DIY - Deck staining/protection

[MrSal]

My deck needs treatment/protection.

2 years ago I used a Thompson clear sealer and now that I have read more and more the more confusing it gets.

I don't want to use something that needs sanding down the line or anything like that. I want the wood to absorb it, not a coating like paint that can peel off or that i would need to power wash it off or something.

With this in mind here are the 2 Thompsons type of deck sealers/oils :

One is stain+sealer (what I used last time but just clear) and is water based... The other one is oil based.

Which is better?



Also should I go to another brand or something?

In my country, Bona oil is usually the go to for any decking from what I have read.

Any help would be appreciated

[Le Poisson]

Personally I like clear stain for a deck. Otherwise the high-traffic paths will show where the stain has worn down. YMMV.

My favourite for siding/eaves/etc. is Cetol, which is not clear at all though.

Personally, I would go with the oil based finish only because I have more experience and more faith in it, but again, there may be advantages to the water based that I am just not aware of. Watching intently since I have fences waiting for me too.

[MrSal]

yeah i wouldnt go dark at all. just a semi transparent and closer to the pine hues as well. Like Honey Gold or something similar to those tones.

I think the All sealer from thompson even though is water based supposedly it still is absorbed by the wood. I remember paddehat, a user from the forum, recommended it to me at the time but after i read some more not sure of all the options.

[MrSal]

Being the frugal that I am, I hate paying big $$ for something i can get cheaper.

All those deck cleaners and brighteners are just basic chemicals with a branded stamp.

From my reading they are all either SH (bleach) or something similar. I have read contradictory arguments for not using bleach on wood... in either case I bough Sodium Percarbonate (active ingredient of OxyAction - which from what I have read is what should be used instead of normal bleach (SH) ... and oxalic acid as a brightener and ph neutralizer.

Cost for 10 lbs of the stuff was $20 and it should be good for multiple uses

If anyone has any input regarding these cleaning solutions please let me know! All ears

[Dancin'Dog]

20+ years ago I had a pressure washing business.  I stained & sealed a lot of decks.  I didn't like Thompson brand because it formed a waxy or sticky coating.  I preferred linseed oil based penetrants that soaked into the wood.  I used a lot of Olympic, but the best brand was CWF (clead wood finish) which was pricey.


I was recently shopping for a sealer for our boat dock & only found water based formulas available now.  I haven't researched sealers online, so I can't say what is the best product now.  But from past experience I'd avoid Thompson. 


Btw, the easiest application method I found was using a 2-3 gallon pump up garden sprayer.  A push broom works well for brushing it out if it puddles.  Choose a hot sunny day and it will soak into the warm wood better.

[MrSal]

To update. I used Thompson Oil and it went on great. Looks amazing. I was on the fence for using Cutek Extreme which supposedly is very good but it costs $100/gallon.

Thompson, with Lowes coupons and such I got it for 10-15$ per gallon. I ended up using 3 gallons total for 2 coats - even though only 1 is needed however color wasn't the desired.

It's been 30-40 days and it still looks great and deeper tones actually.

[WranglerBowman]

Hi, hoping to revive this thread to see what the results are like now and what are some of the products others are using or have used? 

I'm looking to sand and refinish a couple large decks and am currently leaning towards Olympic Maximum Clear Waterproofing Sealer to avoid ever having to sand again, but was wondering if anyone knows of anything better or if there are environmentally friendly products that work nearly as well? 

I've been reading about some of the home mixtures for using linseed oil too and it is keeping my curious...