I have a new deck that has pressure treated wood. I used Thompsons water seal on it to try to keep the new dark look of the wood instead of it fading. The last 2 years the water seal flaked off after the winter snow ( I live in Ontario, Canada). Do I need to seal after each year? or will the deck fade regardless if it's sealed or not?. Any advice would be appreciated.
Get thee to thy local paint store (a _real_ paint store, not a big box). They'll sell you a sealer that works much better than Thompsons.
Water Seal is pretty much paraffin dissolved in solvents. Candle wax is also paraffin, though a different type. You've more or less spread a thin layer of wax over the wood. It has to be reapplied at least once a year.
No matter which sealer you choose, it has to be reapplied every few years.
It was probably dark because the moisture of the treating process hadn't had a chance to dry. I once did a gorgeous job of finishing a self-built 12' x
4' picnic table. Sanded to a nice smooth surface, beveled edges, etc. Several coats of spar varnish, sanded between coats. It looked like a piece of fine furniture. That was in October. By March you couldn't tell it had been done. Moral: LET IT DRY! That summer I sanded it again and applied 2 coats of varnish. I keep it covered over winter. It's now 8 years old and still looks great.
It's called aging. You'll fade as you age too. Soon you wont remember where you live, how to count to five, how to use the toilet, or which end of the nail goes in a board. Then you'll decay and your skin will fall off, no matter how much skin moisturizer (sealer) you put on your body.
If you lay out in snow all winter, this will occur much faster and sooner. I suggest bringing the deck indoors for the winter.
Pope
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