Weatherproofing a deck (1 Viewer)

[Eric_L]

I live in SW Florida and the sun and rain are fierce (but no snow! ) My outdoor decks are about a year old now, so I figure it is time to treat them. My father says anything but Thompson's - and gives me no reason why. I go to the local hardware store and they have a choice of Thompson's or Behr. If I shopped around I'm sure I could find others.

What do the folks of the HTF say?

 

[DonnyD]

I kinda agree with your dad about Thompsons. When I was in the chemical business, our company sold product to Thompsons. They'd buy ANY off-spec chemicals we had so that made me question a quality end product.
Olympic has a pretty good one. There's several out there that will do a goos job and will slow your decks deterioration.

 

[Bill Cowmeadow]

Look for any product that uses pentachlorophenol (sp)
This is the chemical that makes telephone poles last so long. You might find that the cheaper brands use this. Caution, this is a very caustic substance until it dries, then its inert.

 

[LewB]

Check out Consumers Reports. They occasionally rate deck stains and protectors. Thompsons usually comes in last. As a matter of fact, the less pigment the product has, the faster it seems to fail. What kind of wood is the deck and what kind of treatment do you have in mind ?

 

[John*K]

pentachlorophenol

Is it possible to chlorinate phenol at every position!!?!! (Ph-OH)-Cl5????

Edit - Yes it is....

 

[Dave Falasco]

I did my deck two years ago and looked up deck stains/sealants in Consumer Reports. As Lew observed, Thompson's was rated very poorly--either dead last or near to it in durability and protection. I went with Olympic and I've been pretty happy with it. If I find the most recent CR with deck stains rated, I'll post the top few brands for you.

 

[James Edward]

I have used CWF, Behr, Thompson's, and Olympic 3 year oil-based semi-transparent stain.
For my money, Olympic is easily the best. Color retention and water repellancy are excellent. It also seems to be absorbed without a lot of surface prep. CWF just sat on top, and eventually peeled.
As far as Thompson's goes, my neighbor said it best-"you might as well take your d#*% out and piss on the deck."

 

[Eric_L]

-"you might as well take your d#*% out and piss on the deck."

Thanks everyone for your advice.

Now - off to find Olympic

 

[Todd Henry]

I just had a new deck built with "Pressure Treated Lumber". Should I apply a water proofing treatment right away or is it something that I should do every other year, every third year, etc?

Thanks
Todd

 

[David Susilo]

anybody know about CIL Dulux?

 

[LDfan]

I use CWF-UV and it works great. It's fairly thick so you have to brush it on.

Todd: Most places say to wait at least 6 months before sealing pressure treated lumber. This will give it a chance to dry out first.


Jeff