Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

So I put my Troy Built 2550 psi pressure washer to use and cleaned my unbelievably large wood deck.  Came out great (I'll post a before and after photo when I'm done).  I don't want to have to do this every year, so I need the board's advice on the best sealer to finish the job.  I don't think I'm going to stain the deck (I think the fading would get on my nerves), so I'm looking for a clear or tinted sealer that hopefully will give me a few years good protection.  What do y'all like? TIA!

CR tested them. Thompson's did not do wel.. The more opaque the longer they last: Here's the Summary:

Best for most decks:
1, 2 Cabot $24, $29
3 Wolman $25
The Cabots are outstanding opaque treatments. (1), an alkyd, cleans up with solvent; (2), a latex, cleans up with water. The Wolman (3) is the best choice for wood worth showing off; it's an alkyd but cleans up with water. Most semitransparent products we tested are alkyds, but (12) is a latex.

#1 Cabot Decking Stain 1480
#2 Cabot Solid Color 1880

3 Wolman DuraStain 18146
#4 Benjamin Moore Moorwood 065

#5 Akzo Nobel Sikkens Cetol SRD 1708902

#5 Behr Deck Plus 200 line

I used a Behr semi-transparent because my wife liked the Color and Home Depot stocks it. I picked a color that thy always stock because you'll have to do it every two years or so. I put two coats on with a airless spray gun for the vertical serfaces and a rolloer or the deck. We have a two story deck so it's a brutal job. I've used Cetol a lot on boats and it holds up well.

Thanks for finding that article Garandman.

Just be carefull with any Solid Color stain, or one that doesnt specifically say DECK ( Horizontal Surface is sometimes used) on it. Some stains will not hold up 6 months if they are walked on. Will end up with traffic wear  and nasty peeling.

 All,

A very easy way to put on transparent  or tinted stain is to use a hand pump sprayer.

They cost no more than $15.00. You may use a little more stain with the sprayer, but it sure goes on fast!!

 You can buy them at Lowe's or HD!!

                                                                                          Fred  

jubol wrote:

I went with TREX, so I dont have to stain anymore. The price difference pays for itself in under 5 YEARS !!

I have to stresss again the onetimewood product.  I have built numerous decks and have used just about everykind of deck sealer out there and none compare to the one time wood.  Rule of thumb, each $10 per gallon generally equals 1 year of wear before resealing.  That is why the products costing 20 to 30 buck need to be reapplied every two to three years and if you have a lot of traffic or harsh sun even sooner.  I don't work for bond industries but when I find a product that works I highly recommend it.  For a comparison, the other products are like using stabil compared to using PRI-G for fuel treatment.  Yes PRI-G is more expensive but how much better does it work.  I think most of us here can agree that it is a much superior product to the stabil and that is my experience with the onetime wood product compared to the other ones out there.  I really think you would be doing yourself a disservice if you did not at least check it out.  Here is the website again www.onetimewood.com

I think I will let my deck go and replace with that plastic decking they have out now.  There are very many benefits to those products.  For future reference is TREX about the best there is? 

AJace wrote:
Consumer Reports tested 16 different synthetic decking materials.  In general they all worked pretty well and are competitive in price with hardwoods but 1.5 to 3 or 4 times pressure treated pine. All the vertical parts and the joists are still wood because the synthetics aren't stiff enough.

Well-rated materials included Eon Deckboard; Veranda Composite; ChoiceDeck Plus; Evergreen (Epoch); WeatherBest Premium. Some of them pretend to look like wood, others don't.

AJace wrote:

Im on my 3rd year with Trex. Only maintainance is pressure washing it yearly to remove the mold and moss that almost every deck acumulates. And be carefull, you can cut trex in half with a washer, so use a wide pattern nozzle.

I have NO SPLINTERS, where my neighbors 1 year old deck has given my wife and myself splinters. The colour is through the material, so no cost for stain, no day off to do the staining.

As far as cost, when I bough Trex, it was $22 per 16' Board( Have receipt still). #1 Pressure treated was at about $15 Board. I used 50 Boards or so. So trex cost About $350 extra. But you saved on stain, about $80-100 and all that labour. A Very wise investment in a long term item.

Edit: I have conventional wood railings, topped with trex. The composite railings were incredibly expensive, I think 40-50 a foot !! Would have doubled or trippled my cost. But with a trex topper, no splinters from railings,.

Yes, splinters was on my list also.  Rhino Deck is also another plastic deck.  It has a 10 year warranty.  I guess they are all about recycling so we are walking on some awesome conglomerated stuff. Looks like Tri-Max is another one with a 50 year warranty.  Appears Tri-Max and Rhino are together, not sure why the warranty is different.

Call a few Lumber yards. My distributor had a sample deck made from about 5 different brands of composite decking. One felt and sounded like a Aluminum bleacher !? Some are hollow composites, some solid.

Also, the color from the factory is bright, and fades to the final shade. You'l want to see that before a final choice.