Needing to paint or stain or 'seal' deck and fence

[mrblotto]

Hey everybody, long time no post lol

Anyhow, last fall we had our deck and fence replaced because both were 20 years old and in need of replacing.
I need to do something about the bare wood, cause I know it's just gonna start doing something I dont want it to (warp, rot, whatever).

I kinda dont wanna paint it, because that means I need to repaint it every couple years, but in the end, it is what it is. What do you recommend?

Friend of mine suggested just getting a couple 3 of those pump up bug sprayer things and have at it. Nice and disposable too lol.

Pics for easier looking. Yes, I need to trim the Ligustrum, and yes, I need to remove those stoopid sprout things from the crepe myrtles. We went a little overboard when we bought and planted waaaaaaaaaaay too much stuff lol

Edit - and of course I can't embed the pics lol. Will monkey some more and get em up here

https://imgur.com/GvOeDUz

https://imgur.com/UzMpiEI

https://imgur.com/jkP4X8s

 

[Greenman]

I'm a fan of super deck semi transparent stain. Works well.
The rags you use to wipe of the excess will spontaneously burn if you don't dispose of them properly. It says so in the instructions that I didn't pay attention to, and set my truck on fire. It was a bad day.

 

[Mr.IncrediblyBored]

Nice deck. Yeah I'd go with a deck stain as well. But fair warning, you still have to re-stain it every number of years. If you are looking for something maintenance free, shoulda thought about that before putting up a wood fence/deck.

I'm a fan of super deck semi transparent stain. Works well.
The rags you use to wipe of the excess will spontaneously burn if you don't dispose of them properly. It says so in the instructions that I didn't pay attention to, and set my truck on fire. It was a bad day.

 

[mrblotto]

Thx for the info

Yeah, maintenance free is a pipe dream. Vinyl/whatever is a lot more 'spensive.

At any rate, I'm guessing oil-based will last a bit longer vs. water-based?

I'm thinking of getting 1 5gal semi-transparent weathered grey and see how far it goes before getting more

 

[PowerEngineer]

Looks like a nice deck. What type of wood did you use? Does the contractor who did the work have recommendations on maintenance?

If the fence is cedar (and maybe even if it isn't) I would just let it weather itself to gray without any stain or paint. I suspect those wood posts are going to rot out first no matter what you do to preserve the boards.

 

[Micrornd]

MrBlotto, OT I know but, I just can't get my crepe mytles to grow to any size.
They're healthy, but they've just sat there and done nothing since I planted them a year ago.
Yours look nice, any suggestions?

 

[mrblotto]

Looks like a nice deck. What type of wood did you use? Does the contractor who did the work have recommendations on maintenance?

If the fence is cedar (and maybe even if it isn't) I would just let it weather itself to gray without any stain or paint. I suspect those wood posts are going to rot out first no matter what you do to preserve the boards.

I do not know what kind of wood was used. All I know is this is stamped on it here and there:

https://imgur.com/6j57NKn

That being said, I was more wanting to stain/paint/whatever them so water wont get into the wood so much. If I can prevent any boards/pickets warping, I'm all for it!

MrBlotto, OT I know but, I just can't get my crepe mytles to grow to any size.
They're healthy, but they've just sat there and done nothing since I planted them a year ago.
Yours look nice, any suggestions?

They've been here since about 1998. We got them as little 3 or 4 foot things. I dont do anything special to them (at all). I really wish they wouldn't grow so danged big! I'm guessing those 2 are close to 30'.
They're beautiful, but they have a habit of dropping little dead branches throughout the year. Pita to clean up after

https://imgur.com/h8HPxYO

 

[mindless1]

That being said, I was more wanting to stain/paint/whatever them so water wont get into the wood so much. If I can prevent any boards/pickets warping, I'm all for it!

You do not need a stain, unless you wish to change the color of the wood. If you put on a thick paint, it will stay roughly the same color. If you put on a stain or leave it natural colored, it will start to gray from UV exposure, but at a much lower rate if you seal it.

Whether you stain or not, or the stain might be sealant based, you primarily need a sealant to seal from water, reduce oxidation and warping. Water based stain will do practically nothing to slow that down. Oil based stain will slow it some. Sealant that is generously applied and seeping into the wood and taking days to dry, will provide maximum protection.

For best protection sealant will also need reapplied every few years, but it is less labor intensive to spray it on than trying to get very even coverage with paint and where it has weathered some, won't be as unattractive as paint cracking or peeling off.

When I write sealant I meant the typical linseed or tung oil based type, which often has a volatile thinner in it for easier application and increased seepage into wood. You could instead go for a polyurethane which will look nicer when new but do less to protect the wood as it ages. You can refinish the deck and reapply it, but frankly I would just get an oil based Deck Sealant product made for the purpose, which will work on the fence too.

 

[iRONic]

...
Can I ask what you ended up using? bump

 

[mrblotto]

I'm going to end up using a sealant as per mindless1's advice above. Didn't do anything last year, then it got cold, so I'm fixin to take care of the fence and deck this spring/summer

 

[bigi]

This one is pricey but looks awesome and does the job. I've used it for pretty much all of my outdoor wood.

 

[mrblotto]

OK, now that it's stoopid hot outside, I'm finally getting around to getting some solvent-based finish for the deck and fence.

I'm leaning towards this:

https://www.perfectwoodstains.com/p...e-cetol-srd-re-wood-finish?category=undefined

but I dont like ANY of those colors. They're all totally not what the wife wants lol.

Is it even possible to tint/dye an oil/solvent based finish? I've read on up pigments,tints, and dyes, but for the most part, they refer to water-based products. I think I'm just getting overwhelmed with all the info :/

We're looking for a light gray/weathered grey color.

Maybe it's a 2 step process like put down finish first, then the stain/tint? I dunno

 

[mindless1]

^ Yes you can tint/dye oil based. Start with an oil based paint, mix in boiled linseed oil . You might be able to mix in deck sealant too or instead - I am unsure of this, depending on the particular two products used.

OR there is good ole wood stain, then the sealant of your choice.

If you are a patient person, you don't need any stain/dye/etc at all to achieve weathered grey. The wood will turn that color from sun exposure without pigment in the sealant to block all UV. If you use highly weather resistant wood and/or pressure treated, it will take longer to get to that color.

The fastest way to get to the weathered gray color is don't treat the wood at all, yet, then put on a clear sealant later. Just don't wait so long that the grains are pullling apart, soaking up rain, and rotting it from the inside out.

The more linseed oil or sealant you use versus straight high pigment paint, the more often you will have to apply it to preserve the wood, particularly if there is high sun exposure. In that case the longest lasting coating would be straight weathered gray color oil based paint. Paint stores can mix to any color you want, but it won't have that weathered wood look up close, the color will be too consistent.

 

[mxnerd]

BEHR Premium Semi-Transparent Waterproofing Exterior Wood Stain and Sealer

https://www.homedepot.com/p/BEHR-Pr...terior-Wood-Stain-and-Sealer-507701/203939617

https://www.homedepot.com/p/BEHR-Pr...terior-Wood-Stain-and-Sealer-507701/203939723

https://www.homedepot.com/p/BEHR-Pr...terior-Wood-Stain-and-Sealer-507701/203939646

Stain & sealer is what yo want. You don't want to use paint on deck and fence that will peel off. Stain penetrates woods, paint stays on the surface.

I use Thompson's WaterSeal myself, it holds up very well, but they don't have grey color.

2 thin coats required. Let it completely dry before applying 2nd coat.

Solid colors last longer, but probably don't have the color you want.
^ I was wrong, it does have solid color option for each product, you just have to click Solid color button on each product's web page.

 

[mindless1]

^ While it is true you don't want paint on a deck area that will receive traffic/wear, I have not had much problem with peeling on fences. It lasts longer than a non-paint product in protecting the wood by blocking UV.

Of course it will need painted again "some" year in the future depending on the environment. This is one reason people mix linseed oil with the paint, so it can have straight linseed oil or deck sealant put on later (every few years) to keep the paint softer, not peel.

The wood must be completely dry if using straight oil based paint.

 

[Sgt. York]

My last fence lasted over 30 years with no paint, oil or labor on my part. I had a new fence put up a few years ago which will never see any paint or oil. Both fences are/were cedar.

It all depends on what you like and your level of OCD.

 

[mindless1]

^ Good point, cedar costs twice as much tho'.