mecklenburg

We have 2 decks and used 2 different kinds of stain at different times a few years apart but it did noit do well at all. Then we used paint for decks and it has lasted a little longer but not a good while. We are on fixed incomes and it cost $2000 to paint it the second time. Hope you find a solution.

Solid stain looks more or less like paint. I hated it, so I had to end up replacing the one board I did.

After that, I went to a semi-transparent stain, and really regret that. It looked good for a few months, but by the end of winter it looked like I hadn't done anything. There was no protection or anything for the wood, so after about a year the whole deck looks like it needs to be replaced. That was a lot of money, wasted.

i have 2 decks on the backside of my house. one is elevated about 10 ft off the ground and acts as a cover over the basement door. if i were to stain that deck, does the exposed columns and underside also need to be stained? sounds like a silly question i know

I can recommend NOT using Cabot's austrailian timber oil. It is very expensive and does not last for the flat decking surfaces. On vertical posts and privacy fences it has held up well, but I'm thinking another product that wasn't 35.00 a gallon would have worked just as good.

On my previous deck I used the semi transparent stain. It looks good if you properly treat it each year. Thompsons is only good for around 6 monts as a water seal.On my existing deck I used thompsons,last year I used the Olympic from Lowes. Ready Seal has a product than cost around $155.00 per 5 gallons is what I think I will use this time. Once you use a colored stain on pressure treated wood, you cannot change colors unless you go with a darker color.

Thanks for the advice. I really like the semi-transparent but I'm afraid my deck boards are too old to accept this stain. Sample appears very darkish on older boards.

I used semi-transparent on our's. I think it was the Olympic brand at Lowes. Looked good very several years before needing to be stained again.

A lot depends on the condition of the deck. The solid stain will cover up the wood grain, but will also hide the defects. Be sure you let the wood dry out properly, and be prepared to stain it again in a couple of years!

Just pressure washed my older deck. Cleaned up pretty well, now I must decide on the type of stain to put on it. Any advice on using semi-transparent, semi-solid transparent, or solid stain? Wife likes the wood look but I'm not sure those stains will actually look like wood or hold up very long.