First try:

Behr Wood-Toned Weather Proofer Wood Sealer & Finish. As per the
documentation ON THE CAN I prepared the deck (8 years old previously
untreated except for the pressure treating) using a deck wash & then
applied the Behr.

Failure! The Behr came off in about a year. My feeling is that putting
an the instruction on the can saying "can apply to damp/dry" wood and
to just "wipe standing water" first is very poor advice indeed. Stain
effectiveness to predicated on its ability to soak into the wood - if
moisture is already IN the wood, then this can only inhibit the ability
of the wood to soak up the stain.

Here's to problem - the stain came off the horizontal surfaces, NOT the
vertical surfaces. This is actually bad, because you can't easily strip
vertical surfaces, therefo your bed is made, you have to keep using
the same stain.

Second try:

Water & a hard bristle brush removed whatever traces of Behr were on
the wood. After 5 days of sunshine, the wood was totally dry, then I
followed this a floor sander. Brushed on the BEHR (no choice really).
Home Depot guy suggested multiple coats, so I called Behr & asked them
if I could put on the next coat ~ 12 hours after the first, and, as you
my guess, Behr advised against a second coat. Said the product is made
to soak into the wood & not to put a film on top. I think this is a
load of crap - it penetrates a bit, but it certainly leaves a film that
can strip off.

Question:

I sanded & stained three of the boards "early" about a month ago & have
noticed that already water doesn't bead in spots - seems the water is
being soaked in. I was thinking multiple coats would be better to keep
water from penetrating the wood & compromising it. What everyone else
think - more coats, or do as Behr says?

Advice:

Obviously I don't think much of Behr. If I were starting out, I
wouldn't use stain at all. I'd advise some kind of penetrating oil -
not much advice as to which one, but I've used linseed oil on some
planters & they look fantastic. It NEVER flakes & you can just reapply
some whenever you want. On the other hand, if you don't even have a
deck yet, then apparently those new plastic boards last forever.