Another redwood deck protection question

18 years ago

Could some please verify my understanding about deck finsihes? (I admit the more I read the more confused I become.)

Here's my situation and what I think I understand:

NEW redwood deck built over concrete patio in Mediterranean climate that can get blasted by the sun in the summer and drenched in winter. (I hope we get rain this year.) I hope to prevent the redwood from turning grey and I hate artificial looking red tint. The fact that the deck is new seems to be of importance, in terms of application and product.

I'd like to minimize any coloring that comes with the finishing product and I understand that this comes at the expense of protection longevity. A so-called "clear" product will need to be applied more frequently, yearly at least. I'm not sure if a clear product will prevent greying of the wood.

Products on my list for consideration at this point include:

TWP 1xx. I understand TWP 100 is only a starter for a tinted product from the 100 series and so, the TWP clear option is out and I'm undecided on a tint. I've seen that John the deck pro here has recommended 116, rustic for a redwood deck.

Watco exterior wood finisher - I've used Wacto on canoes and have a history with it, and I like it.

Flood New Wood Defender. Someone told me Flood products rated highly in Consumer Reports recently and I'm intrigued by a product specifically for new wood.

Cabot Clear, maybe the Cedar color as it looks less red to me. (Why Cabot's "Clear" is tinted, I'm not sure.) Maybe a Cobot SPF product is better.

Finally, maybe I'll just drive down to the Benjamin Moore store like I do for paint and be done with it.

Thanks much for any help,

Bill

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Comments (5)

john_hyatt
18 years ago
I have stoped altogether giving outdoor finish advice,just too much trouble from some folks over here.

I am intersted in your outlook on the outdoor Watco thing,I have used it for years on inside stuff with very good results. Its a resin base like twp,works the same way far as recoat goes it melts into itself.

One thing any clear or natural finish has no uv protection,use it and your deck will go gray result= stripping/acid wash/scrubing to get the gray off. J.
dooer
18 years ago
I've used Superdeck "Natural" on my redwood deck for 15 years. We have to re seal every 1-2 years. It shows some age, but still looks good for 15 years old. You do have to clean it well prior to each reseal, but we have never had to sand anything off.
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builtbymac
18 years ago
Got any leftover decking ends? You might pick up some quart samples of the different stains you're thinking of and paint up some samples...depending on where you get your stain, they might comp you the samples...

I like the look of Cabot Clear Solutions in either cedar or natural. The cedar has more of a yellowish-tan tint, the natural does a pretty good job of letting the color of the wood show through. The SPF line (if I'm remembering correctly) has a more milky finish. More protection, but more opacity...

You've already got the heads-up on increased maintenance for no-tint stains, good.

Good luck!

Mac
Faron79
18 years ago
Bill G.,

We used to have the Cabot SPF-series stains at our store here in Fago, ND.
Nobody liked the colors...we could hardly GIVE it away...!
(We actually DID donate some, just to get rid of the last of it...)

We go through a LOT of Sikkens SRD, & Penofin.
* My Redwood deck is 12 yrs. old...NO shade on it.
* Up here...climate is from -30 to an occasional +100...talk about extremes!!
* Sanded floor and steps 3 yrs ago.
* I love the Sikkens SRD Redwood #089.
* We do have some of the Cabot line, as well as the Clear-Solutions & the 4 Timber-Oil colors.

You're correct...the less pigment in the stain, the less protection.
>>> I can't in good faith recommend Clear-Solution for Decks.
* For Fences...yes.
* For swingsets/playsets/furniture...yes.
* For horizontal structures like deck-floors...IMO, No.
(Unless you LIKE re-coating frequently?!)

Have we had a complaint on Sikkens up here??........NO.
The Behr we used to have???........................YES.

Faron
bill_g_web
Original Author
18 years ago
Thanks everyone for posting. I've not seen Sikkens anywhere around here in Ca.; too bad because it seems to have a lot of supporters. I've heard good things about Cabot but there's a thread on this forum indicating people had bad luck with Cabot SPF. My local Ben Moore store stocks Cabot because they said many customers requested it, so that's a good endorsement. I don't read much about Preservawood but the guy at the Benjamin Moore store likes it. I'd always assumed it was inferior because Home Depot sells it, along with Behr. Preservawood has a "Plus" product that seems to have originally been for professional use but is now more widely available. Curiously, the Ben Moore people weren't pushing their own product at all, maybe because Ben Moore seems to just be coming out with a new deck product that's 2 parts, requiring more work and expense up front for more durability.

Thanks again,
Bill