On May 8, 9:37 pm, wrote:
How do you want it to look after 5 years?

cheers,
Pete.

I'd ideally like it to look as good as it does now. Obviously I will
have to give it a new coat every year or so. Do you not think that
the B&Q stuff is up to it? Is there something else that is
better? As I said originally I do not wish to stain it, merely to
protect it from the elements. Thanks

Hi,

I've used 2 coats of 'Sikkens Cetol HLS' on my decking, it's still
fine after a couple of years.

They do a 'pine' shade which should give the least colour change, I
used 'teak' which looks reasonably good. It's a little glossy when
applied to smooth timber but weathers to a matt finish.

I doubt that B&Q do it, a good timber merchant might. I bought mine
from 'Decorating Direct' on the web, though shipping is extra for
small orders their prices are fairly good which helps make up for it.

After a wet winter and long dry sunny spell I've recently noticed a
small amount of 'surface splitting' where the top of the wood dries
out faster than the wood underneath. I might try to minimise this by
using some cheap stain or varnish on the *back* of the decking planks
to help stop them absorbing so much water over the winter.

cheers,
Pete.