Finishing & Sealing Your Deck
We recommend you stain your deck 2-6 months after it has been built. We then recommend that you re-stain your deck according to the manufactures recommendations. The product that we use and recommend is Timber OX from Exterior Wood Restoration. You can only buy this product directly from them. They are based out of Cicero, In. It comes in 6 different colors and a clear coat. It also has a 3 year warranty on all horizontal sections & a 5 year warranty on all vertical sections of the deck. Visit their web site at www.timberoxinfo.com.
Start out by covering the surrounding landscaping with old cloth sheets. Plastic will create a green house effect and burn the plant life. Tape off the windows with newspaper so you wont get any over spray on the glass. If your worried about the siding then go ahead and tape off the bottom 2-3 feet along the deck.
Tip: To keep your deck from turning gray you will have to purchase a sealer or stain with a (UV) ultra violate protecting chemical.
Sealing:
If you are using a clear sealer you will most certainly expect to repeat this process every year or two. You can easily apply the sealer with a garden pump sprayer (1-2 Gallon). Fill the sprayer over a garbage bag so you don't get any spill over on the ground.
Tip: The trick to using a sprayer and not wasting your sealer is to do the railing first from on top of the deck. Spray to the side on a 45 degree angle LIGHTLY UP AND DOWN. Then do the outside of the rail that you didn't cover. All the over spray from spraying the rail will almost cover 2-3 feet of the floor behind the rail.
Note: Always back roll the floor with a roller to stop puddles of the sealer from forming. If you let the puddles of sealer dry, they will tend to have a milky color or even crystallize.
Staining:
Stains are either "tinted" ( they just enhance the wood color ) or "semitransparent" ( These are to mask over the wood grain and have a more bold look ). Most deck stains are sealers mixed with a stain and can be applied in one step. If your stain is not a sealer you will have to seal also. The longest lasting stains are the most opaque "semitransparent"; They tend to last for two or three years.
Note: The same rule applies for Staining. Always back roll the floor with a roller to stop puddles of the sealer from forming. If you let the puddles of sealer dry, they will tend to have a milky color or even crystallize.
Tip: A rag or sponge works well for applying stain to the railings.
Other Sealer And Stain Manufactures
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