Decks, Patios, Porches and Docks - Transparent Alkyd For Deck

I sealed my deck and it looks almost black!

I used Ace Woodtreatment Waterproofing & Finish before (3 years ago) but this time is turned very dark.

Only difference I see on the can is the current one says "transparent alkyd" and the old one didn't.

Did I use the wrong stuff or is it just the aging of the wood?

Thanks

Baldwin

Little more info......

When the can was full is was almost black in the can but went on clear till it dried.

Now that the can is only 1/3 full the color in the can has turned to a dark burnt orange.

Goes on clear but turns black as it dries.

I used a deck cleaner about 3 weeks ago, quite a bit of rain since.

Deck is treated lumber, maybe 6 years old.

I haven't a clue.


Thanks

I seldom ever use any Ace coatings. Alkyd is just a fancy way of saying oil base.

Did you stir/mix up the contents well before applying? Has any tint been added to the sealer? How does it look if you apply it to a new piece of scrap wood?

Clear oil base sealers will darken the wood some as they dry.

Yeah, I mixed it up pretty good with the stick.

No tint added.

I'll try it on a new piece of wood and see what happens. I'll take a picture tomorrow. I know it darkens the wood but this is almost black.

The good news is that it's going to fade with time and exposure to the elements anyway.

I've come to the conclusion I didn't mix it enough, it should have been an orange color from the start. It did seem to lighten some the more it dried but now we seem to have rain every 6 hours so it's hard to tell.

Question about the tint though.

I've seen decks from a distance that look almost like they are varnished, nice gold color. Can a person add tint to clear stain to get that color?

I have solid color stain on my garage, wouldn't want that but something you can see the grain of the wood.

Thanks

Baldwin

Flood's CWF may be the coating you see. I love the look of it - mostly darkens and brings out the natural wood color, but it doesn't hold up as well as some of the other deck coatings. There is another similiar product [from what I've read] called TWP [?] it isn't available in my area.

Semi-transparent stains work well. They will give the deck some color [whatever you chose] but let the wood grain [and some of the wood color] show thru the stain. While you could add tint to a clear sealer it would be better to tint a sealer than was formulated to accept tint.

Year and a half later and it's still black. :(

On the right is what the whole thing used to look like. Seems where the wood was smooth and didn't absorb as much didn't turn black.

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c98/Oriley/Internet/Deck5-09.jpg


Semi-transparent stains work well. They will give the deck some color [whatever you chose] but let the wood grain [and some of the wood color] show thru the stain.


That's what I'm afraid of, will semi-transparent cover up the black? I really don't want to go to solid color stain if I can help it. What you think? I'm open to any ideas!:confused:

What an ugly mess I have.

Thanks,

Baldwin

You need to clean the deck/railing before applying any coating! Mix up bleach with water, no stronger than 50/50, wet the deck and then spray on the bleach/water solution, let set but not dry and then rinse with a pressure washer [a garden hose will also work] Stubborn areas might require a 2nd treatment, maybe a little scrubbing. Be sure you rinse well!

Once the wood is dry, you can better determine what type of stain should be used.

What you see here is just what it looked like back in 07 after applying the sealer. And I did use deck cleaner before I applied the sealer. It dried to black in most places as you can see.

Darndest thing I've ever seen. I just need to know how to make this presentable again.

Thanks

Baldwin

What did the wood look like after it was cleaned?

Wood looked fine, it sure wasn't black. I would imagine the horizontal deck itself was worn some but that wasn't black either like it is now. :confused:

I guess I'll just fork over for a gallon of semi-transparent, tint it something lighter and see how that works.

Thanks

Baldwin

Why can't my Twinkies ever beat the Yankees? :(

I don't know how well semi-transparent will look over that dark wood, especially if it's a light color. For anything other than a solid stain to look good, the wood will need to be cleaned until it looks close to new wood.... or atleast all the wood is the same color.

I think you're right. I just found the wash I used, Dekswood by Flood. Says it contains Oxalic Acid. I see I wrote on the jug that 1:1 mix is too thick. Hmmm.....could that be the cause of my problems?

I'm gonna mix a little 3:1 and try it on a small spot and see what happens.


Baldwin

Oxalic acid is a common ingrediant in most of those type cleaners. You used to be able to just buy it by itself and mix with water. Maybe still can.

It basically will soften and breakdown the top surface fibers of weathered wood giving it a "refreshed" appearance. I'm not sure if it is effective against mold and mildew.
It's also used as a rust remover on concrete.

You may need to use a deck "resurfacer" to remove any old stain or coatings, then the deck brightener (oxalic acid) then the bleach and water mix for any mold and mildew.
I know I had to do a similar process when renters used some sort of coating on the deck of my old house.

I won't try and mention any brands, its been too long since I had to use them. But don't mix any of the above trying to save time. Acids and bleach don't play well together.

Don't ya just love caring for exterior wood?

I almost always use the bleach/water solution first! Often it negates the need for a deck stripper or wood brightner........ and it's cheaper:D:p:D

And I'd not disagree...mark has much more experience than I. That was just what I did.

You just need to get to bare wood for many of these things to be effective.

I remember a neighbor in VA...put some sort of coating on his deck that he was told would last 5 yrs (yeah right, I know). It was thick build, almost like a poly. First year looked great, though a little slippery when wet. 2nd year...started turning white in spots and flaking, 3rd year he had to have the deck torn off down to the framing and rebuilt. Nothing would strip/soften it enough to be able to pressure wash or scrape it off and apply something else. And he was in a wheelchair (NOT "handicapped") so that was the only option.

I'd rather scrub and clean every year and apply something than go through that.

I NEVER thought that black would come out. I mixed it 3:1 then scrubbed a bit. I don't have my garden hose hooked up yet (fear of freezing) so I just poured water on it after 30 minutes. It lightened considerably! Then I rubbed my finger on it and it was still black.

I'll rent/buy a pressure washer, use bleach and water and see how it goes. I think I'm back in business.

Thanks very much!

Baldwin