Treating your Deck

[Bob Roberts]

I just built a new deck last year. Now that warm weather has come around, I think its time to pressure wash it and water-seal it for the first time. I'm wanting something clear so I can keep the natural wood look. My parents have used Thompson's Water Seal and it doesn't work worth a flop! A friend of mine suggested I use a product called "CWF" which I think is made by a company called "Flood". Consumer reports has Cabot at the top of their ratings. Have you all had any luck with a perticular kind of sealant? Any suggestions?

[Tropic_Al]

What type of decking is it ? I have a cedar deck that I've used Thompson's on & it still looks great. My deck is 15 yrs old & holding up well. Thompson's does leave an oily residue though. If it's a natural wood deck, don't use a high pressure setting, it'll damage the wood & make it fuzzy. Then you'll have to sand it down. Wide nozzle and low pressure will be fine.

[z-man]

I've used Thompson's on several decks, and have been quite happy with the results.

[Marnin Grita Guy]

I use Tro......well it's worked, my deck has no unsightly blemishes or

warping.

[Big Jimmy]

I just built a new deck last year. Now that warm weather has come around, I think its time to pressure wash it and water-seal it for the first time. I'm wanting something clear so I can keep the natural wood look. My parents have used Thompson's Water Seal and it doesn't work worth a flop! A friend of mine suggested I use a product called "CWF" which I think is made by a company called "Flood". Consumer reports has Cabot at the top of their ratings. Have you all had any luck with a perticular kind of sealant? Any suggestions?

Flood Blow-- Trust me on this one, you will have to re-do it at least once a year.

Thompson's is just water, so your just wasting your money on it

Cabot is good stuff but can get quite expensive since it isn't mass produced like the others, and its harder to get.

I would recommend going to a paint store. Do not know where your from-- but if your in the south, you may want to try PORTER. Or if you have any Pittsburgh Paints stores in your area check them out. Try to stay away from any of the big box stores, only cause they will over charge you, have no idea what the product does, and you will get a far less quality product.

Just to let you know Ive been in coatings for the past 5 years.

[ragtopW]

did anyone else read this wrong???

[alphabits]

did anyone else read this wrong???

So how do you treat yours?

[ragtopW]

did anyone else read this wrong???

So how do you treat yours?

not as often as I would like..

[whitepelican]

I did a 17 x 33' number one cedar, fastened from the bottom, deck and then put on Thompson. What a mistake! Sanded it off best i could and then put on Centol, probaly a Canadian product. No way i would use Thompson. And they did nothing to help me solve my problems besides offer a refund.
They really s***

[alphabits]

did anyone else read this wrong???

So how do you treat yours?

not as often as I would like..

Well, the most important thing is a proper finish.

[Dutch Harbor PH]

did anyone else read this wrong???

So how do you treat yours?

not as often as I would like..

Well, the most important thing is a proper finish.

But to get that proper finish there is a lot of buffing involved.....

[pbans]

did anyone else read this wrong???

So how do you treat yours?

not as often as I would like..

Well, the most important thing is a proper finish.

But to get that proper finish there is a lot of buffing involved.....

Here are the boys and I know and love so well......
what took you so long?

Just make sure and cover you tarp your deck before you use it....

[buffettbride]

for heaven's sake! don't leave your deck uncovered!! YIKES!! do you know what can happen???

[ragtopW]

for heaven's sake! don't leave your deck uncovered!! YIKES!! do you know what can happen???

it's been so long since I had to cover my deck I forgot who gets tied up..

[buffettbride]

for heaven's sake! don't leave your deck uncovered!! YIKES!! do you know what can happen???

it's been so long since I had to cover my deck I forgot who gets tied up..

well, before it gets all wet you have to cover it up. when you put the cover on you have to rub and rub and rub it on. firmly, but not too hard. best rubbed on with hands as using anything else might hurt the wood. when it's all covered up and you have all the moisture out, then you're done.

repeat as necessary.

[alphabits]

for heaven's sake! don't leave your deck uncovered!! YIKES!! do you know what can happen???

it's been so long since I had to cover my deck I forgot who gets tied up..

well, before it gets all wet you have to cover it up. when you put the cover on you have to rub and rub and rub it on. firmly, but not too hard. best rubbed on with hands as using anything else might hurt the wood. when it's all covered up and you have all the moisture out, then you're done.

repeat as necessary.

Follow-up questions.
How do you handle it if the wood has become soft?
Do you still need to cover the deck?
Is there some type of treatment that can be used to restore some firmness to the wood?

(These are all hypothetical .... I'm asking them for ... er, um ... a friend. Yeah, that's it, a friend.)

[whitepelican]

and another serious subject prematurely shoots off in a different direction.

[Dally]

and another serious subject prematurely shoots off in a different direction.

that comment made me laugh out loud.....after reading the "gutter" talk.

[Dutch Harbor PH]

for heaven's sake! don't leave your deck uncovered!! YIKES!! do you know what can happen???

it's been so long since I had to cover my deck I forgot who gets tied up..

well, before it gets all wet you have to cover it up. when you put the cover on you have to rub and rub and rub it on. firmly, but not too hard. best rubbed on with hands as using anything else might hurt the wood. when it's all covered up and you have all the moisture out, then you're done.

repeat as necessary.

Follow-up questions.
How do you handle it if the wood has become soft?
Do you still need to cover the deck?
Is there some type of treatment that can be used to restore some firmness to the wood?

(These are all hypothetical .... I'm asking them for ... er, um ... a friend. Yeah, that's it, a friend.)

The wood in my deck becomes soft on occasion....this is often a sign of too much buffing when applying the treatment.....in this case a little time off from the application of the treatment and buffing will do the trick...soon you will find that the wood in your deck is just as hard as the first day you nailed it down....However if it doesn't firm up there are several high tech treeatments that can be used to get your wood back into the shape that you prefer.
If these don't work you may be suffering from wood rot in which case you may need a wood specialist to apply a more stringent application of treatments....

Er...uhm...not that I know myself....but a friend told me about it.

[ragtopW]

did anyone else read this wrong???

So how do you treat yours?

not as often as I would like..

Well, the most important thing is a proper finish.

But to get that proper finish there is a lot of buffing involved.....

Here are the boys and I know and love so well......
what took you so long?

Just make sure and cover you tarp your deck before you use it....