Q. For years I tried painting my front porch and it always peeled and looked horrible by the end of the second year. Then I had the whole porch replaced and our carpenter told me to let it set for a couple of years before painting it at all. So I did. Now I need to do something and I’m thinking of staining it a color. Any tips on how I can do this? How should I seal it? Any direction is greatly appreciated.
A. We turned to Bill Stack, president of Koch Bros. Painting (314-862-8383, kochbrosdecorating.com), and his response is: "The cedar wood used for the deck was an excellent choice. Cedar has a high amount of tannin oils that make it resistant to decay longer than many other woods, even without coating. But of course it does need to be finished and maintained. The question of what product and procedures to use for deck finishing is an age old struggle for coatings professionals and property owners alike.
"First of all I would recommend against applying a paint coating whenever possible. This also applies to most products that go by the name “solid body stains”, as they are typically more like thinned down paints, and will build up a solid layer on the deck surface. The reason why most decks experience paint failure is because moisture from rain and sprinklers will penetrate the wood from the many joints and edges not coated. This moisture gets in behind the coating and migrates out underneath the paint coating and that is when many troubling paint failures begin.
"So in my opinion the best products to use are in the semi-transparent stain and sealer category. A product we think highly of in this category is Sikkens SRD. It is a one-coat material. Another product that has been around a long time is TWP (Total Wood Protection). It is a two-coat material, but the coats are applied wet on wet, all in one operation. The Sikkens SRD product is more expensive but will last longer. There is also a multitude of both oil base and acrylic based semi-transparent stains available. All of the coatings in this category should apply color but still allow the natural wood grain to show through the color. They should all be brush applied (or at least back brushed if first applied by spraying) to drive the coatings down into the wood surface as far as possible.
"The only real downside to the use of the semi-transparent stains and sealers is that they need to be re-applied every one to three years. This depends on the product used and how particular the owner is on appearance. This regular maintenance is still far better than fighting the failing paint build-up battle on deck surfaces that many owners are faced with.
"One last tip on surface preparation: On new wood these stains can be applied with little to no surface preparation. Since your wood deck is two years old you will need to do a little more prep work. Any wood left raw in the elements will form a weathering glaze on the surface that will need to be addressed. Furthermore, with deck foot traffic, dirt will be ground down into the wood surface. So I would recommend a commercial “Deck Wash” be applied with a stiff scrub brush and then thoroughly rinsed off the surface prior to staining. Of course the deck needs to be completely dry from this prep step before the stain is applied."
