Jay Chan wrote:
On Sep 14, 12:54*pm, Red wrote:
On Sep 14, 1:43*am, Jay Chan wrote:
I am trying to select a good wood deck finish. *I have found many
info about the various types of deck finish that are currently
available in the market. *One thing that I cannot find info on is
the type of annual maintenance that I need to do for the deck if
I choose that type of deck finish. *According to one of the DIY
article that I find in the net, I am supposed to clean and apply
a coat of finish on the deck yearly. *But I am wondering if this
is only applicable for some type of finish but not other. *I
don't think I can simply apply a coat of finish over existing
finish; I believe I need to at least sand the surface first;
otherwise, the finish won't stick that well, right? *If I
continue putting more and more coats of finish, I am afraird that
the finish will be too thick, and may start peeling, right?
Currently I am considering between using "clear finish with UV
protection" and "semi-transparent stain". *Please tell me the
kind of annual maintenance that I need to do if I choose either
one of them. I will greatly appreciate if someone can tell me
the step-by-step way to do this annual maintenance. *Then I can
evaluate whether this kind of finish is really appropriate for me.
By the way, what I want from the deck finish a (1) prevent the
pressure treated wood deck from turning grey in order to maintain
the natural wood color or have a nice redwood color, (2) reduce
water absorption into the wood, (3) reduce mildew on the wood
surface, (3) annual maintenance is OK, taking too much time to do
each annual maintenance is not OK.
The current wood deck finish that I have on the deck is semi-
transparent stain. *I pressure washed the deck and then applied
the stain. *I didn't do any annual maintenance because I don't
know if I need to do this and I don't know how. By the end of the
first year, stain had started coming off in the center of the
deck (high traffic area). *By the end of the second year, mildew
started growing in where the stain had come off. *Then I using
stain remover to remove the stain, and did that over. *But the
same thing happened (just faster than before). *I figure that I
need to do some annual maintenance to keep the finish; this
prompts me to ask around here.
Read this:http://www.wolman.com/wcbasics_step1.asp
Use this:http://www.wolman.com/pdf/datasheets/P_2_43.pdf
Then this:http://www.wolman.com/product_detail.asp?ProductID=10
I'm not pushing Wolman products, just making the point that
you need to start from scratch, use a top quality product,
follow their directions, and don't mix brands that may be
incompatable. *According to the paint rep, if you do that you
should be able to go 2-3 years, pressure wash without stripping,
reapply the same product, and your "annual" maintenance will
gradually extend to 4-5 years.
I doubt that there is a product that can do away with annual
maintenance. The semi-transparent stain that I have on my
deck is "supposed" to last 2-3 years; but it starts wearing off
in high traffic area after just one year. I pretty much accept
that I will have to do some annual maintenance as long as I
have a wood deck. Therefore, I am looking for a finish that
doesn't require a time consuming annual maintenace to keep
its nice look. For now, seem like a clear finish is a better bet,
and I will totally remove all the stain from the wood deck, and
start this over with using clear finish.
I've yet to find _any_ finish that lasts indefinitely outdoors.
Ultraviolet light does them all in.
The best recommendations I've received are to use penetrating oil
finishes instead of film-forming finishes. With the oils, you just put
on a new coat every year or so. With the film finishes (e.g. varnish,
polyurethane, stain), you have to prep the surface before applying a
new coat. Therefore the oils are less maintenance.
--
Steve Bell
New Life Home Improvement
Arlington, TX