Thompson's Water Seal

[MikeWhy]

One coat? Or two?

[Phisherman]

No good, but better than nothing at all. A semi-transparent Cabot Decking stain will protect wood for a long time, for me about 3-5 years.

[Andrew Barss]

:> notbob wrote: :> : Is it any good, or just hype. :> :> It's about the worst stuff on the market. A waste of money and time. :> :> :> -- Andy Barss

: Have you had direct experience with it Andy?

A bit, and I was so surprised at the result I then did some checking and found the few-month experience was not uncommon. In the Northeast

20 years ago, it was, as far as I know, the only stuff around, which is why I bought it when I came here.

I suspect that the Arizona : sun would beat the heck out of an inferior product. Do you have any : recommendations that do stand up fairly well out here?

I have a small amount of exposed wood on our guesthouse, and will be trying Cabot's products when it cools off (and when I get the ithen remodel done, which is gonna be a while -- found a disconnected air duct in the attic, which explains the huge electrical bills!). I'll let you know how it works out. One project for the winter is a screened-in outside porch/sitting area/pagoda, and I want to find a decent wood protectant before doing that. I was actually planning to ask you for a reccomendation!

I did have a strangely terrific experience with spar varnish. I did two exterior doors, one facing west (behind a security door), and one facing south, in direct sun, in around 1996. Until 2 years ago, they looked absolutely perfect. The screened westward one still looks great, but the south one is peeling and so forth. But 10-11 years in bright sun is pretty good!

-- Andy BArss

[Lew Hodgett]

SFWIW:

Epifanes two (2) part poly is the gold standard for bright work on boats, especially in the Caribbean which I would expect to be worse than Arizona desert since you have the sun's reflected rays off the water as well as direct sunlight.

Have fun.

Lew

[Zz Yzx]

But what if my deck is REALLY big?

-Zz

[Mark & Juanita]

Ouch!

I really don't have much with exposed wood. The shop is composite siding. If you are looking for paint, the Dunn Edwards paint we used looks like a winner, but it's only been two summers since it was put on.

Thanks -- that's helpful, I've got some doors that need to be re-finished. The kid was supposed to scrape them this summer; I think he got 1/2 way done with one of them, so will work that when it cools off. If we don't paint them, will look at using spar.

[David Nebenzahl]

On 8/17/2009 10:02 AM RonB spake thus:

Well, guess what? I've got a deck to seal in a couple days. Went to local hardware store (Orchard Supply) where I saw some Olympic clear sealer (not stain) in a gallon paint can, not the rectangular cans solvents and stuff come in. It looks pretty good and I think I'll use it. Says it contains linseed oil, so it's not just wax and solvent as Thompson's is spozed to be.

[David Nebenzahl]

On 8/18/2009 10:01 PM Mark & Juanita spake thus:

Spar varnish is *THE* stuff to use on exterior wood, assuming you want a glossy surface. Just recently refinished a client's front door with it. I expect it to last at least 5 years, maybe more. Very pleasant stuff to work with, too. (Assuming one doesn't mind contact with paint thinner.)

[Lew Hodgett]

True spar varnish should be restricted to wooden spars on sailboats since it never truly hardens so you don't want to sit on it for instance.

Standard marine varnish or poly is a far better solution.

(See previous post).

Lew

[J. Clarke]

Just pray that that client doesn't lean on that door in an expensive suit on a hot day. If it's real spar varnish and you didn't warn him about that he's going to be very unhappy.

Spar varnish is a niche product intended for a specific purpose.

[Phisherman]

Varnish is mostly clear so it doesn't have as much UV protection as a stain or paint (I would not use paint on a deck). Whatever you decide, pay particular attention to exposed end grain--those areas should get 2-3 coats.

[David Nebenzahl]

On 8/19/2009 5:40 AM J. Clarke spake thus:

Don't think that's going to be a problem. A few years ago I refinished the floors of my living space using spar varnish, the same stuff I used on that door (McCloskey Man-o-War). Never had any problem with things sticking to the floor or soft varnish there, even on extremely hot days (poor ventilation, so it got pretty hot there sometimes).

Have you actually experienced this problem? I haven't.

[J. Clarke]

Yep, repeatedly. Railings on boats, canoe seats and thwarts, etc. Wrecked my whites that way just before an inspection once.

[Lew Hodgett]

That's why you use a marine varnish or varnish, they contain UV inhibitors.

You won't find true marine varnish at a general finish supplier.

Strictly a speciality item found at a good chandlery.

Lew

[Nova]

It's used on the decks at the "Cave Of The Winds" at the Bridal Falls in the Niagara Falls, NY State Park. Of course the decking is removed every November and re-assembled each spring after being recoated which Thompson doesn't mention in their TV commercial (but they do on their web site).

personal experience with the product I had to recoat the deck on my house every year as well. I quit using it because of this.

[bumhead]

Used a Cabot oil based redwood stain on an outdoor arbor made with old reused pine 2 X 6 boards. Good stuff. Planned to put a coat of oil poly on that but never got around to it. Nothing on the wood except the stain. Repelled water like oil. Just beaded up and rolled off.

[Leon]

Get 2

[Andrew Barss]

: Just pray that that client doesn't lean on that door in an expensive suit : on a hot day. If it's real spar varnish and you didn't warn him about that : he's going to be very unhappy.

: Spar varnish is a niche product intended for a specific purpose.

Well, the product I used was Behr brand spar varnish. It may not have been true spar varnish -- it did dry, though wasn't as rock hard as normal varnish. I never had a problem with it.

-- Andy Barss

[dpb]

I don't know what the supposed complaint would be--spar varnish will certainly dry and stay dry. They're simply tung-oil (as opposed to soya or other oil) based varnishes that also include UV inhibitors and a little less brittle final film as compared to "ordinary" varnishes...

They're suitable for virtually any exterior purpose...

--

[rhonda.hodas.hack]

So, I just bought a container of Thompson's Water Seal for wood... to cover bird houses...as articles had recommended. Very thin coat, and from what I 'm reading here, I've wasted time and money on this product. It is a very t hin coat, though I thought it would be thicker, more like a polyurethane gl aze on the thin, not extremely thin, side. Told that Thompson's does prote ct against UV, but from this forum, looks like whoever told me was mistaken . So - the answer, for a barely even novice, looking for both a non-toxic, waterproof sealer which protects against mildew, UV, etc... would be...? A nd as well, if we're to toss our Thompson's Wood Deck Stain and Sealer, whi ch we were about to reply this year, what is the recommendation for the bes t Wood Deck Stain and Sealer?