Staining a deck

[NJHalo]

Time to stain the deck again. Has anyone used the new stuff they have that creates a thick coating and seals your deck planks? It is called Rustoleum Restore 4x and 10x. Home Depot has Behring Deckover.

It seems like a good idea and a good product, but there are a lot of so-so reviews on all brands. A lot of people complaining about it peeling after being exposed to one full years weather cycle.

[gotbeer]

We put Deckover on our deck.  It is a very thick coat that gets put on the deck.  It has a very chemically smell when you apply it.  So far, it's good, have had it for a few years now.  The only peeling that is occurring in our instance is due to the wood underneath already cracking.  Which is why we went with the deckover option instead of repainting.  But it has pretty much held up well.  It also makes your deck a bit more rough.  Don't know how to exactly explain it, but it has a kind of a grip to it.  Not smooth like paint.  

 

Of course the big caveat is, in LA we don't get the weather that you get in NJ.  

[CaliAngel]

I've never stained anything as big as a deck, but I consider myself quite a handy guy, and have built, installed, and stained shelves, doors, and stair bannisters around the house from time to time. I have also prepped and installed epoxy garage flooring in a huge office space where they wanted to get rid of all the carpet, and that required a TON of prep work.

 

Now I'm not sure, but I would suspect those who gave so-so reviews on the product you mentioned may not have prepped the wood as well as they should of. As I'm sure you know, there's a lot you can do to prepare wood before you put down the stain or coatings, and I wouldn't doubt some people do a once over prep on the wood, then slap the stuff down. You also have to consider the amount of traffic on the deck, and also what you're putting on it. If you have a dog, patio chairs, or a BBQ that you're shuffling around pretty often, that's probably going to cut the lifespan of the stuff quite a bit, and you might get some cracks and chips in the high traffic areas.

 

Besides making sure you clean the surface, you also have to make sure it is super dry otherwise the stain or coating won't absorb into the wood nearly as well. If I were you I would find a spot that isn't too obvious, or get a "test" piece of the same kind of wood you have on your deck, prep it properly, and see how you like it. I would also suggest giving it a light sand to really open up those pores so they absorb the coating really well. So if you go through with it:

 

1. Consider renting a pressure washer to get all the deep grime out of the wood, you will probably see the difference in the clean and dirty wood right away.

2. Wait a day or two until it's dry, maybe use a blower or industrial fan to speed up the process.

3. Take some 100-120 grit sandpaper, with an attachment and pole that kinda looks like a Swiffer duster, and just lightly do a couple laps around the deck, maybe wear some booties to keep the dirt on your shoes off the wood. You just want to get a nice fresh wood surface, by getting a layer of dirt off the wood, to have a clean porous surface.

3. Use a blower and clean broom to get as much as the sanding dust off the wood, basically blow it and sweep it until you see no dust coming up.

4. Install the coating

 

I also know decks require routine maintenance and it's just something you have to deal with if you have one. So even if you get a couple years out of this stuff and have to do it again, I think that's just the price you pay for having a deck. I know the epoxy stuff we used for the office worked really well, and it still looks great. But I have not used resurfacer or Deckover on wood, so I can't say how well it holds up or what it's like once the job is done.

 

Hope I helped a bit, and good luck.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[NJHalo]

We put Deckover on our deck.  It is a very thick coat that gets put on the deck.  It has a very chemically smell when you apply it.  So far, it's good, have had it for a few years now.  The only peeling that is occurring in our instance is due to the wood underneath already cracking.  Which is why we went with the deckover option instead of repainting.  But it has pretty much held up well.  It also makes your deck a bit more rough.  Don't know how to exactly explain it, but it has a kind of a grip to it.  Not smooth like paint.  

 

Of course the big caveat is, in LA we don't get the weather that you get in NJ.

Thanks for the input guys. Much appreciated.

I do think a lot of the complaints have to do with half assed prep jobs, but as GB says, the weather is a big factor. It seems like most of the complaints came from people right after the winter. I think the temperature cycle must affect the consistency of the product, and the freeze/thaw/heat cycle must cause the product to expand and contract.

[deepdrive]

Most decks I've seen are best treated as three parts: the structure, the horizontal decking boards and the railings, skirt boards, etc.(the stuff that tends to show when you stand 30+ feet away). 

 

I would only put a product like Deckover on the decking boards. Put the time in on the railings and skirt boards and keep them natural wood.

 

If you do the Deckover and it becomes a mess, just replace the deckboards (with synthetic? I would).

[Tank]

'staining a deck' sounds like it would have some kind of explanation in the urban dictionary.

[gotbeer]

'staining a deck' sounds like it would have some kind of explanation in the urban dictionary.

 

I regret looking up staining the deck.

[NJHalo]

NJ, how big is your deck?

It's pretty big compared to most.

[JAHV76]

It's pretty big compared to most.

This could get personal.

[NJHalo]

Nice. What color is it?

For some reason my deck looks bigger now that it is darker.

[JAHV76]

For some reason my deck looks bigger now that it is darker.

It's not the size of your deck it's how you use it that matters.

[Blarg]

Is your deck straight or has a certain panache?

 

 

[Lou]

i just pick up some white guys hanging outside of Nordstrom's to do my manual labor

[Kevin]

i just pick up some white guys hanging outside of Nordstrom's to do my manual labor

I thought the guys hanging outside Nordstrom's were for interior decorating?

[NJHalo]

I was in a lot of pain after using sandpaper on my deck

[Blarg]

Did you rent a foor sander or try to do it with a hand sander?

[NJHalo]

Did you rent a foor sander or try to do it with a hand sander?

I did it by hand, for sure.

I also noticed how much bigger my deck looks now that I trimmed the bushes around it.

[gotbeer]

Decks always look bigger when the bushes are trimmed around it.  But a lot of it has to do with landscaping.  Decks just don't look right with shoddy landscaping.

[Lou]

cals had a yellow deck

[Stradling]

If it takes longer than four hours to stain your deck, consult a professional.