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!

Thanks for all the input everyone.  I ultimately decided on Cabot's Deck Stain in Rosewood.  Consumer Reports ranks it number one, but that was only one factor in the decision.  I'll post some before and after pictures soon, but the deck came out great.  What a difference from looking worn and grey to almost new and well . . . red.

The wood really soaked up the stain; it took 22 gallons (told y'all it was a big deck).  I'm glad I had someone do the work because it was a really big project.  My stainer (he also did the stain/poly on my new handrail and balusters on my staircase) used two guys for one day and four guys for the better part of another day.  That's a lot of man hours, mostly because of how much vertical surface I needed stained (the railing and balusters).  If anyone on Long Island needs a recommendation for a painter/stainer, let me know as my guy is top notch and fairly priced.

And to uc113, thanks for the recommendation of onetime.  I strongly considered it, but it would have added $1250 to the project and I couldn't justify the cost.  I don't need to get seven years out of the stain, as I plan to do an addition to the kitchen and dining room of my home in 3-5 years, which will cause me to change the layout of my deck.  When I redo the deck, I'm going to do it with TimberTek or the like.

Thanks again to all and I'll post pictures soon.

Congratulations on getting the deck done.  you were not kidding when you said the deck was large.  22 Gallons of onetime would have definately been very expensive.  Keep it in mind if you do any other outdoor wood projects that need to be sealed.  You will be very happy with it.  Enjoy your deck.

Have you heard of this PlastIron stain?  I bought some on craigslist and they say it has really high metal content - the thing says mica, titanium, iron, and calcium and a guy said that these metals make sparkles which are mirrors.  so i put the stain on and it does have tons of little sparkles.  they guy said that the mirrors deflect the uv better then anything on the market.  and told me to imagine a sheet of metal being put over the deck to protect it.  he said the sparkles are like a sheet of metal. he said that even though many millions of sparkles are covered by the stain so you can't see them, it is almost like have one thin sheet of metal covering the deck or fence.  so some space that aren't sparkling have sparkles that are covered by stain?  ok i get it.  did anybody here know if high metal sparkles in stain should deflect uv?  does it make it better?

PlastIron stain is frigging awesome.  We use it exclusively now.  Like 15 years ago we used Olympic products then in 2000 switched to Super Deck for both fences and decks.  It was okay but the oil products would darken older wood and the color wouldn't be true.  Then a few years ago we switched to the Behr products and they were okay, but then we found Plast Iron and it is our favorite by far. Nothing is like it due to the very high metal content.  It looks like normal stain except it sparkles when you're up close to it.  That's the metal particles reflecting the sun's rays away from the wood.  I have never seen the product fail and we have never -not once- had to perform warranty work on any plastiron decks or fences.  I'm a professional without about 15 years of experience and have used at least a little of ALL of the products out there and I recommend it.  Thumbs up.

Wood decks are never supposed to be finished with a "Film-Forming" finish.  That advice, and the rest, is from the USDA Forest Products Laboratory (www.FPL.FS.FED.US) so it is scientifically proven, and the FPL has been around for 100 years.   Sunlight makes any wood surface erode.  Therefore any coating applied to a wood surface, like your deck, that is constantly exposed to sunlight, will need to be constantly reapplied.  Even penetrating oil stains have the problem because the oil penetrates but any coloring pigments do not.  The pigments cling only to the surface fibers, which are constantly departing due to the sunlight damage (photochemical degradation).  Incidentally the photochemical response to the lignin in wood being damaged by sunlight is universal, it turns color.  It Turns Grey.  Now you know why all wood turns grey in the sun. The wood fibers in plastic wood composite usually have the same reaction, only because they aren't wood, the WPC materials like trex end up looking more like concrete. Wood makes a better deck because it doesn't hold the summer heat. Wood is an insulator, especially softwoods like cedar.  Wood is also resilient so it springs back when you step on it, it is not dead like concrete or WPC.  Makes standing on wood far more comfortable than concrete or WPC decking.  The other thing is the plastic soften and bend over the joists over time, especially in hot climates.  Wood has its own strength and doesn't do that. 

Use a clear finish and it wears off the fastest because it has the least ability to resist sunlight.  Semi-transparents last longer because they have pigments to offset some sunlight damage.  Cleaning wood is done without a power washer, which will turn a smooth wood deck into one with grain raise and often a torn stringy surface in need of sanding.  Wash the dirt and mildew by using some oxiclean or if the deck is fairly clean, some powered laundry (Tide with Bleach) detergent.  Brush the surface with the solution, let it sit (do it on an overcast day)for 15 minutes, brush it again (i use soft push broom ) then rinse it well.  The deck is now clean.  Stains can be removed with wood brightener read the label, you want Oxalic Acid, NOT sodium Percarbonate ( that's what's in the oxi-clean).  3ounces in 1 gallon warm water (careful it'sPoison to people and pets) will remove any stains, then rinse again.  When dry refinish the deck. Oil stains -NEVER apply more than 1 Coat, they will prevent mildew only when they dry completely.  Two coats become "Miracle Grow for Mold & Mildew" because they stay wet and oily.

Clean wood decks in cool weather for best results never in hot mid-summer sun, which actually causes damage to the wood.