My daughter and her husband bought a house. The desk was new last year. I'm a big advocate of the wisdom "you don't know what you don't know" and those things you don't know can make all the difference.

What do I need to know?

I have not found that staining a deck increases its longevity. It looks good for awhile. My opinion is that it's a waste of time and money, but that's just me.

Put some waterproofing protectant on it and it'll last longer. That can be a colored stain if you want or just a clear product if you don't.

quote:

Originally posted by tsmccull:
Put some waterproofing protectant on it and it'll last longer. That can be a colored stain if you want or just a clear product if you don't.

Protection and longevity are the goals. Whatever that takes is what I'm looking for.

Some definition first: (photos would help

1. What wood species is the deck (PT-pine, cedar, etc. or it it composite?
2. Current color, if any?
3. Color of house adjacent to deck?
4. How much sun exposure?
5. How dirty is the surface?

These will help to offer "useful" advice.

I have found that the more opaque the stain (ie, more paint like and less stain like) the longer the finish will last. I fought the urge to go opaque for years due to the perception that going with a more natural looking finish was the way to go. I was wrong. Opaque stains wear better, longer, and I personally think they look better as they age over a more naturally looking more transparent stain.'

And I politely think the above statement about proper wood protection not adding to the longevity of the deck is complete hogwash. Respectfully. lol

ive done the clear,semi-transparent, and the solid color stains. My preference is for the solid color I never got a full year of protection from the clear/semi-transparent stuff. With the sold I get about 2-3 years before it's needs to be redone. I also really like the looks of the solid stains We use different colors for the horizontal and vertical surfaces and it looks pretty sharp

The latex based stuff is horrible. The petroleum based stuff didn't even lat a year.
I put "One Time Wood" on my last deck. It's different than normal sealants. More expensive but worth it in my experience. Deck still looked good and was being protected when I sold the house 5 years later.

Like any paint job the prep part is a big deal IMO. Pressure wash and allow to dry. I believe there are stains with UV protectants (or used to be). It's worth the effort to me for the cosmetic value.

quote:

Originally posted by sgalczyn:
Some definition first: (photos would help

1. What wood species is the deck (PT-pine, cedar, etc. or it it composite?
2. Current color, if any?
3. Color of house adjacent to deck?
4. How much sun exposure?
5. How dirty is the surface?

These will help to offer "useful" advice.

1. Not sure about wood type, just plain deck planking, nothing special. Probably pine. Don't know if it's some kind of Weathershield or not. I'll see if I can find out. Most likely pressure treated pine.

2. Natural color. Light pine.

3. Adjacent house is a combination of light beige siding and dark red stained wood.

4. Direct sun most of the time.

5. Surface is very clean right now.

Solid for sure. Transparent is nice but won't hold. Behr at HD makes very good quality deck stain. After many frustrating years maintaining our PT pine deck, we gave up and went composite.

quote:

Originally posted by RogB:
Solid for sure. Transparent is nice but won't hold. Behr at HD makes very good quality deck stain. After many frustrating years maintaining our PT pine deck, we gave up and went composite.

Today's "yellow wood" pressure treated wood is pure crap. The old Arsenic pressure treated wood (green) lasted 3 times longer than the current stuff.

Use an oxalic acid based deck cleaner/ conditioner before anything. Follow the directions

No pressure washers except a low pressure rinse

This is the very BEST deck stain. It's really easy to work with and all of your neighbors will be jealous of it!

https://search.aol.com/aol/vid...99983&v_t=loki-tb-sb

Stain a waste except for short term look. Go with solid color with good prep.. I speak from experience.. lots of it.

The longest lasting paint is when you can paint all six sides to minimize moisture intake. This of corse can only be done before decking install.

quote:

Originally posted by Hangtime:
Stain a waste except for short term look. Go with solid color with good prep.. I speak from experience.. lots of it.

The longest lasting paint is when you can paint all six sides to minimize moisture intake. This of corse can only be done before decking install.

Not clear what you mean.

Sealant vs stain or solid stain vs transparent?

Prep is the key

Then use a sprayer, the coverage will look much better.
Be sure to tape off the house and cover the bushes

I just put another coat of semi-transparent cedar-colored Durastain on my deck a week ago. Menards sells it. Water beads up nicely again and we'll see how long that lasts. About 2/3rds of the deck is the original 20 year old PT lumber and the rest I replaced with new lumber a few years ago (I got lazy and went about 10 years without any stain and the decking in the sun checked badly which is why I replaced it). This is in Indiana where we get both summer heat and winter snow, so YMMV. Just fyi.

Solid stains get HOT! Too hot to walk on. Once on, it's extremely hard to change to the transparent stuff.

TWP is the best I've found. California red is beautiful.