Deck Sealer

When choosing and applying a deck sealer, consider the following:

1. You have choice. You can select just about anything when it comes to deck sealer, you can select a penetrating clear or tinted sealer or a solid color stain. This is totally up to you, and it is pretty much a preference matter.

2. Buy a clear or semi-transparent stain if you want the grain of the wood to show through. This is a beautiful option if you have a deck made from a beautiful wood. If however you use a composite wood, or the graining pattern is bad, or warped, then a clear or semi-transparent stain is not a good idea.

3. You should buy a solid stain if you want the finish to look like paint. Just don't use paint as often this is not enough to protect your deck from the elements.

4. Consider water. Latex or not, you want to make sure the stain or sealer you chose for your deck is labeled "Water Repellent", this is important because you do not want your wood deck to absorb water.

5. Know what the product is good for and not good for, for example, do not use clear finishes such as polyurethane or varnishes as they will degrade under the sun's UV rays, and require more maintenance.

6. Be sure to apply your stain or sealer generously, remember wood absorbs, and often is very porous, so assume nothing. When using a roller for the large flat deck board areas, roll on the sealer or stain, and spread it quickly as it absorbs quickly and you want full and even coverage.

7. Deck dealer should not just be applied to the deck floor, there are other parts of the deck as well such as the railing and balusters. It does not matter how nice the deck floor looks if the railings look worn, older, and weathered. So, for railings, balusters and in between deck boards a roller won't work so use a brush and be thorough. You do not want your deck to look aged simply because you were lazy and missed some spots.

8. Deck sealer dries quickly and you can use your deck again within a few hours, but for best results really give it time to dry thoroughly. Also, do not apply it if there has been rain in the past couple of days, you want to be sure the deck is thoroughly dry before application, so plan accordingly.

9. Sealers won't stick to grease, so pretreat any grease stains caused by drips from grill by scrubbing with a solution of soap and hot water. Even precleaning does not ensure removal of grease from grills, so be thorough here as well, or your sealer may not bond well to the wood. Clean your deck well to get the best adhesion.

10. With whatever deck sealer you choose, be sure to follow the manufacturers instructions, it is their product and they know best, so for best results follow directions.

Your deck will look better and last longer if you follow these ten easy suggestions to get the best product and best application possible.

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