# Coating a Deck in Winter...



## Custom Brush Co. (Jan 26, 2011)

So the problem is... A new deck is going to be installed in the winter time month's here in Eugene, OR, home of the Oregon Ducks (college football team). So it's raining a lot & gets into the 30's occasionally. Usually we maintain in the 40's. 

The product she wants to go with is kiln dried knotty cedar (doesn't have to dry out before coating) vs green cedar (does have to dry out). Quick side question... When the deck boards dry out with the green cedar will they likely bow & the kiln dried cedar not likely bow?

We have 2 options. The 1st is to stain all lumbar all sides then have the deck builders (a separate company) construct the deck. We havn't coordinated anything yet & everything is in the idea phase... I'm not sure how easy it is to work with Sikkens Semi-Transparent stain once installed. The more I think of this way, the more I almost don't like it. I'm hoping someone here on paint talk has gone through this. 

The 2nd solution is to have the contractor apply a film (he said he can) over the top of the deck while the rainy season happens. Problem with this is blue stain causing the need to use a wood brightener prior to coating in the summer. 

I'd appreciate any helpfull feedback!


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## Gough (Nov 24, 2010)

Custom Brush Co. said:


> So the problem is... A new deck is going to be installed in the winter time month's here in Eugene, OR, home of the Oregon Ducks (college football team). So it's raining a lot & gets into the 30's occasionally. Usually we maintain in the 40's.
> 
> The product she wants to go with is kiln dried knotty cedar (doesn't have to dry out before coating) vs green cedar (does have to dry out). Quick side question... When the deck boards dry out with the green cedar will they likely bow & the kiln dried cedar not likely bow?
> 
> ...


Not sure I understand option #2. Do you mean cover it with a tarp for the winter? Are you talking about blue stain, like what affects pine? I didn't think cedar was affected.

I'd go with option #1. I only see one potential downside. If the cedar is S4S, you'll have to make the decision as to which sides go up. That's assuming that you'll coat both faces and both edges at the same time, and that the bottoms of the material will end up with marks from the horses/stickers.


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## SeattleHomeServices (Sep 20, 2012)

Your KD / S4S cedar is going to move (bow twist warp cup) substantially less than a green product.

Were it me, I'd coat all 4 sides indoors/under cover and let the contractor do the rest. Leave some finish (or wax) behind (or come back for touch-ups) for the ends which naturally will absorb the majority of the elements.


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## finishesbykevyn (Apr 14, 2010)

Or tell them to leave it bare like all the other cedar houses down there and age naturally.


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## premierpainter (Apr 17, 2007)

Pre stain all sides prior to install. Sikkens does recommend this with some of their stains


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## PressurePros (May 6, 2007)

A light coat of oil (which will most likely fail by spring because of curing temps) would help protect the deck over the winter and also be an easy strip. I honestly wouldn't worry about the deck until spring. As long as its built correctly with proper ventilation and drainage, you won't get significant warping, cupping or checking. Its rapid wet/drying cycles that causes wooden decks to have warping problems. Since your area is wet and its too cool for rapid drying, rot would be the only concern I would have and that isn't going to happen that quickly.


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## Epoxy Pro (Oct 7, 2012)

I have used Sikkens on decks and it does NOT hold up to foot traffic, you will have to do the decking every year. the handrails and spindles are fine for Sikkens.
Myself I would talk to the home owner and give them a few options.
1: stain all the decking boards in a garage or basement and do all 4 sides.
2: have contractor install them then stain them (butt ends should be stained before install to prevent a spot for water to wick up the boards.
3: Install the deck have the carpenter use his magic Blue potion on it and wait until the rainy season is over then power wash the deck then stain it.
I would try to talk them out of using Sikkens it is way to expensive for failure or to re coat every year.


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## Custom Brush Co. (Jan 26, 2011)

Thanks for all these great ideas! Did I mention the plan was to use Sikkens semi-transparent (not translucent) SRD. It's a 2-3 year product on horizontal surfaces.

Any other products you all prefer for a high moisture, med sun environment?


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## Custom Brush Co. (Jan 26, 2011)

Gough said:


> Not sure I understand option #2. Do you mean cover it with a tarp for the winter?


I guess there is a clear plastic sheeting my client mentioned the deck builder said he can protect in winter & allow people to walk & use the deck... As I learn more I'll try & find out what this is...



Gough said:


> Are you talking about blue stain, like what affects pine? I didn't think cedar was affected.


Thanks for reminding me of this!!



Gough said:


> I'd go with option #1. I only see one potential downside. If the cedar is S4S, you'll have to make the decision as to which sides go up. That's assuming that you'll coat both faces and both edges at the same time, and that the bottoms of the material will end up with marks from the horses/stickers.


If we coat it first were going with the kiln dried cedar. So as to what side is top & bottom wouldn't matter it sounds like. I imagine without a lot of cure time, even with it, marks can occur.


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## RaleighPainter (Jun 13, 2011)

On decking boards it always matters which side faces up and which faces down. 

Looking down the board - width not the edge the wood will "cup" one way or the other... 

If the cup is installed wrong the boards will curl up.. Google it for a better description/illustration


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## Gough (Nov 24, 2010)

RaleighPainter said:


> On decking boards it always matters which side faces up and which faces down.
> 
> Looking down the board - width not the edge the wood will "cup" one way or the other...
> 
> If the cup is installed wrong the boards will curl up.. Google it for a better description/illustration


That's certainly a topic for some discussion. Here's a link to R. Bruce Hoadley's take on the matter:

http://www.finehomebuilding.com/how-to/qa/decking-boards-which-side-up.aspx?collection=72676


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## Gough (Nov 24, 2010)

Custom Brush Co. said:


> If we coat it first were going with the kiln dried cedar. So as to what side is top & bottom wouldn't matter it sounds like. I imagine without a lot of cure time, even with it, marks can occur.


I was thinking in terms of marks from the stickers from when the lumber is laid out right after it's stained. If you keep the decking right-side up, those marks will be down and not a problem when the deck is complete. If we have to store wood decking or siding after finishing, we generally book it, good side to good side, with foam sill sealer in between the good faces/


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## Custom Brush Co. (Jan 26, 2011)

To avoid the issue of sticker marks we'll be placing on the stacking rack system I designed for holding cabinet doors. 

I can use 2 of these racks and span them about 8' to 10' apart to hold 16' board lengths.

We'll sand with 60 if possible or 80 what ever doesn't achieve scratches. I like using 60 grit cause the stain is excepted more deeply.

We'll sand everything, then stain one side at a time waiting 2-3 days before flipping & staining the other.

Since another contractor is building the deck I want to allow him to choose the "right side".


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## Gough (Nov 24, 2010)

Custom Brush Co. said:


> To avoid the issue of sticker marks we'll be placing on the stacking rack system I designed for holding cabinet doors.
> 
> I can use 2 of these racks and span them about 8' to 10' apart to hold 16' board lengths.
> 
> ...


If you can work with the deck contractor to sort out the "right side" issue, you can save a lot of time staining and handling the materials. The cedar that we see is graded on one face only, so there's a lot of skip planing on the back side. That makes the decision easy.


Besides the extra time handling and staining, the biggest issue with doing one side at a time is drips and runs on the edges, ending up on the previously-stained face. We see this on other projects and it's unsightly. Another problem can be "shiners", where a fresh stain coat overlaps the dried coat from several days before. I'm not sure how much of a problem that would be with the particular Sikkens product that you'll be using. It should be limited to the edges in any case.

What we do is stain the "down" side, then flip the lumber and stain the top face and edges. The sticker marks and any drools end up on the bottom side.


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## PressurePros (May 6, 2007)

rogerskevin said:


> Based on the climate you live in, I would highly recommend finding a solid stain that features moisture protection and a heavy UV defense. We recently used (link deleted) to do our deck stain, and living in Boston, we were able to find a solid stain that works for our climate. Hope this helps!


spam much?


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