First try:
Behr Wood-Toned Weather Proofer Wood Sealer & Finish. As per the documentation ON THE CAN I prepared the deck (8 years old previously untreated except for the pressure treating) using a deck wash & then applied the Behr.
Failure! The Behr came off in about a year. My feeling is that putting an the instruction on the can saying "can apply to damp/dry" wood and to just "wipe standing water" first is very poor advice indeed. Stain effectiveness to predicated on its ability to soak into the wood - if moisture is already IN the wood, then this can only inhibit the ability of the wood to soak up the stain.
Here's to problem - the stain came off the horizontal surfaces, NOT the vertical surfaces. This is actually bad, because you can't easily strip vertical surfaces, therefore: your bed is made, you have to keep using the same stain.
Second try:
Water & a hard bristle brush removed whatever traces of Behr were on the wood. After 5 days of sunshine, the wood was totally dry, then I followed this a floor sander. Brushed on the BEHR (no choice really). Home Depot guy suggested multiple coats, so I called Behr & asked them if I could put on the next coat ~ 12 hours after the first, and, as you my guess, Behr advised against a second coat. Said the product is made to soak into the wood & not to put a film on top. I think this is a load of crap - it penetrates a bit, but it certainly leaves a film that can strip off.
Question:
I sanded & stained three of the boards "early" about a month ago & have noticed that already water doesn't bead in spots - seems the water is being soaked in. I was thinking multiple coats would be better to keep water from penetrating the wood & compromising it. What everyone else think - more coats, or do as Behr says?
Advice:
Obviously I don't think much of Behr. If I were starting out, I wouldn't use stain at all. I'd advise some kind of penetrating oil - not much advice as to which one, but I've used linseed oil on some planters & they look fantastic. It NEVER flakes & you can just reapply some whenever you want. On the other hand, if you don't even have a deck yet, then apparently those new plastic boards last forever.