Wood deck sealers (tired question, new twist)

[Comboverfish]

Hello a.h.r.,

I will be staining my cedar decks this weekend, they have been prepared with wood brightener to remove a year of oxidation and scrubbed/washed clean. Last year I had a loca franchise wood preservative service clean off our old, nasty, worn, redish oil stain and apply the deep penetrating wood hardener type of protectant (Dynawood products). I don't know if it was worth it or if the product is all bunk, but I mainly did this to get the decks back to clean wood; the time to DIY it would have been impossible to muster at that point last summer.

Anyhoo, I want to start and maintain a 2 year program with clear deck sealer starting this weekend, and would appreciate any product advice given the above details. The clearst possible sealer is what I'm hoping for to retain a natural cedar look (it's pretty dark at this point already). The Dynawood product and local company claims that sealer application intervals found on the cans of sealer products can be followed when the wood has been treated with their Dynawood. Otherwise they suggest halfing the recommendation for untreated decks. So in my case I would feel OK using a 2+ year product every 2 years, and feel that whatever I lose in UV blocking from lack of pigmentation can be compensated for by using wood brightener / elbow grease inbetween applications and the (hopefully true) claims of Dynawood's added rot and crack resistance.

Given the droning run-on-a-palooza above, does anyone have a particular clear or very light tint brand they prefer? How about uneven glossiness after a year or two, is that something that can even be avoided? What tool do you like to use when applying to horizontal surfaces? BTW, I sprayed the rails and posts already with clear, they are not really an issue at this time.

Thanks, I welcome any feedback!

[jimmyDahGeek]

I have used both Behr & Olympic semi transparent stain with a cedar tint. The tint looks really nice with my cedar house and it usually last for a couple of years. The additional tint really helps protect the wood. The first few years I used a clear sealer and it didn't hold up well at all.

Get a 5 gallon bucket with a screen and use a roller with a 4 foot handle to roll it on. You can spay it on also but you will need to brush it afterwards and do additional taping and cleanup of the sprayer so the roller is your best bet.

Have fun,

[Comboverfish]

Thanks for the reply. I would like to see a dried sample of cedar with the cedar tint product. Maybe the Depot will have a sample display set up. Will look for or mock up a handle fo r a roller. Do they sell larger rollers/brushes (> 9 inches wide) for this purpose?

[jimmyDahGeek]

They do sell an 18" roller, but a 9" is just fine. That way you can use the roller with a screen in a 5 gallon bucket. It will go one really quick.

[Bonnett Decorating]

My preference is for one of the Clear Solutions from Cabots. See their website for colors. The uneven glossiness happens due to uneven weathering. Can't be avoided. I prefer a natural bristle special purpose stain brush. Stain should be applied using the wet on wet method. The local paint store, not HD, can explain and demonstrate what that is and also sell you the right brush.

[Comboverfish]

Thanks for all the help. I did use a 9" roller cover designed for decks along with a 4" natural bristle brush for cut-in. After checking out Olympic, I used exactly what JimmyDahGeek mentioned, the Olympic 'Maximum' Semi-transparent Natural Cedartone. It doesn't look bad at all, but clear would have been more desireable. I guess there's just no substitute for pigment when it comes to graying.

[someone]