You need to find out how much movement the floor is going to have through the year. While tongue and groove flooring has one secured side (the tongue edge) and all the movement is on the groove edge, deck may be center nailed and have movement on both edges. A newer deck could have one of the clip methods that hold one edge and the movement is on the other edge. If you fill all the gaps in any wood floor completely the floor is still going to change width across each board with humidity, narrower in the winter with lower humidity & wider in the summer with higher humidity. The forces generated if the wood has no gaps are very large and the floor may buckle upwards when it tries to expand. Ancient masons drilled holes in rocks, filled them with dry wood driven tight, then wet the wood to split the rock. No finish can seal the wood enough to stop all movement.

Wow, that is a stumper then. I really have no other suggestions. Myself, I'd be leery of putting poly over it to hold it down, I'd be thinking the poly would lift up too, or crack and craze? Dunno. Had a similar experience recently. Freebie little lamp I got, perfect shape for a bedside but it was black and I wanted it cream. Did everything right and there was one tiny spot that the primer and paint just kept curling up and cracking off of and I just can not get it fixed. Guess you could always try the poly, if you can get the topcoat to cling long enough to apply it?

Hi folks - My new house has a painted wood deck that needs help. The paint is peeling off, and several rotted boards have been replaced, but are just sitting there unprotected. I'd love to save some money and strip/stain/seal the deck myself, but I'm not sure what the best option is. Powerwashing seems like a mess. I'm intrigued by Soy Gel - it gets good reviews on Amazon. But I'm not sure how a painted-on wood stripper is supposed to get between the boards to really get all the old paint off. Has anyone used this product on a deck? Thanks!

Yes, I agree with the last 2 posts-JonMon and Mark. You WILL have to strip whatever is on your deck currently. My goal in life is to work with wood products that don't have to ever be stripped. We are still stripping the exterior of our clapboard house that has 130 years of peeling paint build up. That is how we came to learn about Allback Paint. Linseed paint has been used for hundreds of years. If you ever tour Mt Vernon, President George Washington used it. However, the new products are greatly improved by purification process. Linseed products protects and nourishes the wood and leaves it breathable so there is never trapped moisture and a plastic coat to peel. The draw back is the slower dry time. There are no chemical accelerators. This fact makes the product "GREEN" for the environment. Hot dry days are a perfect time for painting Boiled Linseed. To find out more about Purified Boiled Linseed try the link posted or call Soren or Collete at Viking Sales. They have been most helpful to me. Be sure to ask them if your climate will allow the Boiled Linseed products to cure properly. I live in the mid-central states. We had 30 days of 100 degree weather this year. I am still researching Floor Shield USA and Lifeline Endure at 1-800-548-3554. If I cannot find a longer lasting product that doesn't need stripping to re-coat than the AllBack products, I will definitely be using the Linseed Varnish mentioned in the link. Strip a deck once and you're desperate to never do it again. Here is a link that might be useful: Silent Paint Remover and Allback Paint