Asked on Jul 09, 2015
Thompsons Water sealer disaster
+93
Since we just had our deck pressure-washed, we decided to apply Thompson's Water Sealer to help preserve it. Big mistake. It seems to have a permanent stickiness. Any advice for the easiest way to remove it?
Clean a sticky surface
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I had the same issue due to using 2 applications instead of one which was recommended. I have found by wiping Goo-Gone on and off with a rag on the top of the sticky surface took away the stickiness. You may have to use 2 applications. The reason it might work is because they have the same polarity-like molecules. Also, Goo-Gone is a strong solvent. That is why power washing with water is not working. Through research, I decided to try GG and I had a pint sitting in my cabinet, what did I have to loose. Yeah, it worked!
I never had a problem, step 1 washed, step 2 waited till it was permanently dry. Then sealed. If I were In a hurry I used isopropal alcohol to clean waited 30 minutes then sealed.
I have used many wood sealers and I can say that Tompson is one of the best on the market. Anyway, to remove it I recommend using Defy Cleaner. If you will need to reseal your wood after that again you can find many sealers here.
I used thompsons waterseal on our concrete walkway in the front of our house. Discolored, tacky and looks worse than before I power washed it. Pretty upset and my wife is also. How do i remove it to use a different product?
I'd contact the company and ask them. You could end up making the problem worse if you use the wrong product. Good luck
Different problem -- water beads up and never dries.
Still beads after sweeping. Now with cold weather, it's sheet of ice. Anyone else with this problem? I guess solution is same as for stickiness. GET IT OFF!! -- jw
First call the company and find out why it failed. Then you can go from there. You could probably pressure wash off.
We've used it for years with no problem and our decks and fences look great. It does have to dry completely and humidity will impeded that. We do it in early spring, so it's still dry and cool. We always prep with Simple Green and a power washing first.
Was the wood wet when you applied it? It needs to be really dry. Your best bet would be to get in touch with the company and see what they suggest for a fix
I would contact the company for their advice.
Power washing your deck should remove the Thompson's and leave you with a clean and non-sticky deck.
How many days out has it been since you applied it? It may need more time to dry - especially if you are in a humid environment. I'd call Thompsons directly. Worst case scenario would be to pressure wash again and find a different sealer with reviews that say it doesn't stay sticky.
Thompson's is unfortunately not the way to go. Call them up and ask how to remove their product from your deck. Please always always always avoid using a pressure washer on deck wood, it is so damaging.
Use a deck cleaner/brightener after removing the Thompson's, let everything dry thoroughly, then use a product like Cabot. You can see my deck saga here: https://www.flippingtheflip.com/2018/08/the-deck-redux-part-i.html
I was restoring a swing for my mother and the wood swing had mold on it. It was previously sealed with Thompson’s water seal. I used Clorox cleanup or an all purpose with bleach cleaner and I sprayed the top whole section with it and went back and took a scrub brush, hard bristles, and brushed the section. It came off pretty easy. Some spots I did twice. Rinsed swing off let dry then took a rag with goo gone spray gel to remove anything left. Which you could use a degreaser or what have you if you even need it just depends on how Mini coats of Thompson water seal was applied. Lightly sand. If you’re going to sand it you don’t have to use the degreaser after I just did it because it kind of conditioned the wood of the swing
For those of you still having this problem. I applied a thin layer of xylene with a pump sprayer and rolled it in with a thick nap paint roller. Works well to fix the problem. This was not over stain.
Contact the company. It should not be sticky.