Cabot, Pittsburgh, or Thompson for exterior deck stain. Brand recommendation needed.

[bbhaag]

So like the title says if you had to choose between these three stains which one would you pick? We are getting ready to stain our deck on Saturday and these three brands are the ones that are readily available at Menards. Yeah I'm sure there are better ones out there but if you guys had to pick between the three listed which one would you go with?
I'm leaning toward Cabot because I've used them in the past with nice results but if one of the others is better let me know.

 

[Scarpozzi]

I've used Cabot too for oil-based stains.....I've used Thompson and Olympic sealers, but the Olympic was water-based and didn't last long. I actually preferred that because you should re-seal every 1-2 years anyway and the cost is far less than oil-based sealers.

Just make sure the surface is clean and dry (pressure washing goes a long way) and if the wood is new, you should let it dry out some and season (a few months) before applying stain.

I'm about to look at deck stains for my boat docks soon. I'm wanting to put down some grit/sand to make the surfaces and walkways less-slippery after rain, so I may even hit up an industrial supply for the materials. My floating dock is currently under repair and I'm working on replacing all of the joists. Thanks to wood prices being way up right now, my plan is to upgrade to Trex Composite on it so I won't have to worry about stain.

 

[jmagg]

I've used Cabot water base and had a failure, mostly due to not letting the PT dry completely. The Cabot sits on top and ended up with mildew spots underneath. Had to belt sand that out and reapply before selling the home. I've seen Thompsons fail badly on a few friends decks. Never used Pittsburg.
Our latest deck, after long deliberation, I decided on Ready Seal, which is a non toxic (except for fish) penetrating paraffin oil base sealer. So far so good, but it seems most all need to be recoated after a couple yrs. This product is very easy to apply and recoat, but there are some downsides. The paraffin oil never cures so excess will sit on top until it penetrates. It would also need to be stripped off if changing to another sealer in the future. Depot sells RS.

 

[herm0016]

Sherwin Williams. I would wait till the store is open and get that. the last thing I used Cabot on was some blue pine table tops and they lasted a year. I have outdoor furniture with a teal stain on it that looks great after 7 years. why insist on using stuff from Menards?

 

[NutBucket]

Sherwin Williams should be open on Saturday?

 

[herm0016]

usually, ours is open all day sat, and even half day sunday.