First, the deck must be cleaned and all previous treatments removed. After cleaning, the deck should likely be brightened. After the deck is dry, typically 1 to 2 days, then apply a sealant. A proven water proofing sealant must be used to ensure the life of the wood. You can then stain. I encourage you to check out Sealwize. The sealant lasts as long as the wood is intact.

I'm pretty close to pulling the trigger on some 5/4 x 6 massaranduba. Any opinions out there?

As stated, the age of deck is about 2 1/2 yrs. old. It is cypress. Deck preson said that all decks like ours require sanding, etc., after the first couple of years. He said, sun & elements take a big toll. He did say that it should not require sanding (after this) for at least 5 or 6 years & then, only a light sanding. What size is the deck? (About 1,000 sq ft) What product is on the deck? (Cypress that was stained & sealed) Is it peeling? (It is very dry and splintering) Why does it need to be sanded? (see above) What is the contractor putting on there? (He plans to sand it, and then re-seal (didn't say with what products)) Is he going to strip the deck with detergents and pH balance it? (Not sure) How many levels does it have? (It has one level) How high is it off the ground? (about 12 ft) What type of landscaping surrounds the deck? What's underneath it? (natural landscape with pine trees. Directly underneath is a lower, concrete patio. Does it have benches, trellises or other decorative features (NO)

Jim, I just cant see you diging up really old posts, going on and on about it, with out some type of goal. Exactley what are you trying to prove??? Go to my site, All the ipe projects have 116 on them. As you can see they are not Red or Redwood or anything close to that. Saying it is makes me Mad clear and simple. Now if you put 116 on say preasure treated,garapa or any light color wood then Yes its going to come out a different color than 116 on ipe. This is basic 101 wood finish. Any of the resin base twp products can be mixed together to come up with a different color. I have used combos like that when puting finish on Garapa and other woods. I put cedar tone natural on ipe one time because the Wallet asked for it the result was bad but I did what they wanted however for ipe its most always the 116. Ipe itself is not one color it ranges from almost black to a light tan 116 levals out the differances but the result is not Red. Any color chip you get from Any finish store is going to be different on another kind of wood other than the wood used on the chip you cant expect them to have samples of finish on every kind of product. Just get off it Man. Its up to the Customer to know if one finish is the right one for them. There is no way twp is showing product online / samples / or color chips that dont match up with what they sell. You might not agree with what they call it if so just pick another name for your self and call it that but it Defentley is what they say it is and what they say they sell is what they sell. The JonMon has been a little tense latley after a long term project was real hard on me. This is a mixed site if I could I would edit my last response but O Well. J.