Which deck treatment for 2013?

[newbury]

I know there are numerous threads at TBN on deck stains and it seemed that HD's Behr Premium Semi-Transparent Weatherproofing Wood Stain was highly rated by Consumer Reports and here. But when I read the reviews on Home Depots web site BEHR Premium 5-Gal. Semi-Transparent Deck, Fence & Siding Wood Stain-507705 at The Home Depot there were a lot of RECENT complaints of it flaking off and at least one mention of it being reformulated.

Since I've got about 2,000 sq foot of deck to do what's the latest and greatest in the TBN opinion?

This is for standard PT deck, several years old, in good condition, in NE Mississippi, treated w/ Thompsons 2 yrs ago.
/edit - Treated with Olympic Watergaurd

thanks in advance

 

[Western]

I'm considering using boiled linseed oil on my new one. You may want to look here, they seem to like TWP 1500.
deck stain failure | Best Deck Stain Reviews Ratings

I may so more research on this site as well.

 

[newbury]

I'm considering using boiled linseed oil on my new one. You may want to look here, they seem to like TWP 1500.
deck stain failure | Best Deck Stain Reviews Ratings

I may so more research on this site as well.

Nice link, shoots Behr down big time.

Wear/Tear and Peeling: 1

- The worst that we have ever tested! The Behr Deck Stain had peeled on 80% of the decking surface. This stain seemed to offer little to no protection on the flooring after the 2 years. The railings did hold up much better.

 

[Beltman60]

I use One Time wood Stain and it has held nicely for 8 years now
I let the treated lumber age a year before applying it so it does take a bit more than the 250 sq/ft that they claim

let me say it's expensive to the point of wow do I really want to spend this much?
but this was done on my lake house in southern KY on an 1800 sq/ft deck that I didn't want to have to do every 2 years as with other products

I've since done my front porch at my house and have been working on getting the back porch ready to do here in about 2 months
(deck had thompsons crap on it and you have to make sure you get it off and let the wood dry out good)

 

[Danno1]

.


I don't understand how a semi-transparent stain flakes. When I had a deck and used this it just soaked in. Which was one of the selling points for me. No scraping or any real prep work to recoat every few years.

What I did was to add approx a quart of Thompson's Water seal to a gallon of stain. I only had to recoat every 4 years.


.

 

[PhysAssist]

We have a log house about 1900 sq foot of 8" milled Southern Yellow Pine that's now 20 y/o with a front porch and small back deck of PT pine, all treated with Flood's CWF starting with clear sealant that we now use red cedar transparent stain on and they need retouching about every 5-7 years depending on sun and water exposure, both of which wear the sealer off sooner. It does good job against exposure and lets the wood grain shine through.

My BIL used some new opaque product a coupla years ago, possibly from rustoleum that not only seals, but makes the surface waterproof, slip-proof, and seals splinter and fills holes as well. It seems to be holding up well, but I hate the beige color he chose. We saw a similar product advertised by Behr just yesterday,but after reading the reviews on your links, I think we will steer clear of Behr.

Thomas

 

[MacLawn]

An old carpenter told me to never seal pressure treated lumber, just use something to keep it preserved. I have one that is 35 years old, but they used better stuff back then I think. I like the natural aged wood look, no color added, but haven't been able to find a clear deck preservative. Phys, that stuff you userd sounds good, I'll check it out.

 

[Bird]

My deck had obviously been stained, sealed, etc. with Cetol DEK before we bought the place in 2005. And there was a new, unopened can of the Cetol DEK in the garage. While the deck looked pretty good, I knew it needed a new coat, and it needed it about once a year. I used the gallon that was in the garage, and then bought one gallon for $50. But they no longer make that particular one. And the Cetol was an oil based stain/sealer that was a fair amount of work to apply and to clean up afterwards. So I tried the Sherwin-Williams Deckscape at about $30 a gallon. I certainly cannot say it's the best, and I see one review/complaint about it only lasting about 8 months. That may be, but it's a water based sealer (I don't need any stain to change the color) and it's the easiest stuff to apply that I've ever seen. I use a 4" paint brush to apply it to the steps and vertical wood, a roller to apply it to the deck itself, and then spray it on the wood fence. It's fast, easy, looks like thinned milk when applied, and I don't worry about putting it on too thick, because it'll dry clear and you'd never know it was too thick or ran in places. I like it; your mileage may vary.

 

[PhysAssist]

My deck had obviously been stained, sealed, etc. with Cetol DEK before we bought the place in 2005. And there was a new, unopened can of the Cetol DEK in the garage. While the deck looked pretty good, I knew it needed a new coat, and it needed it about once a year. I used the gallon that was in the garage, and then bought one gallon for $50. But they no longer make that particular one. And the Cetol was an oil based stain/sealer that was a fair amount of work to apply and to clean up afterwards. So I tried the Sherwin-Williams Deckscape at about $30 a gallon. I certainly cannot say it's the best, and I see one review/complaint about it only lasting about 8 months. That may be, but it's a water based sealer (I don't need any stain to change the color) and it's the easiest stuff to apply that I've ever seen. I use a 4" paint brush to apply it to the steps and vertical wood, a roller to apply it to the deck itself, and then spray it on the wood fence. It's fast, easy, looks like thinned milk when applied, and I don't worry about putting it on too thick, because it'll dry clear and you'd never know it was too thick or ran in places. I like it; your mileage may vary.

The Flood CWF sealer is the same basically- goes on milky beige and dries clear. I bought a Wagner Airless after using their corded spray gun to do the house once- (what a pain, even with a hose extension to suck it out of a 2 gallon bucket), the airless sprayer with 75' of hose makes it much easier. I do backbrush it after spraying to make sure it penetrates, but that's going to necessary whatever I use. It's also compatible with a mix-in insect killer, but since I started using that I'm scrupulously wearing a respirator.

Also the CWF cleans up with soap and water.

MacLawn, I didn't NEED color, but I found that the treatment lasts longer with some pigment to provide some increased UV resistance, and we do not mind the red cedar color. When we did it the first time with clear, it only seemed to last for 4-5 years, and with even a 1:3 or 1:4 mixture ratio (colored to clear) it lasted several years longer.

YMMV!
Thomas

 

[jhasafety1]

For years I had a part-time business restoring decks and fencing. I used Wolman's F&P on everything, I haven't been in business for over 8 years but I still use it on my cedar siding. I recommend using Wolman's Deck Bright to clean the deck and then apply the F&P after it has dried for a day. The cleaner is peroxide based and does not break done the wood fibers like a bleach based product. I used a pressure washer to rinse but not being to aggressive. The cleaner removed dirt, oxidation and leaves the wood pores open to absorb more sealer. Be careful what sealer you use, some leave a surface sealer similar to a varnish and it will not come off when you clean to reseal and gives a blotchy look. The other challenge is the old sealer that remains will give out and flake off.