I am in almost the same boat- I built a cedar deck last year and used Cabot's SPF-24. It failed miserably and I have just finished stripping all of the finish and sanding. It's almost ready for stain, but I'm concerned the moisture level in the wood will be too high and the temp too cool. I'm in Albany, NY, so winter is knocking on our door.

I'm planning to use ReadySeal, it's on a UPS truck headed to my house right now. I did LOTS of looking on this site and others- Ken at pressurepros was helpful in selecting the product.

Sorry, all- I made a "typo" above. Actually, it was more of a distraction as my 4 year old was hammering on something... I finally decided on "Baker's Gray Away". Ready Seal was the 2nd choice, but I decided away from it b/c BGA had more positive comments and support from people that I had chatted with online.

It may be too cold to seal in OC now.
I would clean and stain it next year.

FYI. I used ReadySeal on my porch last year. Its holding up very well.

Hi everyone,

Thanks so much for your help. WE'll keep looking at posts for more helpful info.

Anne and John