Built a cedar deck...now what

[Robbob]

So I just built a deck and am trying to decided whether to stain or use the thompson waterseal stuff. I quickly looked on line and am seeing a lot of mixed reviews on the waterseal. Anyone have any experience with it that they would like to share or any product they would recommend.

I kind of want to keep the natural cedar look with the preference of the way it looks when it is wet. Definately want to do something so it doesn't go all grey, but I have some time before that happens.

Any thoughts?

[TurnedTheCorner]

Tear it down and build a composite one instead.

Yeah, my advice is way too late. Sorry. I have no idea about treatment for regular decking. Good luck!

[Robbob]

Originally Posted by TurnedTheCorner

Tear it down and build a composite one instead.

Yeah, my advice is way too late. Sorry. I have no idea about treatment for regular decking. Good luck!

lol...next time I guess.

[Jackpot_Smooth]

Originally Posted by TurnedTheCorner

Tear it down and build a composite one instead.

Yeah, my advice is way too late. Sorry. I have no idea about treatment for regular decking. Good luck!

http://www.duradek.com/vinyl-decking/

[Northendzone]

you might want to think about how often you may have to reapply each type of treatment and the prep work involved.

otherwise, burn the deck with fire and build a composite or better yet go with all concrete......

[Bill Bumface]

I know way back there was issues with Thompson's if you didn't do all sides of the boards with moisture coming out of the ground, into the wood, and trapped under the top layer of water seal.

Cetol seems to work pretty good. I've reapplied this a few times at my Grandpa's place in Shuswap, both on siding and his deck. You have to do it every few years, but it looks really good.

[Clarkey]

I think you're supposed to let cedar 'cure' for a year before applying anything.

[Komskies]

On the plus side, the smell of cedar after a big rain is hard to beat!

[Canehdianman]

I just finished building my cedar deck as well.

My plan is to use a penetrating oil on it each year.

[Hemi-Cuda]

Originally Posted by Canehdianman

My plan is to use a penetrating oil on it each year.

i'm sorry, what was this thread about again?

[Northendzone]

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

i'm sorry, what was this thread about again?

penetration and wood......insert bevis and butthead sound effect here.

[bradster57]

I did a cedar deck as well. I stain it once every 2 years because it always seems to chip away.

[zamler]

Thomsons water seal sucks IMO, it hardly does anything and isn't cheap. Use a stain designed for cedar, semi-transparent oil based. You don't have to wait for the wood to age.

[surferguy]

I use a product called Penofin (50 CAD per gallon), available from Timbertown. The trick with cedar is to use an oil stain. But you have to finish both sides, or the greying can occur from the backside out. I know information you could have used yesterday.

Penofin is a rosewood oil that will pentrate the surface and leave a nice wet look (I use transparent to get that rich burnt umber look). It only requires one coat - leave for 20 mins then wipe off excess. The Sikkens product (Setol) requires three coats.

Thompsons water seal will make sure that you cedar will be waterproof but will not prevent greying as it doesn't have a UV shield. Cedar does not rot very quickly see 20-30 years.

Go forth and make your decision.

[vtec260]

Used water sealer one year and the effect barely lasted a year. Went to staining method and that lasted a lot longer. I used Behr brand from HD and it held up well. I re-stained after 3-4 years on areas like steps where stain was visibly worn down, but other non-traffic areas looked pretty decent.

[darklord700]

Originally Posted by Jackpot_Smooth

http://www.duradek.com/vinyl-decking/

How much does a duradeck cost?

[CedarMeter]

Originally Posted by surferguy

Thompsons water seal will make sure that you cedar will be waterproof but will not prevent greying as it doesn't have a UV shield. Cedar does not rot very quickly see 20-30 years.

Go forth and make your decision.

Very true, Thompsons water seal has little to no UV protection..You need a little bit of color in your stain..The darker the color of your stain the longer it will last..It takes the sun much longer to break down a darker stain than a lighter one..Most people want to keep the cedar look so they apply a light stain..I stock the Sikkens cetol product but they now switched to a waterbase deck stain and I'm not very happy about it..I feel oilbase stains are best for cedar decks.

[cral12]

The house I bought this year has a cedar deck I'm guessing 5-7 yrs old. It hasn't been treated; simply left to "grey", which I don't mind. It's in good condition but some minor wear and tear.

Suggestions on how to protect/maintain.

I'm get mixed opinions as well. At this point should I simply wash and apply Waterprood protection (suggested product, if so?) annually.

Or...should I go with an oil such as Cabot Australian Timber Oil?

Thanks in advance.

[Bean]

We just had some lattice installed and I'll take the opportunity to stain while it is still new.

I like surferguy's suggestion and will heed the advice if there aren't any recent thoughts out there.

CP really is the best for DIY suggestions.

[CaptainYooh]

I stained my cedar deck and gazebo only once immediately after installation 10 years ago and it's still yellow, not discoloured. Cedar is an amazing wood that doesn't rot for thousands of years even when submerged in water. Stains protect the top layer from discoloration due to UV light only. But even discoloured cedar can be refinished easily to a brand new fresh look by simple sanding and re-staining.