Staining a deck help.

[enfield]

Penofin is one of those natural oil finishes that you want to avoid. It turned my old cedar deck black with mildew.

[peejman]

Well here is what I'm dealing with as far as what it looks like. I'm not sure of the actual size of the deck, but it's fairly large. There are some parts that the original stain is gone completely, but I wanted to give a good idea of the color stain I'd be trying to cover or get rid of.

You're definitely gonna have to use something dark/opaque to cover that, more like paint than stain. A pressure washer should knock off most of the loose stuff. I wouldn't even consider standing it. Don't know how much sun it gets, but be sure it's had a good 48 hrs to dry before you start staining. I'd get a quart and try a small area to see how it looks/covers first.

[Guest jackdm3]

Penofin is one of those natural oil finishes that you want to avoid. It turned my old cedar deck black with mildew.

After reading that, I called Colco back. The other guy said that cedar shouldn't have reacted so badly, and just reiterated that it had to be thoroughly cleaned and dried, of which I'm certain you did. He DID ask if your deck was shaded or not and that that comes into play. But in general, he said, on occasion you come across a batch of lumber "with something in it" that throws the equation off. He said he was simply cutting some zebra wood and it sent him to the hospital for near respiratory failure.

[enfield]

Uh huh, like anyone would spend $65/gallon for something that might work.

I may have to refinish my deck with Olympic sealer every year, but I had to do that with the Penofin too, except that I had to remove all of the old, blackened finish first.

It wasn't just spray, brush and rinse -- it was spray, brush, brush, spray, brush, scrub, spray, scrub, scrape, rinse.

It took me a week to refinish a small deck and I got tired of it REAL fast.

I tried the outdoor bleach/soap method for cleaning my deck this year. I get a fair amount of algae from being in the shade most of the day and the bleach/soap method didn't remove the algae. Olympic Deck Cleaner plus more scrubbing got rid of the algae. If it hadn't been for the algae, the bleach & soap would have worked fine -- the deck was clean and bright except for the bright green areas.

Edited September 29, 2010 by enfield

[Guest jackdm3]

I won't spend $65 even if it works well. The "every-two-years-no-matter-who-makes-it" thing is bogus.

[Guest jackdm3]

Punisher, I talked with the pros one last time and was told "honestly, ALL sealer manufacturers require the same procedure. Just make it clean and dry, apply in the shade and low humidity, and only after the surface has cooled." When following those directions, they still hadn't heard of anyone having a reaction like Enfield's.

Mine turns black with concentrated tree drippings and roof run-off. I use sheet steel to guard the concentrated downpour from my awning so it doesn't wear out the wood. Pics available if needed.

Edited September 29, 2010 by jackdm3

[Mike.357]

how long do you all expect a deck to last before it needs to be rebuilt?

[Guest jackdm3]

Mine's over 30 and I've replaced probably 5 2X10's, but the posts are very strong.

[Chucktshoes]

Reading all this has confirmed for me that when I buy a house, I'm building my deck out of that plastic wood crap that comes in whatever color you want it.

[Guest jackdm3]

UV kills that, too!

You can't have nice things in this world for long.

[peejman]

how long do you all expect a deck to last before it needs to be rebuilt?

If properly cared for, at least 30 years. My Dad built a 2-story deck on the house I grew up in. We cleaned and sealed it roughly annually. 25 years later, it was still very solid.

Reading all this has confirmed for me that when I buy a house, I'm building my deck out of that plastic wood crap that comes in whatever color you want it.

You'll think that right up until you price the plastic stuff. The cheap, ugly plastic stuff is double the cost. The pretty plastic stuff is 4x more. Wood deck maintenance involves 2 afternoons a year and at most $200. And you still have to clean the plastic stuff.

[enfield]

Reading all this has confirmed for me that when I buy a house, I'm building my deck out of that plastic wood crap that comes in whatever color you want it.

I priced that stuff at Lowe's the other day -- over $25 for a single board!

I ain't rich enough to have a plastic deck.

I sold the house with the Penofin-sealed cedar deck. The new owner didn't maintain it and, a couple of years later, it looked like the deck had been painted black. I was by there this summer and it looks like cedar again. Better him than me.

Edited September 30, 2010 by enfield

[Chucktshoes]

I used to work at Home Depot, I know how expensive Trex Decking is. Of course it is probably a moot conversation for me as to be honest, I am too damn lazy to build a deck, lol.

[MudBugjr]

Difference one side pressure washed and one not.

And after with my deck coat. Can make any color you want. Last for years. You can order similar products online and some concrete suppliers too.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

Hi MudBugJr

Your deck coat looks like smooth coverage. How long between re-coatings do ya reckon?

I recall an experience of a friend years ago. He had a redwood deck, but I'd only go visit his house every year or whatever. One year the deck seemed in good shape. Next year I went over and he was tearing it down for rebuild, wood was completely rotten. In just a year.

Asked him what happened. He said it was looking a little rough so he painted it, then it rotted out quick. The guy had a couple of college degrees and ain't an idiot, but even smart people can do dumb stuff. I didn't know anything about carpentry and didn't ask him what kind of coating he used. Pretty sure he was at least smart enough not to use interior latex or whatever. Dunno if he used porch paint or some kind of opaque stain or whatever.

He figured that the coating had worked better to seal in moisture than to seal out moisture. Have you ever heard of anyone else painting redwood just to have it rot away? I assumed from his experience it is good to use some kind of coating that can breathe, anyway?

[MudBugjr]

Usually if you leave the back side unpainted or stained the moisture can escape through the bottom. Actually the top of the deck itself has a texture you can't see that is actually a concrete product. Told it has a 5 year plus. I'm waiting to see. The rails and stuff are just coated with paint on this deck. they didn't want to spend enough for those as well.