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Porches & Decks Design Dilemma Exterior

To stain or not to stain? What to do with deck

5 years ago

I am interested in thoughts on how to finish my large, multi-level deck. The attached photos show the deck still unfinished - it will extend the entire width of the house, including under the "garage" door. The deck will also have stainless settle cable railings, with black steel posts and a cedar top rail. I'm debating whether to just seal the decking and top railing with a clear, non-yellowing protectant (any suggestions here?) or to stain it. I generally am not a fan of traditional orange-ish cedar tones and lean towards more ashy/grey tones. However, I've not seen a stain that mimics naturally greying wood that looks decent in my opinion. Thoughts appreciated! The house is ocean-front in the pacific northwest so has some beachy/cottage-y style to it.

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Comments (3)

PRO
BeverlyFLADeziner
5 years ago
https://www.olympic.com/colors/stain/semi-transparent

Pick a gray semi transparent stain so the grain of the wood shows through. This will protect the wood.
millworkman
5 years ago
Whats the top deck material and grade if wood?
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Hi there. I pressure wash in the Southeast and I use Ready Seal stain. It's really really easy to work with because it doesn't require me to keep a "wet-edge" so I don't get lap marks. I've used a brush, a roller, a pump-up sprayer and/or flat pads to apply it. It's a penetrating stain so it's not like a paint...this sucks into the wood. I use it on my decks and I've been impressed with the longevity of the product. I have family in Wisconsin and we put it on a deck that is next to a 5th wheel travel trailer that is on some hunting land. This area gets a good bit of snow and certainly lots of frigid temps. It was done 3 years ago and is still holding up really well. Ready Seal has UV protection with the darker colors have more protection than the light colors. It's petroleum-based so it resists mold and mildew that you can get from other type of products that are made from something like linseed oil. Consider the long-term upkeep of any product. I have a lot of customers who choose something like an acrylic coating which is tough to remove. Tough to remove equals more money spent by the customer. And although I like to make more money, some of these products are just a bear to remove. My personal opinions....stay away from Behr, Cabot and Sikkens. Armstrong Clark is good. Their color palette is more orangey. Ready Seal has more browns, gold and reds. Color is always a personal opinion. And TEST PATCH TEST PATCH TEST PATCH!!! Nothing worse than going full speed ahead and realizing that you don't like the color! Good luck!
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Maybe here?
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I would start the entire process over in the spring on the entire deck. What I see says dry to the touch in 4 to 24 hours which to me would not mean rain is ok until after that at the very least.
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PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
5 years ago
I am just in the process of sanding all my stained deck back to bare wood and I am just waterproofing with a clear waterproofer I am totally tired of doing the deck every 2nd year since the stain somehow fades away.Are you planning on have deck all around that hot tub because right now have you tried getting into it if of course that is a hot tub I see there .

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