In article , davefr wrote:
You don't want multiple coats on a deck. Thinner = better. The
process is to brush it on and the wood will absorb what it wants and
then you brush out the rest. Thick coats will just scratch, flake,
and peel and will look like hell in a few months.

No, no. This is oil sealant that does not polymerize like varnish. It
is basically oil with stain. So it is absorbed by the wood. I actually
tried putting a second coat yesterday, the piece of wood where I
applied it absorbed the extra oil and is looking deeper and I think
will last longer.

You also don't want to varnish a deck. Once the varnish fails you'll
have the "job from hell" trying to strip it.

Does exterior grade varnish also fail and peel?

The best looking decks have a thin coat of lightly tinted oil based
deck stain and this get's re-applied every 2-3 years. Prep is just a
good cleaning with a garden hose and deck cleaner. (no pressure
washers!!!)

This makes sense. But why would a second coat of such oil hurt???

i



Ignoramus26420 wrote in message ra.com...
We have hired a company to refinish our deck. When they sent us a
proposal, they specified two coats of their sealant. When workers
came, they acted all surprised when I requested that they come again
to put the second coat. I had to talk on the phone to the "manager"
who tried to convince me that I do not need two coats, that it was a
mistake etc. Their sealant, upon close examination, appears to be an
oil based stain diluted with solvent such as mineral spirits. They
said that second coat of that product will not penetrate and the deck
will forever remain oily.

My general and limited woodworking experience suggests that for a 20
year old and dry weathered wood, it will absorb an additional coat. I
requested that they leave a little bit of their sealant and tried
applying it again today, and alas, it was absorbed by the wood after I
wiped off the excess. I am sure that a second coat will make the
treatment last longer.

So I do want a second coat. Any thoughts on my decision making
process?

The color that they applied is called california cedar, but is more
reminiscent of baby ****. That's to say that it is brown and not very
transparent. But it looks not so bad and it was our choice.

What I am thinking about however, is VARNISHING the deck on top of
coating. Both the treatment and varnish would be oil based. I will
thusly benefit from their sanding of the deck, and their treatment
will allow me to use less varnish. I tried varnishing one rail with
captain's spar urethane, and it looked frankly pretty good. Has anyone
varnished a weathered deck? Is that a crazy idea? Maybe I should
varnish rails only?

Thanks!

i