Mrsjoe, Yes, Conestoga's are far better than Kraftsmaid in quality (although Kraftsmaid is nice). I'm not sure about Shenandoah as I have never seen them. I think quality wise (not price) they fall somewhere between Medallion/Schuler's plywood/wood option and maybe Shiloh or a bit further down the list. My estimate for Medallion in non wood "mdf" boxes came in at $14,000 or just under (forget) and my Conestoga's "all wood" rta's were around $8,000 with shipping. My bill was actually $8,320 I think but I ordered some back-up stain, glaze, paint, varnish and top coat just in case we screwed anything up. The finishes are real nice and I do love the catalyzed varnished interiors and the thick solid wood varnished shelves. I paid and extra $10 for 3/4 inch thick bottoms in my larger drawer bank. It was probably over kill but these babies are solid.

I'd use the shellac based stuff, that should be the BIN. The stuff is a little stinky so use it in a well ventilated area.

Thanks, Kate's. I will definitely get the pads for next washer. And will look into barn mats. Thanks We have two as well. Now the downstairs Duet sport is displaying "Sd" ...think pump needs to be cleaned... has never been done....why would they put behind panel needing to be lifted and Unscrewed! Never ends... may need TWO Washers!

Decks require a lot of work no matter what stain you choose but I would need to know what you used last. Was it a solid stain? What brand was it. I have about 2000 sq ft of deck and it requires recoating about every 4 yrs at least the part around our pool and the part in full sun for sure . It is a pain but I don't like fake planks and I really can't afford dura -deck so thats it for me. We are just in the midst of doing our deck so have done some research too . We chose BEHR Weather Proofing all in one solid stain and sealer . We did a test last year with it and it stood up well over a year so we are doing the rest . IMO no deck finish lasts forever this comes with a 10 yr "warranty" IMO if it lasts 5 I am happy.