I dont know if this will work for you, but on our back side where we are building a pond, I didnt want to spoil the view. This is from Fairway? I think. Not sure if you can get another color but probably.

Hi I just had my contractor do a quote for my mahogany deck. It has turned black from the buildup of penefin over the last few years. This guy wants to sand it also which I wasn't sure you could do with mahogany. But he says they won't use ATO because of the reformulation. Because the VOC's have been taken out it doesn't last at all like it used to. He is recommending a Ben Moore product called Arbour coat. It seems like I get a different answer from every person I ask. I personally don't like the dark color and want as clear a product as possible. How much is your quote? Mine is 3000$ for 10x10 deck with lots of stairs and railings.

Help! We recently installed a new mahogany deck (probably about 1.5 months ago now) and builder has not sanded, stained, sealed or anything yet. Today someone told me that we had better do something soon - likened it to leaving a good piece of wood furniture sitting outside. I have several questions: 1) Should I really rush to get something done? 2) we like the reddish natural color of the wood. Does that mean we just seal it without staining? Or, what is the best way to preserve the color? 3) Is there something you can do to reduce splintering? My son and his friend just got splinters in feet. 4) Some birds pooped on the railing and it left stains. Can those be sanded out? 5) Builder left brochure for Cetol Dek finish. Is this a good product? I read that if you use it there are a lot of steps to follow, including powerwashing first. What else do I need to know about this? Thanks!

Hi James, sorry missed your comment. Still good after almost 2 years. I didn't really "turn the corner". My cable runs are all separate (each run starts with a stop and ends with an eye bolt). My corners are 2 posts welded to a large bottom plate. I'll post a pic when i get a chance. If I did it again: supported top rail (wood is now wavy, but only noticeable when eyeing down the rail), lighter duty eye bolts, and I need a support tube at the top of my corner posts (as is, I only tensionned my cables to a few pounds, to get them tighter I need to add a tube between the posts).