Cedar deck help please!

[rgr33]

I second the vote for Sikkens deck Finnish,
I am also really happy with the penofin oil that I have used.
Our cedar deck is 30 years old, to this date, have only replaced one board that is right up against the house, didn稚 drain well after rain.

 

[California]

Is redwood the same as cedar in terms of weather durability and coatings recommendations?

 

[Billrog]

I've never installed Redwood on a deck but at one time a lot of Redwood siding & they are similar enough you could easily mistake one for the other. ( I'd say the same family ) I'm referring to West coast cedar not the aromatic.

 

[PILOON]

I have done a fair number of decks.
There is a whole world of difference in the wood treatment,
Green wood that is simply dunked is one thing, (still sold as treated)
Then comes kiln dried that is vacuum treated in a vat.
When you cut a plank you sure see the difference.
The quality product will be colored all the way thru and ' priced' one will be clear in the center.
Then come what wood they actually use.
Cheap will be white or grey pine while quality will probably be ponderosa or even hemlock.
Never a scam but always legal as per their lawyers.

My clients asked me to use high grade products.
Some decking wood was so high grade and tough that about every 6 or 7 nail shot from my gun needed another 20 onz slam B4 being flush
LOL, had all sorts of clients,
Some wanted the best long term results while others demande the best "today' price'.
OK, no more as I, retired!
LOL, got a call from a client (10 years back) re a gazebo that I built him.
Well long and short I passed him onto a lad that I admired for his ethics. (he had worked for me when I contracted)
That 'lad' later told me that he had billed oy close to $30 K on my recommendation.
Gratifying!

 

[stuckmotor]

Do you know what species of cedar you'll be using? I once helped build a fishing pier that was partially decked with cedar. Some of the posts were eastern red cedar which I'm told is actually juniper. We decked it with white oak until we ran out and finished up with western red cedar. It was a pleasure to work with. The white oak had been so hard we'd greased nails to make them easier to drive. We didn't put any coating on the deck.

 

[California]

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

I should have used Sikkens. I didn't know about it at the time.

I can tell you what doesn't work, at least over Redwood:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/BEHR-Pr...proofing-Exterior-Wood-Finish-50101/100112585

I bought that after Consumer Reports put it at the top of their list, but with the caution that everything they tested needed to be re-finished every year or two.

My result: This outdoor sink is rarely used, only when we have relatives visit at harvest time. So a couple of times per year. It hadn't been refinished in 25 years. I put a coat of the Behr finish on it in 2017, I think two coats. In 2018 another coat. Both times while coating then re-coating a new redwood deck on the other side of the house. Here's what the sink counter looks like May 2019.

On the new deck I had waited a few months before applying the finish. Traffic areas on that deck -with minimal traffic- now have areas that are bare like this, even some areas never walked on. Conclusion - don't bother.

View attachment 605337

 

[grsthegreat]

I had a mostly covered cedar deck, gapped1/4+ for air flow, and about 19 years old. I worked on it every year and I tried every product I could get my hands on. I finally found the perfect product. My sawzall.

I ripped the whole thing out and installed a pressure treated sub base with expanded aluminum decking. Powdercoated rustic brown. 3 season now and still looks great. Only needs a power wash.