Decks, Patios, Porches and Docks - What to use to seal and treat deck?

1.) I have a newer house and the deck is about 2 years old now. It is showing some signs of the wood starting to splinter and just looks really really dry. I am not sure what type of wood it is, but probably pine or whatever cheap stuff they use to build new decks usually. Anyhow, I didn't want to stain it cause the color is fine and plus I don't want to have to restain every year to keep the stain color. I was looking for something that I guess is clear that will penetrate the wood to seal it and prevent it from splintering or aging too much. I was probably going to go to Home Depot to see what they had. Is there any particular product(s) that you guys recommend that I use?

2.) Do I put it on with a paint brush or do I spray it on? do I only need to apply it to the top of the deck, or both the top and bottom (underneath) of the deck?

3.) and finally, do I need to power wash the deck first or anything? it isn't really dirty, just don't know if you need to powerwash it to remove any dirt that may be in the wood crevices?

Thanks

Most decks are made with treated pine. More than likely you need to clean the deck before sealing. If it is in good shape you can spray [with a garden sprayer] it with bleach/water mix and rinse it with a garden hose. Thompson waterseal will go on easy [can be applied with garden sprayer] and not noticably change the look of the deck. Although it does a good job I am not fond of it due to the fact it only lasts 1 year, so it needs reapplication every year. There are numerous choices in stain [solid & semi-transparent] and the good products will normally last several years. Personally I like to at least seal the bottom side once but many never do. Wish you luck :)

I about forgot to answer your question on application. Brush or spray is all a matter of personal preferance. You can also use a roller along with a brush or spray.

Don't use a bleach/water mix. Use an oxygenated bleach instead.
If you power wash, use the 45 degree tip.

As for a stain and sealer, expect to get one year for every $10/gallon you spend. That is, if you spend $10/gallon, expect to be redoing the deck next year. If you spend $30/gallon, you'll get 3 years of no maintenance.

A couple of the best products are Sikkens and Cuprinol. Sikkens is available on-line, Cuprinol at Sherwin-Williams. Be prepared for sticker shock. Those two products are not cheap. But, what is your time worth?
Thompsons Water Seal is parafin based and will last 3 months.

Almost forgot, Cabot is very good, too. And yes, its pricey.

About the only thing that BobF missed was don't waste your time going to a big box store looking for a quality sealer. You won't find one there. Go to a paint store, a lumberyard, or go on-line. The other good that hasn't been mentioned is SuperDeck. Again, about $30 /gal., but how often do you want to do this??

Sikkens
Cabot

If your not used to doing this I'd say brush
You don't have to do underneath, but you can

Stay away from HD for any stain/paint
Stay away from Thompson's

okay so what is the best one that you guys would go with out of these 3 choices? and where should I buy it online?

I don't know how much I need either, I think my deck is 10x12 and I DO NOT have any stairs attached to the deck. Thanks

[QUOTE=BobF]Don't use a bleach/water mix. Use an oxygenated bleach instead.


Why not? I've washed decks, houses, etc. this way for 30yrs with good results.
never to old to learn,
mark

Sikkens, Cabot, SuperDeck, Cuprinol, ...

First, see which you might be able to get locally. That will save you the shipping charges, so it will probably save you a few dollars vs. buying it on-line. You're not going to go wrong no matter which of those 4 you choose.

For 120 sq. ft., one gallon should be plenty. Of course, it's going to depend on just how thirsty your deck boards are. Railings?? They may or may not put you into a second gallon. That would be another advantage of buying locally -- if you need a second gallon, you can get it the same day!!

can you use the chemical input on your pressure washer to apply this stuff?

Mark,
You know what you are doing. But most h/o will end up using too much bleach (if a little is good, more is better, right?) which will damage the wood fibers. An oxygenated bleach is almost foolproof.

Squale - no.

I just got this sprayer at home depot to use on my lawn to kill weeds: http://www.ortho.com/index.cfm/event/ProductGuide.product/documentType/product/category/%2FCategories%2FProducts%2FApplicators/documentId/48d65d35a2733e19897270c7de2af416

My question is, can I use this same sprayer to spray on the deck sealer? or do I need something different?

Thanks

Bobf

thanks for the info

mark

nothing personal to the people that like the thompson product, but I think its about the sorriest waste of money there is.. I've tried all of the deck products and living in the pacific NW I get the moisture/rain to do a good test.. of all, I found one that held up best, its expensive, but well worth it.. not sure of the spelling but I'll try.. Penafin... you can get it in different colors or natural.. we don't use very much "pine" for decking up here, we use cedar.. pine would never hold up! as to pressure washing, just don't gouge out the wood.. be careful to keep a good distance from the deck in order to keep from eating away your wood.. if you use this every year, you only need to do a wash to get it ready.. if you wait two years, then it might involve a little scrubbing, and if its pine, you may have to do some sanding.. but THOMPSONS... no way!!!

anybody know where the cheapest place to get these are?

Really your best bet is a local paint shop
The big boxes don't carry the good stuff
If you found a mail order place the shipping on one gallon would be cost prohibitive
Unless there is a really over-priced store near you, they will all be within a buck or three of each other
Not really worth the time and gas to go too far

okay what do you guys feel is the best way to apply this stuff? with a paint brush and roller or a pressure pump sprayer?

and do I need to do the underneath and posts of my deck too?

A paint brush would take you forever. The last wood deck that I built and sealed I did with a garden (pump) sprayer and back rolled it. Just use a long handle on the roller so you aren't kneeling or bending over. Doing the underside of the deck boards isn't necessary, but getting the joists, the girders and the posts will prolong their life. Just go to a paint store or a lumberyard that has a good paint section, or a deck supplier. (Not everybody is as fortunate as I am in that respect -- the largest retail supplier of redwood on the left coast is right here in town!!) Forget the big box stores -- they don't carry the brands we are suggesting, and forget shopping on line for it. As was mentioned, the freight would kill you!!

a question please.

what is the primary ingrediant in the products mentioned above?
that is the products to "finish" the deck?

are they oil based? and what percentage.

thank you.

it's garbage...i am in the process of removing the crap off my cedar deck...my husband was determined to use it last year on our brand new deck...on the railing and posts it was fine...but on the deck boards it didn't even make through the winter...complete and utter garbage....i'd go for Sikkens...in my opinion it's the best out there...on my deck i'm not doing any stain or anything..i'm going to treat my deck with linseed oil....it will repel the water and still allow the wood to breath....

Cheers

Does any one know of any way to get Penafin off of vinyl siding?

Welcome to the forums!

You can clean it off easily with mineral spirits [paint thinner] while it is still wet or tacky but I assume that it has already dried :( The solvents that are strong enough to remove the dried stain will also partly disolve the vinyl :eek:

I'd try scrubbing it with some laundry detergent and see if it does any good.

i would use wolmans finish and preservative

Two questions:

1) I just hired someone to power wash and then seal my deck which he did today. Unfortunately he used Thompson's water sealer which I have heard more than once is an inferior product. Would there be any downside to me buying a better product and applying over the top of the Thompson's?

2) I noticed that he applied it with a sprayer which seemed to apply it VERY unevenly. In the past people who have washed and sealed the deck have used rollers or even (laboriously) a paint brush. The roller seems to apply it so much more evenly than the sprayer. Yes?

Thanks

Welcome to the forums BigGVa!

Until the thompson's wears off, it can affect the bond of any coating applied over it.
There is nothing wrong with spraying the coating on but it should be back rolled [or brushed] to work it into the wood. It also helps to even it out if needed:D