Sealing a 'new' deck.

[DIYER WANNABE]

So our deck is 1.5 years old and has never been treated or sealed. It was put up October 2008. Our builder goofed and told us to wait a year on treating it, so we did, but then with everything going on it never got done last year.

I would like any info possible on what I should do to seal/stain it? I bought some Cobat Oil based stain (darker color). Also, I have a pressure washer.

I wish I would have done this sooner. Over the past 1.5 years our horizontal boards have become greyed in appearance and even warping.

Any help would be appreciated. I'm new to the forum also...Looks like a lot of great info on here!

[HayZee518]

the deck boards are warped because of being dried out and then re-moisurized by rain and then dried out again. the graying is from bleaching by the sun and also by rainwater. if the warpage isn't too bad, use a belt sander and reduce the high spots. if its way off kilter, replace the boards. Cabot water sealer will work.

[Consultsteve]

Your contractor was half right.

You can wait for six months if you dont use kiln dried wood. This allows all the moisture out. Like the guy said before me about the repairs is correct. Staining, I forget the brand name, but Ace hardware has some of the best I have used. and a lot of them require the deck to be damp when applied. FYI

Steve Higgins
consultsteve.com

[DIYER WANNABE]

Thanks for the info guys. Another question...I had a guy come out last week to give me a quote on the deck about a sealant process they use. It's not Sealmaxx, but basically the same concept. Check out the link below, and that's basically what they do. They are saying it never needs to be stained or sealed again with this, and has a 25 year warranty. Spendy though...We have a 12x18 foot deck and they want $1,600 to do the trick. Also, they said after they do it, the deck will turn grey, but all we have to do is clean it or powerspray it to get the 'new' look back. Wondering what you guys think? We can't decide if this is the way to go or if we should just stain every two years.

Also, another question, this guy said it's a bad idea to put a 'color' stain on it since that area is getting hammered by the sun and UV rays....Says it'll just make the deck look worse in the long run. Your thoughts?

[pushkins]

Where's the link ?

I've never heard of a 25 year warranty for deck sealing and I've built a lot of decks. At around $7 a square foot it would want to be good !!!!

[DIYER WANNABE]

oh my fault. the link is below. sealmaxx i guess has gone out of business, but the process is still the same and based off the same concept. they get their materials now from sealit...i believe that's how you spell it.

sealmaxx.com

[DIYER WANNABE]

another thing to note, he told me the sealit company has been in business for 25-30 + years. so apparently they have a reputation. i'm just not sure the price is worth it.

[pushkins]

I have to admit, I have serious doubts about a "25 year don't need to touch it" warranty.

[DIYER WANNABE]

I have a question....This deck is on the south-side of the house so it gets plenty of sunlight. Would I be better off putting down a dark color, or light? I was told that a dark color helps with the UV penetration better, etc....But then again, I heard that if I put a dark color on there it's going to fade and get chippy really fast since it gets all that sunlight. There is no shade for the deck. Thanks!

[pushkins]

All stains will fade, don't let anyone tell you different. The darker the stain the more noticeable the fade will be, I said "noticeable" because like I mentioned all stains fade but darker ones show up greater.

I've just finished building the sub frame for a deck on my own home, it's a tad over 500 sq. feet, I've been looking around at composite decking, I've used tons of the stuff over the past couple of years but I've always tried to guide clients away from darker colors, they look fantastic in glossy catalogs and just as good when I first put them down, but the darker colors have all faded.
I spoke to a manufacturer this morning about one that I'm interested in using for my deck and they say that they have a limited liability on fade, even though they tout there new line as fade resistant.

My point here is that composite decking is colored uniformly all the way through the product and the exposed face still fades, so will a minimum surface penetration sealer, so be careful in your color selection or be prepared to redo the job from time to time to keep it looking good.

[DIYER WANNABE]

So would you recommend a lighter color stain then, even though it won't give us the protection from the UV rays like the darker stain will?

[april_luv]

hi

wow its so very great and wonderful info.

[pushkins]

So would you recommend a lighter color stain then, even though it won't give us the protection from the UV rays like the darker stain will?

If it me me ....(famous words those....lol) I would go with the lighter color.

BUT
if you like the darker color and are prepared for a little more work over the years when go the darker. I'm not so sure about the UV protection being better in darker colors, generally UV travels in light and light has a propensity to bounce off lighter colors.

[DIYER WANNABE]

That's kind of the way I was thinking too, but I did read somewhere and they said that darker = better protection for your deck.

Question. When I stain it this time, I have a stain/sealer all in one. After that, I would just stain it correct? Sealer is a one-time thing? Lots of stains are stain/sealer in one I have noticed.

[pushkins]

If the sealer is a true one time deal then your in trouble when you try to "re stain" at any point down the track. Sealer does just that, it seals the material from penetration of other liquids, in a deck's case it's water, water's damage to a deck is tremendous when it's absorbed into the wood, then the sun dries it out, then more is absorbed etc...etc...the continued expansion when absorbed and contraction when it dries causes cracks, splitting etc...
Once you seal the material the absorption is reduced, now if this sealer is a once in a lifetime sealer then how will the wood absorb stain a year from now?

That's why most stains have sealer mixed in with them, the company knows that the sealer will not last as the sealer breaks down it starts to allow more and more moisture into the wood, so when you re stain you re seal at the same time. A good indication of when you need more sealer is you notice the water on the deck doesn't bead anymore.