Porch/Deck Stain

Jiles · Apr 14, 2014

A couple of years ago, I built a Deck/Porch on the side of my Barn. It is made of Pressure Treated Lumber and I wanted it to cure for a year before staining.
On the deck, we had PT lumber furniture and I applied a coating of Thompson's Water Seal --not the water based.
On the deck, we decided to add a little color so we applied Olympic Premium Deck Stain that has a six year life, to the top railing.
It has now rained and there is NO BEADING of water on the top rail!
Right beside it, water is beaded up and running off the Deck chairs that were coated a year ago and they were not protected from the weather.
How could the Olympic Stain be protecting with no water shedding?
Am I missing something??

Anonymous-0 · Apr 14, 2014

Thompson is beading the water because its full wax not a great
product either no uv protection no mildew protection or wood
preserves actually makes more mold. The other product is fine
and is sheeting the water do nothing for a couple of years so
you have a build up. I use wolmans dura stain.

Geo-TH,In · Apr 14, 2014

Jiles,
I have stained, water treated and done nothing with decks. If you stain the areas where you walk, it will soon look like crap. It will still grow mold. Once you stain, you will continue to fight it.

I have some decks that are 20 years old and did nothing with them.

If you water treat, you should do it every year, reguardless what the instructions say, if you want it to bead water.
After they started making AC2 lumber, it will never make it 20 years.

I will never again buy landscaping lumber AC2. My last landscaping lumber lasted 4 years before the termites ate.

Pops1532 · Apr 14, 2014

Once the solvents evaporate from the stain you usually don't see water beading.
IMO Thompson's is the most over rated preservative on the market.
I generally use Cabot for exterior stain.
If you don't want to color the deck you can get clear stain. That would be far superior to Thompson's.
If you want color on the deck figure on restaining every 3 years. The railings usually only need restaining every 2nd or 3rd time you do the deck.
Read the labels on the cans before you buy. Some finishes can't be used over existing stains!

Wile E · Apr 14, 2014

I think the water has to bead to be a protectant.

I have used several types, Super deck, Olympic, Penofin.

The best thing to do is paint it with real deck paint. Yep, Paint. All the other stuff doesnt hold up to the sun or rain.

Porch/Deck Stain

Jiles

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Anonymous-0

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Geo-TH,In

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Pops1532

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Wile E

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