deck stain

[Mike(NEOhio)]

Recently completed new deck, treated wood (Yellawood or equivalent) and it's dried out good. Going to sand and stain it. What stains would be good to use on this material. Also is there some kind of filler I could use on the few screw heads that are showing? We used an opaque stain last time and it didn't last two years before it peeled where it gets rain. I'm going to check with some paint stores but first consult the YT brain-trust.

 

[MarkB_MI]

I always use Penofin. Never a problem with peeling.

 

[DoubleO7]

I always thought stain was made to soak in, stain the wood and be impossible to peel??

 

[300jk]

In the early 2000s I put up a picket fence and a house I used to own. I used one of the Behr opaque stains at the time. What a mistake. Had the same peeling issues. Once the price of lumber goes down I have a deck and 2 sets of steps to build and will be using a transparent stain. The opaques seem to just peel like paint. The barn at the farm has board and batt siding and on that we use Wolmans F and P. More of a clear product. Not sure if it can be tinted or not. Seems to hold up well.

 

[Geo-TH,In]

I told my daughter not to stain her deck after they stripped off old peeling stain and sanded it. Did she listen? No. Now I heard her tell a friend. WHAT EVER YOU DO DON'T STAIN IT.

It took 5 gallons of redneck stain to coat this 20 ft trailer. Redneck stain, used 10w40 motor oil. One

would think this would make an oily slick surface. It didn't. Second coating only took 2 gallons.

If you want a darker stain, I would recommend used oil from a diesel engine. 15w40 or 15w50

 

[Duner Wi]

I have been using Thompsons clear water seal for over 30 years on my deck. Should give it a coat every year or it will take twice as much in 2 years. I don't want anything that will peel or flake.

 

[Stephen Newell]

Sorry to hear that. Yellawood cheats on treated wood. I think they just hose the wood down with that copper chemical instead of actually pressure treating it. I just had to replace a screen door I made four years ago for a customer which I used Yellawood. It was caulked and painted all sides including the top and bottom. It should have held up better than that with nothing on it

Your screw holes if the wood is reasonably dry you could use bondo. If not I would use Durham's water putty.

The finish you might use Ready Seal. It would be more like coating the wood with motor oil, nothing to peal off.

 

[cityboy]

On my cedar deck, I only use boiled linseed oil about every 3 years. It has grayed up over the 20 years but the wood is still very solid.

I also use Mold Armor E-Z House Wash on the deck before the linseed. Easy to use, minimal labor, lightens the gray w/o a power washer.

HTH,
Don T.

 

[DR. EVIL]

We used some highly rated stain made by Joseph Behr, we also got REALLY good at pressure washing, belt sanding, and re-staining the deck every summer because the same time the frost left the ground the moisture would lift the stain right off the deck.

I spent a LOT of time on the old Powerstroke.com website, now called The Dieselstop.com, and they had an All other topics section referred to as The BILGE, several guys there built decks, HUGE decks for a living. They ALL agreed CABOT AUSTRAILIAN TUNG OIL deck stain was absolutely the best stain to use. We typically get 6-8 years now between restaining.
Thompson Waterseal is best just dumped on the ground, don't waste you time putting it on your deck.
Keep in mind a lighter colored stain will be less noticable that it's fading and needs recoating, guess that's why the wife wanted a dark Chocolate Brown!

ALSO, driving heads of deck screws below the top surface of the deck boards.... STOP THAT!! AND DON'T TRY TO COBBLE SOME SORT OF PLUG TO COVER YOUR MYSTAKE, JUST IMAGINE HOW TERRIBLE THAT WILL LOOK!!
I also suggest you guys ALL throw your cordeless and corded drills in the trash. You drive deck screws with 1/4 hex impact drivers. They're right next to the cordless drill on the shelf of your hardware store. Use a TORX head screw and driver bit, the driver is IMPOSSIBLE to cam-out of the screw head like a phillips always does. So you can slowly set the screw head EXACTLY FLUSH to the top surface of the board.
Oh, and you should let your deck boards aclimate to where you are installing them. Buddy put some completely water-logged pressure treated 2x6's down on his new deck. They dried out and shrunk, 3/4 on a 16 ft 2x6. The deck screws on the ends pulled sideways THROUGH the boards. BIG mess removing the bad boards and replacing them.

 

[grizz02]

I live in a log home and I only use sikkens pro lux

 

[Janicholson]

I use a drywall screw gun with a clutch depth stop. It works well and i can go faster than looking at each screw with my Dewalt impact driver. Recseeing the screws also leaves a water and soil pocket. Sealing water out is usually sealing water in. Jim

 

[Steve Metcalfe]

I'm with Mark. I use Penofin and can go a few years or so in between applications and it never peels.

 

[DR. EVIL]

In 67 years of being a Home Handyman, I've drywalled TWICE, the inside of my 24x36 workshop, and the inside of SON'S 20X22 attached garage. We even used CORDED DRILLS on my shop! We'd upgraded to cordless by the time we did SON's garage.
I don't see me EVER needing a drywall screw gun. We have rustic wood paneling in our TV room the Wife say's has to go, it will be hired done.
And the impact driver with TORX BIT AND TORX screws is easily controlled, yes, you want your deck screws flush, and unless your an absolute IDIOT with power tools you should be absolutely capable of achieving that with the impact.
I used to spend WAY too much time on POWERSTROKE.COM, later known as The Dieselstop.com, and quite a few professional deck builders posted frequently in the ALL other topics forum, also known as The BILGE and every one of them switched to impacts in the mid to late 1990's when they first became available. I don't remember a single one posting he used a drywall screw gun. I'm not sure why anyone would use a phillips head screw and driver when a positive drive like a TORX was available.
I made a cantalever rack for steel and lumber for the big open wall of my shop. Because of the weight I used 1/2 x 3-1/2 hex head lag bolts to fasten the racks to the studs. I just used my 3/8 variable speed Dewalt drill, twisted the first one off in the blink of an eye! Drill didn't even struggle. I would have expected that with my 1/2 triple reduction Dewalt drill, think it's 800 rpm, and you really should use the auxillary 2nd handle or risk breaking your arm. If the bit catches you will NOT hold it.

 

[Charles in Aus.]

An Australian deck oil that can be stained to various shades called Quantum Gold made by Intergrain is worth looking at . Yes it will peel after 3/5 years but there is no sanding needed . When recoating after washing clean the new oil self amalgamated with the old creating a new smooth surface . Never sand or strip a deck again .
It was originally formulated for ski lodges so it's resistant to cold and heat .
I used it on my deck at the farm , it takes a long time to harden but ends up really resistant to wear .