car.

Posted: 9/29/2005 12:06:17 PM EDT

[#11]

100 sqft/ man hour is the standard you want to use. I used ICI's TWP, www.icipaints.com

Posted: 9/29/2005 12:06:58 PM EDT

[#12]

Quoted:
I would avoid anything that's called a stain. I refinish hardwood floors in my part-time job and I really hate stained floors and I don't see where it adds anything to protect the wood. Must my opinion. I covered my deck in Olympic brand deck treatment. Water beads on it like a freshly waxed car.

True for the vast majority of stain products. The stuff I recommended is officially a "stain"--but it's thicker than any paint I've ever seen, much like pudding--and protects to an incredible degree. We just finished using it on our log cabin and the water beads like a waxed car too--and it lasts MUCH longer, when applied per the directions, than any kind of "deck treatment." People who spend several hundred thousand bucks for log homes (or much less for log cabins) cannot have their logs rotting.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Deck staining/sealing? What do you know?

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