Had a talk with my neighbor about his 20 year old deck and now I feel dumb about sealing mine

He said he just lets the wood weather naturally and it's still solid after two decades, meanwhile I've spent $300 on sealants over the last 3 years and my boards are already splitting, has anyone else been oversold on this stuff?

2 comments

2 Comments

hugobarnes19d ago

Wait, so your neighbor's deck is basically held together by spiderwebs and good intentions and it's outlasting your chemically treated fortress? That's the kind of life advice that makes you want to throw your pressure washer into a lake. I've been down this road too, spent $60 on a "weatherproof" stain that peeled off in three months like a bad sunburn. Meanwhile my buddy's got a splintered old picnic table he found in a ditch that's been sitting in the rain for a decade and looks better than my patio furniture.

hugo_hayes19d ago

Man I feel your pain on that stain peeling off thing. You gotta prep the wood right or it doesn't matter what you spend on the can. Hit it with a pressure washer but keep the nozzle moving so you don't gouge the wood then let it dry for at least three full sunny days before you put anything on it. Also stay away from the big box store stains grab the stuff from a real paint or lumber yard it costs more upfront but it actually bonds to the wood instead of just sitting on top. That ditch table your buddy has is probably cedar or redwood which has natural oils that fight rot no treatment needed. Just plan on redoing your deck every couple years if it's pine or fir no product on earth will stop that.