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We have a new deck (finished last fall) and are about to finally seal it for the first time. We pressure washed it last weekend and it's been dry so I guess it's on for this weekend. We've researched some brands and types and have narrowed it down to Olympic or Cabot. Does anyone out there have any personal experience with either? Please advise! It's a large deck which Tommy & I built with our own two hands and we don't want to have to seal it every year.
Also, I've read some say not to roll it on...brush it. Any truth to this and why?
Lori, just saw your post. What did you finally end up doing? I am in the process of staining our new deck too. I'm having to do it little by little because of all the dang rain. It rains, then you have to wait a 24 hours for the wood to dry out, then it rains, etc. I pressure washed and then put on Olympic semi-transparent stain with a brush.
Another poster used the Olympic semi transparent stain and her deck looks great. I am planning on using the same. I want my deck to keep that natural wood look and have it look like paint.
I am in the same boat as you Melsalz, we cant seem to get any good days in a row, that is is not raining. Yesterday I got up up and thought WOW a beautiful sunny day, I should play hookie from work. I get almost to work and it starts raining. It rained on and off all day. I have not had the chance to sit by my pool in the sun yet this June.
Marie, there was one thing we didn't foresee. I chose teak, which is a dark stain. Everywhere I read said choosing a dark stain was better because it lasted longer. We didn't plan on it being hot! Considerably hotter. Our deck gets afternoon shade, so that is when I was staining. I was only able to get half done. The next day I was standing on the stained part versus the unstained and whew what a huge difference. I guess were stuck now though. It looks good but...
Dark colors absorb the heat from the sun and light colors reflect it, so the darker the color of your deck the more heat it's going to absorb which will make it feel hotter. Probably not a huge issue unless you like to go barefoot on the deck, but it will be hotter.
Oh wow. then I guess I had better make sure I dont get a dark stain. I want it to look as natural as I can. We just repainted the old deck since it was painted before. It was a light green and I thought that got real hot. We redid it in a dark redwood paint. Bad choice?...lol
