Decks, Patios, Porches and Docks - applying wood sealer correctly

I am going to put Cabot's Australian Timber Oil-Based Sealer on our new mahogany tongue and groove covered front porch. I'm not sure yet if I'm going to use the Natural or the Mahogany. Whichever I use, I want to do it right. The girl at the paint store has me a little nervous. It sounds like it could be very easy to leave lines -- like by overlapping when I brush it on. She also said I should use a pole so I can go from the back of the porch to the front without lifting the brush. Otherwise I may get overlap marks every place that I stop and start the brush. I was hoping to do it on my hands and knees for better control. It all sounds so risky to me. Does anyone have any advice? I want to prevent any mistakes I would have to try to fix later. Thank you.

The easiest way to avoid lap marks is to apply the stain to 1 board at a time. It also helps if you can apply the stain when the deck isn't in full [or atleast hot] sun. I usually stain several boards at a time but I still work on doing complete sections of boards at 1 time.

The natural will be easier to apply without lap marks although most any stain that has some pigment will usually protect longer than a clear sealer.


Depending on the size of your porch and the condition of your knees :D you might want to use knee pads.