# Deck clear coat



## asthma76 (Apr 18, 2009)

Hello,

I'm looking for a good clear sealer for a deck. I don't usually do decks, but once in awhile I get them. I normally use Sikkens dek, but I wanted to try something else this time. The guy at the paint store recommended Preserva wood. Does anyone have any other suggestions? 

Thank you


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## hammerheart14 (May 29, 2010)

asthma76 said:


> Hello,
> 
> I'm looking for a good clear sealer for a deck. I don't usually do decks, but once in awhile I get them. I normally use Sikkens dek, but I wanted to try something else this time. The guy at the paint store recommended Preserva wood. Does anyone have any other suggestions?
> 
> Thank you


So, it's a wood deck then right? Then I would recommend Cabot's Austrailian Timber Oil Natural (3400). Make sure you can get the high voc (550) version. If not, Superdeck makes a good low voc stain, get their natural transparent stain (1900).


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## NCPaint1 (Aug 6, 2009)

Clear's sealers arent very good IMO. They work, but the wood still bleaches/silvers from the UV. So even though the wood is sealed, it will still turn gray and look untreated quickly. Unless thats the look the customer wants, try to get them to go with something that has a slight pigment. Even mixing the lightest color sealer with clear 50/50 is still going to perform better than clear by itself.


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## damianjwalker (Feb 17, 2009)

Whole heartedly agree with NCPaint. We do alot of decks on the beach and I advise every customer the exact same way. An average stain job is two to three thousand dollars and a clear only lasts 6 months, a tinted stain will last a year to two


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## PressurePros (May 6, 2007)

http://www.opwdecks.com/armstrong-clark-stain.htm
Natural Tone
It has a tiny bit of pigment. Just enough to prevent the wood from going gray too quickly.


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## IHATE_HOMEDEPOT (May 27, 2008)

Are you opposed to water based deck products? To me they are superior for many different reasons. Primarily they do a good job and look like a million bucks if done right. The oil products [unless we are talking about Sikkens] just soak into the wood for a short while and then disappear which require constant maintenance. The water products [Cabot's SPF,Pittsburgh's Sun Proof] that are available, stay on top to actually seal the wood. I have coated more than a few decks this way and they look good for a long time. 
The key is to paint as much of the wood as possible which includes the bottom side if you can get to it.


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## Casey (May 5, 2008)

I don't do decks for my business, but last year I did my 3 yr old pressure treated deck( 800 sq ft). Wanted it to look like it had nothing on it, I also wanted a penetrating product. I did some homework and found a product called Defy. It's been over a year and it's holding it's color. This stuff contains no oils so it inhibits mildew and goes on easy. I would use it again and recommend it but it's not cheap.
although anyone in the painting trades knows cheap usually doesn't cut it.

http://www.defystain.com/


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## hammerheart14 (May 29, 2010)

IHATE_HOMEDEPOT said:


> Are you opposed to water based deck products? To me they are superior for many different reasons. Primarily they do a good job and look like a million bucks if done right. The oil products [unless we are talking about Sikkens] just soak into the wood for a short while and then disappear which require constant maintenance. The water products [Cabot's SPF,Pittsburgh's Sun Proof] that are available, stay on top to actually seal the wood. I have coated more than a few decks this way and they look good for a long time.
> The key is to paint as much of the wood as possible which includes the bottom side if you can get to it.


That's the point of a stain. TO PENETRATE! Anything that lies on the surface like a skin, peels when it fails. And what's the point of using a stain, if it's going to do that?


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