Cedar deck help please!

[jymbee]

We'll be putting in a new cedar deck this week and are getting some different opinions as to treatment options. Some say just wait until the deck is installed then apply treatment while others say it's important to pretreat before installation. Would appreciate some informed input as to the best option? Also some folks swear by Thompsons Water Seal while others having nothing good to say about it! Might there be better options for what to apply?

 

[DerbyRunner]

We use Thompsons water seal on all our outdoor wooden decks. It has given us good service and we apply a fresh coat each year.

Cedar is better than pine regarding whether to pre-treat or not. But if you can pre-treat, that is always good. Although a bit more work.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

Thompsons works well if you reapply it regularly. I think the biggest sources of complaints is the frequency of reapplication. It works, but it is a continuous effort every year to apply and reapply. And it's not inexpensive. Personally, I just switched to treated lumber. Also not ideal, but it was what I went with.

 

[oosik]

I guess WHEN you apply "whatever" depends upon the ease of application. I waited until my decks were built and rolled on some goop. I've use a little bit of everything - Behr, Thompsons, InWood Semi Translucent Oil Stain. The Oil Stain lasts the longest. The Oil Stain comes in many different "shades" also. Cedar, Tobacco, Mahogany, Cherry - etc.

I also have an all cedar house - PanAbode. So at one time or another I've used all of these products on the house exterior.

DO NOT use any type of Urethane/Varethane product. It provides a completely air/water tight seal on the cedar. Cedar must breathe. The Urethane/Varethane will produce enormous bubbles as the cedar breathes under this product. It makes a horrid mess. I did one exterior wall with Urethane. The blisters were 6" tall and some were ten feet long. It was a bloody mess!!!

I've had this PanAbode all cedar home out here for 38 years now. I reapply Inwood Semi Translucent Oil Stain to all the exterior walls and deck every eight to ten years. Works well in our semi-arid climate here.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I cant believe how much Thompsons water seal products have gone up since 2010. I bought 5 gallon cans at that time for $50 plus tax. Then 4 years later it was $100 for 5 gallons. Neighbor started searching for a product to seal his large deck and we found that Thompsons is now $150 for 5 gallons of sealer. The plain sealer is not much more than diesel and last about as long. I put the translucent in autumn brown on last year, so far it is holding up well, but my deck is completely covered but does get morning and afternoon sun plus blowing rain. Some premium brands are now $50 per gallon.

I sprayed under my deck when it was built after waiting for about 6 months for the pressure treated boards to dry out good. I think this would be a requirement for a long lasting deck, either after or preferably before construction, treat the lumber top, bottom and sides.
NOTE: pressure treated lumber has to be air dried for at least 3-6 months before coating to all the water to evaporate from the treatment liquid. None treated lumber like cedar and redwood could be coated prior to installing. Recoat any sawed off ends.

 

[/pine]

In most larger markets you can buy treated lumber that has been kiln dried after it was treated...plywood too...

 

[EddieWalker]

We'll be putting in a new cedar deck this week and are getting some different opinions as to treatment options. Some say just wait until the deck is installed then apply treatment while others say it's important to pretreat before installation. Would appreciate some informed input as to the best option? Also some folks swear by Thompsons Water Seal while others having nothing good to say about it! Might there be better options for what to apply?

I hope ceder costs less there then it does here!!!!

What you put on the deck is more for appearance then having anything to do with preventing rot or extending the life of the wood. Cedar will turn grey over time, which some people like and they do nothing to the wood. Other people want it to remain redish, or stain it another color.

Thompsons is OK, but doesn't last very long and needs to be reapplied every year. I think that Sherwin Williams products are about as good as it gets and that's who I buy my deck stains and sealants from.

I stain or seal after the deck is installed and the lumber has dried out. With Pressure Treated lumber, I wait six months. With cedar, I like to give it a few weeks.

 

[D2Cat]

We put up a pergola last summer with red cedar we bought from the local saw mill. It turned out real nice and we sealed it, to save the color, with Cabot preservative purchased at Menard's and got it when there was a rebate on it.

 

[Gary Fowler]

In most larger markets you can buy treated lumber that has been kiln dried after it was treated...plywood too...

Maybe where you are, but never at anyplace I have lived can you get pressure treated lumber that has been kiln dried. You can get kiln dried lumber but not pressure treated kiln dried.

 

[Steppenwolfe]

We'll be putting in a new cedar deck this week and are getting some different opinions as to treatment options. Some say just wait until the deck is installed then apply treatment while others say it's important to pretreat before installation. Would appreciate some informed input as to the best option? Also some folks swear by Thompsons Water Seal while others having nothing good to say about it! Might there be better options for what to apply?

This is the very best out there. Pricey but worth every penny. Sikkens CETOL DEK FINISH Cedar