What is the best stain or sealer to use on a deck built with pressure treated wood?

Question

We have just finished building a large deck and are looking at treating or staining it soon. We have heard that it is best to use an oil based product, but what is the best thing to use?

Answer 1

if you want a top of the line finish with a little tint in it i highly recommend this product., it is called TWP. we use the sealant on every every deck we build that is constructed with pressure treated lumber.

here are some  details of  TWP

TWP is designed especially for pressure treated lumber

it prevents splintering, gives longer life to wood, seals and waterproofs for years, and check this out!

you can buy it in several different colors(cedar, butternut,russet, cal.cedar,gold,tan,and of course clear.

if you use this product do freak out when you apply it and it looks like you just spread Elmer's glue,when it starts to dry the product really comes to life. the first time we use it i d**n near lost it, i thought we just f-up a 4800 sq.ft. multi-level deck

but like i said when it dried it was like WOW couldn't believe our eyes it was kick-***!!!!

TWP can be bought in 1 gallon for around 32.00

or a 5 gallon for around 155.00

as a builder i highly recommend trying TWP i guarantee you will be glad you did

                       note: seals and ads color or clear finish to pressure treated lumber

Answer 2

Sealers repel water, Stain changes the color.

A new deck built with pressure treated lumber needs time to dry out before you apply sealer. Give it 3-4 months.

Sealer should be applied once a year.

You can use Thompsons but it is pricey compared to other sealers.

I used Enterprise from Lowes and never had a problem.

Use a pump up sprayer to apply it, its much easier than trying to brush your whole deck.

As for stains I have never used one. I prefer the natural look.

Answer 3

For stain, I recommend Deckscapes oil-based formula by Sherwin-Williams.  It's an excellent product, that is available as a semi-transparent or solid color stain.

For clear sealer, use Benjamin Moore Clear Alkyd Sealer.  I don't know that I'd use a clear sealer on treated wood though.  I would use that more for cedar.

Stay away from Thompson's.  It's junk.  All it contains is wax, which makes the water bead nicely.  However, it does nothing to preserve the wood.

In any case, I wouldn't do anything this year.  Let it sit until next spring to season, then pressure wash and stain the deck.  Good luck.

Answer 4

Stains and sealants are two different things, although some stains do have sealants in them.  True stains only change the color while sealants prevent water from entering the wood.  Since you have pressure treated wood I think add a sealant would be a waste of money.  I built my deck with treated lumber and only used green porch and deck oil based paint on it.  The deck after about 6 years now needs another coat of paint, but I think that is about normal in my area. If you really a sealant, try Thompson Water Seal.  It works well.  Good luck.

Answer 5

I f you used treated lumber, don't seal it yet, the wood needs a chance to cure out and dry....Cabot makes good deck products.

I would give the wood at least three to six months to cure, we just replaced threated lumber steps a year ago and I just used a latex stain on them this year.

Answer 6

Oil base products tend to do better on decks.  The myth about waiting to seal or stain your deck is false it can be coated after installation.  The only reason you would use a sealer instead of a stain would be if you want the wood to look as it does now.  Sealers generally will only last a year or two at most and then will need to be recoated.  There are generally  2 different types of oil stains a toner or a semi-transparent stain.  The difference is the amount of color that is added to each where the toner will get you 2 years and the semi-trans 3-4 years.  

There are a variety of good stains and sealers for that matter for purchase.  Sherwin Williams, Cabot, and TWP all make great products.  I work for Sherwin Williams as an outside sales rep and the majority of my contractors use one of the three.  Please don't paint your deck as one of the other comments said, it will only be a nightmare.  Hopefully this will help you out!