Wood deck sealers (tired question, new twist)

[Comboverfish]

Hello a.h.r.,

I will be staining my cedar decks this weekend, they have been
prepared with wood brightener to remove a year of oxidation and
scrubbed/washed clean. Last year I had a loca franchise wood
preservative service clean off our old, nasty, worn, redish oil stain
and apply the deep penetrating wood hardener type of protectant
(Dynawood products). I don't know if it was worth it or if the
product is all bunk, but I mainly did this to get the decks back to
clean wood; the time to DIY it would have been impossible to muster at
that point last summer.

Anyhoo, I want to start and maintain a 2 year program with clear deck
sealer starting this weekend, and would appreciate any product advice
given the above details. The clearst possible sealer is what I'm
hoping for to retain a natural cedar look (it's pretty dark at this
point already). The Dynawood product and local company claims that
sealer application intervals found on the cans of sealer products can
be followed when the wood has been treated with their Dynawood.
Otherwise they suggest halfing the recommendation for untreated
decks. So in my case I would feel OK using a 2+ year product every 2
years, and feel that whatever I lose in UV blocking from lack of
pigmentation can be compensated for by using wood brightener / elbow
grease inbetween applications and the (hopefully true) claims of
Dynawood's added rot and crack resistance.

Given the droning run-on-a-palooza above, does anyone have a
particular clear or very light tint brand they prefer? How about
uneven glossiness after a year or two, is that something that can even
be avoided? What tool do you like to use when applying to horizontal
surfaces? BTW, I sprayed the rails and posts already with clear, they
are not really an issue at this time.

Thanks, I welcome any feedback!

 

[JimmyDahGeek]

feel that whatever I lose in UV blocking from lack of

pigmentation can be compensated for by using wood brightener / elbow
grease in between applications

I have used both Behr & Olympic semi transparent stain with a cedar
tint. The tint looks really nice with my cedar house and it usually
last for a couple of years. The additional tint really helps protect
the wood. The first few years I used a clear sealer and it didn't
hold up well at all.

What tool do you like to use when applying to horizontal
surfaces?

Get a 5 gallon bucket with a screen and use a roller with a 4 foot
handle to roll it on. You can spay it on also but you will need to
brush it afterwards and do additional taping and cleanup of the
sprayer so the roller is your best bet.

Have fun,

 

[Comboverfish]

I have used both Behr & Olympic semi transparent stain with a cedar
tint. The tint looks really nice with my cedar house and it usually
last for a couple of years. The additional tint really helps protect
the wood. The first few years I used a clear sealer and it didn't
hold up well at all.

Get a 5 gallon bucket with a screen and use a roller with a 4 foot
handle to roll it on. You can spay it on also but you will need to
brush it afterwards and do additional taping and cleanup of the
sprayer so the roller is your best bet.

Have fun,

Thanks for the reply. I would like to see a dried sample of cedar
with the cedar tint product. Maybe the Depot will have a sample
display set up. Will look for or mock up a handle fo r a roller. Do
they sell larger rollers/brushes (> 9 inches wide) for this purpose?