Hmm...and he said it would fill small cracks, too. :). Can you tell I'm new to deck building? We've redone most of our house DIY for two houses, but this is our first deck. It certainly looks a LOT easier to do solid stain than the Deck Restore. Wondering about it's heat level? Cheaper and easier sounds pretty good... Any thoughts on color?

I was just in the same predicament myself. Due to the unevenness in the wood colours, I decided to paint it a solid colour using Benjamin Moore Arborcoat Solid Deck and Siding Stain. It comes in a variety of premixed colours but it can also be made up in any Benjamin Moore colour. I've attached a photo of my deck which is now a nice gray. Excuse the cherries - they're ripe and dropping from our tree and we can't keep up with them.

If you apply stains over each other without stripping them, they will create a shiny varnished look and probably peel. Always pressure wash and strip your deck first. Or wind up paying someone like me a lot more money than you would have before to strip off two coats of stain. Storm makes an inexpensive chemical to spray on and pressure wash off your deck stain.Home Depot also carries an excellent deck stripper.

We like wood defender. Their customer service is super nice and willing to send free samples of colors.