oil/diesel mix vs. Thompson's® WaterSeal for house deck

[2515R Dude]

Actually I think about lasting protection not stain. Does stain protect wood from sun and elements? I heard that stained wood get damaged by the sun much faster because it absorbs UV at much higher rate.

 

[JeepHead]

Actually I think about lasting protection not stain. Does stain protect wood from sun and elements? I heard that stained wood get damaged by the sun much faster because it absorbs UV at much higher rate.

A solid stain will give your deck the best protection over anything else. I would encourage you to do some research.
I have first hand knowledge with over 30 years of experience cleaning and staining decks professionally.

 

[2manyrocks]

Stain will help to seal the wood fibers.

I don't know of a long term solution for an outdoor wood deck other than putting a roof over it.

 

[EddieWalker]

I believe that Sherwin Williams Super Deck Oil Based exterior stains is the best product out there. There might be some argument that another brand has an oil based stain that's as good, but I'm not aware of anything that's better.

If you do not care about seeing the wood grain, or staining the deck, then Emerald Exterior Paint from Sherwin Williams is the best exterior paint that I'm aware of.

I NEVER pressure wash a house, or anything that will get painted or stained. A house is designed to withstand 60 mph winds, not 2,000 psi of water being forced into every crack, opening and end grain.

You want to wood to be 100% dry and clean for the stain or sealer to work it's best when applied. Air temperature also matters when applying it. Too cold or too hot are both bad times to apply stain, sealers or paints.

When I'm hired to fix or repair a deck, I rent a orbital floor sander from Home Depot and buy 2 dozen or more 18 grit sand paper to go over the decking after I've made my repairs. NOTHING cleans a deck better then sanding it!!!!

 

[JeepHead]

I believe that Sherwin Williams Super Deck Oil Based exterior stains is the best product out there. There might be some argument that another brand has an oil based stain that's as good, but I'm not aware of anything that's better.

If you do not care about seeing the wood grain, or staining the deck, then Emerald Exterior Paint from Sherwin Williams is the best exterior paint that I'm aware of.

I NEVER pressure wash a house, or anything that will get painted or stained. A house is designed to withstand 60 mph winds, not 2,000 psi of water being forced into every crack, opening and end grain.

You want to wood to be 100% dry and clean for the stain or sealer to work it's best when applied. Air temperature also matters when applying it. Too cold or too hot are both bad times to apply stain, sealers or paints.

When I'm hired to fix or repair a deck, I rent a orbital floor sander from Home Depot and buy 2 dozen or more 18 grit sand paper to go over the decking after I've made my repairs. NOTHING cleans a deck better then sanding it!!!!

Anyone who cleans a house or deck with 2000 psi or anywhere close to that, doesn't know what they're doing. I have power washed thousands of houses, decks, and wood homes and stained them afterwards. It works great with no damage IF you know what you're doing. Most homeowners do not and many professionals don't either. And I disagree, power washing a deck or wood home will clean it MUCH better than sanding could ever do. Algae often goes layers deep inside wood and sanding it will not come close to getting to those lower layers. In fact, sanding only allows the stain or sealant to grab onto the top layer only so the lower layers don't bind well resulting in little protection beyond the surface layer. Cleaning a deck or wood properly isn't done in one fail swoop either, it's done over multiple cleanings using multiple chemicals typically. Many of my wood customers are people that I have maintained their decks or wood homes for them for many years. I know very well what does and doesn't work and what lasts or doesn't last, as I have been trained by the product manufactures and sat in conventions learning from experts and other professionals discuss/instruct this very topic. I am also the guy most all the other contractors in my area pass their work onto because I am the best in the business at wood restoration and cleaning. Cleaning wood is an art that many just don't understand.

 

[Duds13]

I always recommend this site to anyone looking to refinish/stain a deck

Wood Deck Restoration Expert: 30+ Years Experience | Wood Deck Restoration Help Advice Tips

Restoring an old wood deck or building a new one? Know exactly which stains to use, what tools you need, and what to avoid for long-lasting results.

www.deckstainhelp.com

Just a few posts before this someone recommended TWP which is highly rates on this site. I chose the Armstrong Clark product when I refinished a deck on my old house and it was great stuff too.

Prep is the key, I can't stress that enough.

 

[ponytug]

@2515R Dude Solid stains have pigments (stains) in them that absorb and block UV reducing the damage to both the deck and the stain. The order of protection / resistance to weathering is;

1. Oil based deck paint (most resistant)
2. Latex deck paint (it is a big step down from quality oil paint in my experience)
3. Solid stain
4. Transparent / clear stains (I personally don't find them useful as they may need to be applied again as often as every year)
5. Linseed oil
6. Waterproofing agents (silicones)
7. No treatment (fastest to weather and decay)

+1 on the advice above to have great preparation. I have had success with both power washing and sanding. I do think that some folks underestimate the force of power washers and that damages the wood, and others underestimate how long a pressure washed deck can take to dry out (weeks to months in some areas with higher humidity and rain). Oil based paints require dry wood for the best adhesion and longevity. If your local area doesn't have naturally soft water, I would always sand over pressure washing.

All the best,

Peter

 

[JeepHead]

@2515R Dude Solid stains have pigments (stains) in them that absorb and block UV reducing the damage to both the deck and the stain. The order of protection / resistance to weathering is;

1. Oil based deck paint (most resistant)
2. Latex deck paint (it is a big step down from quality oil paint in my experience)
3. Solid stain
4. Transparent / clear stains (I personally don't find them useful as they may need to be applied again as often as every year)
5. Linseed oil
6. Waterproofing agents (silicones)
7. No treatment (fastest to weather and decay)

+1 on the advice above to have great preparation. I have had success with both power washing and sanding. I do think that some folks underestimate the force of power washers and that damages the wood, and others underestimate how long a pressure washed deck can take to dry out (weeks to months in some areas with higher humidity and rain). Oil based paints require dry wood for the best adhesion and longevity. If your local area doesn't have naturally soft water, I would always sand over pressure washing.

All the best,

Peter

We should add to this that paint is a terrible choice for decks as it wears off quickly in areas with frequent traffic. If you regularly move furniture, grills etc. around, or have dogs then it's even worse. Paint is one thing I never advise putting on a deck UNLESS it's a deck that just doesn't get used. For a deck that is used often, there is nothing better than a solid oil based STAIN. And as said earlier, sanding has no place whatsoever on a deck that gets algae or it will be a waste of time & money. If you're in a dry environment that never sees algae, sanding will work.

 

[Gem99ultra]

I have rather large wrap around deck on my house
Every year i pressure washer it and seal it with Thompson's® WaterSeal. It lasts about 6-8 month and then by the next spring the deck looks like crap and i need to do it again.
There are discussions about trailer decks treated with mix of motor oil and diesel, but could not find anything about the house decks.

Any PROS or CONS using used or new motor oil and diesel mix? Does anyone have experience doing it at his/her house?

I'm in the same boat as you are... So far I haven't found a really good 'fix'. Thomson's Water Seal is a 6 month ordeal. Costly and a lot of work but only lasts about 6 moths at most. Linseed oil smell to high heaven, turns black, and tracks into the house - which is unacceptable. Same with motor oil and diesel. Stain? Forget it. That'll disappear within weeks.

The only thing that I have found that holds up is oil base paint, which I really don't want to do. I like the natural look of wood for my deck. I've done comparable test painting lawn furniture. One bench I painted with oil base paint and another with latex paint. Within 1 year the latex painted bench was flaking off and starting to show deteriotation. The oil base painted bench still looks great after 7 years! No flaking, no deteriotation.

I'll be watching this thread, and thanks for posting it, for a good answer. Meanwhile, I'm sitting here with 5 gallons of Thomsons that I'll keep putting on every 6 months.

 

[2515R Dude]

I'm in the same boat as you are... So far I haven't found a really good 'fix'. Thomson's Water Seal is a 6 month ordeal. Costly and a lot of work but only lasts about 6 moths at most. Linseed oil smell to high heaven, turns black, and tracks into the house - which is unacceptable. Same with motor oil and diesel. Stain? Forget it. That'll disappear within weeks.

The only thing that I have found that holds up is oil base paint, which I really don't want to do. I like the natural look of wood for my deck. I've done comparable test painting lawn furniture. One bench I painted with oil base paint and another with latex paint. Within 1 year the latex painted bench was flaking off and starting to show deteriotation. The oil base painted bench still looks great after 7 years! No flaking, no deteriotation.

I'll be watching this thread, and thanks for posting it, for a good answer. Meanwhile, I'm sitting here with 5 gallons of Thomsons that I'll keep putting on every 6 months.

In my case it is three 5 gallon containers I have to use.

So far what I done 2 days ago. I have 5 gallon bucket of used transmission oil from my tractor. It looks clean. So, I made a 50/50 mix with diesel and liberally put it on one of the leftover boards from the deck.
1. It went right in without leaving anything on the surface. I can't feel any residue which potentially would track to the house.
2. At the beginning the smell of diesel was really strong. The second day I could smell it from 1-2' away. Today I had to put my nose really close to feel any smell. I left it on direct sunlight.

I'll keep monitoring it, but I think I will go with it since tracking is not an issue in my case even if there is a potential for it but smell,... I'll report in a week or so, but so far looks promising.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

Thanks for your input, So, any idea how long will it smell? a week, a month, a year?

It depends on what oil you use. The diesel will evaporate in 6 weeks or so. You might go with deodorized kereosene to keep the odor down. Ifyou use motor oil, it will never dry. Vegetable oils will turn rancid and stink. Boiled linseed will dry fairly fast. Have you thought about spar varnish?

 

[California]

... Have you thought about spar varnish?

I thought spar varnish never really hardens, so its not recommended for a walking surface. No?

I can tell you what doesn't work! Home Depot's Behr latex deck stain, at least what they were selling a few years ago. On new, dry Redwood decking, it was notably worn off after a year. At year 2 we sanded the entire deck and refinished. Same result. Even very low traffic areas are bare now.

And not tested by me but Consumer Reports ranked Thompson Water Seal way down among the deck finishes they compared.

 

[jyoutz]

I thought spar varnish never really hardens, so its not recommended for a walking surface. No?

I can tell you what doesn't work! Home Depot's Behr latex deck stain, at least what they were selling a few years ago. On new, dry Redwood decking, it was notably worn off after a year. At year 2 we sanded the entire deck and refinished. Same result. Even very low traffic areas are bare now.

And not tested by me but Consumer Reports ranked Thompson Water Seal way down among the deck finishes they compared.

I would look for an opaque oil based stain from a good paint company. Not latex stain.

Edit: the difference is that oil based stains penetrate into the wood, while latex just coats the surface and is easily chipped or scraped off.

 

[Bocephous]

I use Thompson's on my deck, but not the white/red label stuff. The stuff I use has a white/green label and does a really good job, much better than their other stuff. I think I paid about $17/gallon recently from Walmart. Apply it on a hot, sunny day and the wood sucks it right in. Half of the deck on my house is original from 1986 and there is no rot.

Alternately, I had the deck on my garage stained with a solid stain after it was built in 2012. Much of that pressure treated 1X6 decking is now rotten.

Robot or human?

 

[2515R Dude]

OK, here is the deal, four days ago i took 50% of used transmission hydraulic oil which i have at least 5 gallons from my last oil change. It is very clean and transparent and 50% diesel. actually 5oz of each and very liberally applied it on one of the boards i have left from this deck. Actually i just poured it on the board and spread it with my hand.
The mixture sucked in like it was a sponge unlike Thompson's sealant. I did it three times one after another. After 2 minutes the board felt absolutely dry with very nice grain showing. I left it on direct sunlight.

1st day The smell was really strong, i could smell it at least 10 feet away.
2nd day afternoon. Still smelly but much less, i could feel it only from 3 feet away.
3rd day. Virtually no smell. I could feel it only when i get my nose close like 10 or less inches. I called my wife which does not like smell of gasoline nor diesel. She felt same thing, about 10 inches.
4th day. Checked at 5PM. 4 days in direct sunlight made the trick. I cannot feel any smell at all and the board feels dry as a bone.

Tomorrow i'll make a "life test", i'll put same mixture in 3-4 places on my deck where there is no chance of tracking even tho we never go in to the house with outside shoes and far, so i don't feel any odor in case there is some.

 

[California]

four days ago i took 50% of used transmission oil and 50% diesel.

I should try this.

UTF or automotive AT fluid?

I expect the latter might smell burned.

 

[2515R Dude]

I should try this.

UTF or automotive AT fluid?

I expect the latter might smell burned.

Sorry, i misspoke (where did i recently hear it???LOL) it is hydraulic fluid.

 

[EddieWalker]

Interesting results. I'm curious how it holds up over time.

 

[ArlyA]

I think Thompson's products are poor in general.

 

[super55]

I have use motor oil on sheds and trailer decking. I wouldn't use it by my house.
TWP makes a good oil based stain.

Sorry but Thompsons water seal and things like boiled linseed oil are really crappy outdoor stains.

TWP is one of the only stains I will use because it's oil based. I have a log home and it is all I will use on the house and decks. Initially used sikkens but it sealed too well and then the finish would crack and eventually mildew behind it. This SRD while the finish doesn't last as long or as glossy there is zero prep. You lay it down and the wood will just absorb it.