deck

Laurie B
by Laurie B
Hi.,
Just helped some dear friends power wash their huge deck for 6 hours, looks pretty good, wondering how to keep it looking like that? Is there a special kind of sealer or stain to put on it to keep the wood looking somewhat new?
  6 answers
  • Douglas Hunt Douglas Hunt on Jun 09, 2012
    You're a good friend, Laurie. You should use an oil-based penetrating sealer on that freshly cleaned deck. (Well, actually you need to wait a couple of days for the wood to thoroughly dry first. Check the label). A number of companies make these, including Penofin, Sikkens, Cabot, and Behr. A water-based product is not worth the time and effort it takes to apply it.
  • KMS Woodworks KMS Woodworks on Jun 09, 2012
    Laurie B...check out this article I just wrote on deck Cleaning.... http://www.networx.com/article/the-right-way-to-clean-a-deck In this deck project I used Penofin's red label product....it is an oil based penetrating sealer. http://www.hometalk.com/Kevin/project/2564
  • Laurie B Laurie B on Jun 09, 2012
    Thanks Douglas, do any of these change the color of the wood? I know they do not want that. Just curious. Also thanks for the reply as well KMS Woodworks, will definately check it out!!!
  • Douglas Hunt Douglas Hunt on Jun 10, 2012
    Yes or no, depending on the product.
  • KMS Woodworks KMS Woodworks on Jun 10, 2012
    most oil based products will darken the wood....even the "natural" color variations. The water based sealers ( like Thompson's) do not ...but those sealers are not effective and do not hold up well. If they are after a certain "look" the basic version of Penofin come in many colors...some of them in that gray color of aged wood.
  • Judy Rashotte Judy Rashotte on May 08, 2015
    Be aware that oil based sealers will yellow in time. There are so many really good water based sealers now and they are also much better for a number of reasons. Good luck.