Deck coating

[Bad Wolf]

It's time to redo the deck. Has anybody used that "Restore" product? It looks good in the store but I'd like to get some opinions before I shell out $ 32/gallon. Anybody have any experience with this?

 

[peakbagger]

I sure am suspicious about the stuff. It hasn't been on the market long enough to see how long it lasts but it sure reminds me of other restorative coatings that look good initially but eventually starts to peel and is three times harder to remove. Looks like something I would do if I was selling the house.

 

[Bad Wolf]

That's exactly what I'm doing, but with my luck I'll be stuck here for the next ten years and have to refinish it again myself.

 

[jb6l6gc]

Theres one Behr makes called deck over that I've been looking at at HD, I've had good experiences with all there other products. I believe there's one called deck it too (not sure of manufacturer). Very interested in this thread as my deck is starting top show her age.

 

[Dougsey]

I don't have any experience with these newer stains such as Restore, but I would never use anything that resembles a solid stain... the kind of stain that sits on top of the wood and has a film thickness. These are more like a paint than a stain. I made that mistake once and when it started to peel a few years later, it was a lot of work with a sander to get the peeling parts off.

I now use a semi-solid which penetrates but also has a lot of pigment. Good at hiding imperfections if your deck wood is not the greatest.

 

[Warm_in_NH]

I've heard good things for the past two years about it. Generally I see it used as a last ditch effort to avoid replacing the decking and it buys you "X" more years of enjoyment out of the deck.

32$ a gallon isn't bad until you look at the coverage, I think they say two coats, so coverage is only like 30 sq ft a gallon????
(Normal paint is about 300 sq ft gallon)

Ultimately, by its design, it will rot out your deck boards. As it chips or cracks and moisture gets under it, it'll be trapped and begin the rot process. I would never use it on a new deck, but if the numbers work for you to do a final face lift of an existing deck, go for it. I've only seen it two years old but it still looked good.

 

[peakbagger]

Ultimately, by its design, it will rot out your deck boards. As it chips or cracks and moisture gets under it, it'll be trapped and begin the rot process.

I think you hit the nail on the head, its not a stain, its a barrier coating and that doesn't work well with wood, By design, the base of the wood cant get coated so any moisture will stay trapped in the wood. At some point the bond between the wood and the coating will fail and then it will start peeling.

Somewhat similar are coatings for roofs. I used to work in industry and whenever there was a roof leak, the short sighted managers didn't want to fix it correctly, they just wanted a short term fix figuring they would be long gone before the problem came back worse. They inevitably did and the cost and damage that was caused was much higher then if it was done the right time.
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[claydogg84]

I looked at a bunch of these products and the general consensus was it will peel up eventually. I think I'm just going to replace the deck instead of waste money on a temporary fix.

 

[fbelec]

i too was thinking of one of these products for my deck. i'm glad i read this thread. i think i will just use a pressure washer. my deck is 14 years old and i haven't treated it in years. the decking itself is mahogany. even tho it's old it's still very strong. very dry and gray but still strong. just wish there were something of a oil that will not color the deck. all the oils i have seen darken the wood almost black the more you use it and i don't want a black deck.
thanks for saving my deck guys