Decks, Patios, Porches and Docks - water repellant over oil deck stain?

I have been re-staining the deck each year. Removing the previous years stain as well as any mildew and then re-staining the deck. What I'd like to do this year is put a water sealant over the stain. Is that possible? The stain I believe is a Benjamin Moore latex based. I'd like to use the water sealant over the stain. Any suggestions?

Thanks

Deck stain is a water repellant.

does water repellant/sealant mildew? I'm thinking something like Thompsons water repellant so that it seals the wood completely and any mildew I have to clean off each year wont come off with the stain. The current stain is a benjamin moore alky semi transparent. However even after the stain dries, the wood seems to absorb water. This year I may also may not use a colory stain but strip last years stain off the wood and just put on a clear water repellant/ sealant.. Any brands that are the best at keeping water out? And with any of these brands can you coat them over any other stains?

Thanks

Cabot's and Sikkens are frequently recommended in this forum. Mold and mildew spores are everywhere in the air. When they find a damp, soiled, shaded, poorly ventilated area they tend to settle in. Keeping exterior surfaces clean tends to minimize mold and mildew problems.

Generally the more pigment a stain has the better it protects. A solid stain affords more protection than a clear sealer. Price is usually indictive of the quality of deck coatings.

Normally you shouldn't need to recoat every year. What is the reason for stripping the deck when removing mildew? A bleach/water solution should kill/remove the mildew without compromising the stain too much.

Not supposed to knock products here, but I can't let you do this - you're not going to be happy with the results you'll get from Thompson's.

If you choose to live with your wood deck and go through the time and expense of stripping it and restaining "every year", that's up to you.

If you do that, use a HIGH QUALITY stain/sealer, like Cabot's, Sikken's, SuperDeck, etc. You'll pay about $30 a gallon for it. If you opt to save money and pay more in the range of $20/gal. for your stain/sealer, then go through this exercise 2 TIMES A YEAR, not just once!!

And if you have better things to do with your time and money, replace the wood decking with a composite. Spend an hour or so about 3 or 4 times a year hosing it off with water and be on your way to doing something FUN!!

The stains that we have in storage are yellow cans that say "Cabots 1400 Clear" and "Cabots 1407 Deep base" and there are about 2 gallons of each. Last year we used Benjamin Moore stain. I dont know much if anything about stains.

I'm in an area that is COVERED by trees and its so shady here that I have areas on my lawn that are filled with moss. So the deck area is constantly shady as there are trees surrounding the house. What I've run into (sorry for repeating) is that I'v had to use a stripper to completely remove the paint/stain leaving the pressure treated wood completely bare, then restaining it all.

What I would like to do is strip EVERYTHING and get the right stuff on the deck so that I dont have to restain every year. I would like to be able to simply wash the mold/mildew each year without having to restain. I'm just tired of stripping and redoing it each year. What is the BEST stain/sealer recommended. I would like to be spend more time on other more important projects. And for cleaning the mildew off each year what would people recommend? In the past I've used a mix of pinesol with hot water and a stiff brush.

Thanks

You missed the point of Lefty's post - there is not product you can apply to wood in those conditions that will give the results you desire. Either get used to doing this every year or get rid of the wood and go composite (I'm all for composite).

Powdered deck cleaners (PDC) are recommended for cleaning decks. They contain oxygenating bleach and do a pretty good job of cleaning off mildew. In the extremely shaded conditions you describe, more frequent cleaning throughout the year will tend to minimize the mildew problem.

Removing some trees and/or selectively pruning some tree branches to allow more sunlight and air circulation in the area would also be helpful. Using a high-quality product on the deck and more frequent cleaning should carry you 2-3 years without redoing the deck.

Are there oil base stains and latex stains? The Benjamin Moore Stain came right off with a 1/4 Pinesol to gallon hot water mix with a brush. I'm wondering if the stain that I was given was latex as I've never seen oilbase stain come right off the deck with pinesol and water. If there are such thing as oilbase and latex stains, which is better or does it not matter?

Thanks

Stains and sealers come in latex, waterborne and oil base. Generally the oil base coatings will last longer but they take longer to dry and often need better conditions in which to apply them. In areas of intense sun [like the S.E.] oil base coatings tend to fade quicker.

As always it is best to buy your paint coatings at a paint store rather than a big box. You can get a better coating and better local advice that way.

theguy,

"The stains that we have in storage..."

RECYCLE THEM!!!

If you are going to go through the time and expense of restaining your deck, AT LEAST do it with new stain. Something that's been hanging around in storage for 2 or 3 years (or more) has long since past its shelf life.