Wood sealer recommendation...

[vvvvvvv]

So I replaced the porch on the front of the house because the place was previously owned by a series of idiots. As in the original decking was painted tongue and groove, then another owner put painted plywood over it, and then the most recent glued down carpet. All the while, the sides were enclosed, but rain water leaked through in various places. In short, when we started pulling everything off, it had been almost 3 weeks since the last rain and it was a muddy mess under there. Many of the joists were rotted, and the guy who built it subscribed to the measure-once-cut-twice method (joists varied from 16-19 inch centers, much like the studs in the garage he built).

The wife wasn't happy with the new steps, so we redid those. We did everything with pressure-treated lumber, except the steps because I wasn't thinking when I bought the 2x12's today...

I'm already way over budget and lumber is uberexpensive out here, so I can't exactly go back and get pressure-treated 2x12's.

Anywho... what sealer do you guys recommend? Dad said Thompson's, but he wasn't sure if they had something better now. He's used it for many, many years because it was always one of the best available, and so now he just habitually goes back to what he knows works.

So I thought I'd check here to see if there was something better you'd recommend. It's a 400sqft porch if that makes a difference.

 

[NikatKimber]

Glue down some carpet! Or am I reading your post wrong, and you DON'T want idiot redneck steps?

 

[vvvvvvv]

Glue down some carpet! Or am I reading your post wrong, and you DON'T want idiot redneck steps?

...that leads to rot...

 

[NikatKimber]

You wanna talk about rot, build your porch out of particle board, not enclosed, and don't put any kind of finish on it. Skirting too.

There was no porch left... And it was a nice 5 foot drop out the front door.

 

[inactive]

You wanna talk about rot, build your porch out of particle board, not enclosed, and don't put any kind of finish on it. Skirting too.

There was no porch left... And it was a nice 5 foot drop out the front door.

5' drop from the door? You needed one of these:

Seriously though, Thompson was paraffin based back in the day, which was not good. An oil-based, like Cabot ( http://www.cabotstain.com/products/product-type/Staining Products.html ) is far superior. We would use that on my dad's redwood deck and it would go 3 or 4 years between treatments. The decking lasted around 20 years before we finally took the deck out completely.

You could also prime with oil-based Kilz Complete ( http://www.masterchem.com/masterchem/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=b68b1370baa23210VgnVCM1000006b0910acRCRD ) and then paint with a good exterior deck paint. That would be extremely water resistant but you lose the nice wood finish (if you want that).

Thompson's may have a competing sealer product now, but the stuff I was used to using was crap.

 

[cowadle]

TWP is the product. Total Wood Preservative. I have been using it for over 10 years with excellent results.

 

[Traxxis]

There is a product that has been out for a few years now that is a really nice product. IIRC, they call it "Plytanium", and it's basically deck board that is infused with some sort of wax or sealent. Water literally beads up on it like on a freshly waxed car. Paint it, and it lasts for ever.

If you've already bought treated wood, just give it a few good coats of really any quality sealer and you'll be good to go. Thompson's is fine. Do it on a warm sunny day, as the sun will help heat it up and open the pores of the wood. Clean it and scrub it down really well, and keep applying coats until it won't suck up any more, and it should last for a while.

 

[Shadowrider]

They used Olympic Fence and Deck stain on my fence. Supposed to last 5 years. After 2 years it has faded a bit but still looks good and it is still beading water very well. Lowes has it.

 

[sofapizza]

+1 on twp we sell this where i work and have never had any complaints plus its from oklahoma
http://www.gemini-coatings.com/?p=11778

 

[vvvvvvv]

There is a product that has been out for a few years now that is a really nice product. IIRC, they call it "Plytanium", and it's basically deck board that is infused with some sort of wax or sealent. Water literally beads up on it like on a freshly waxed car. Paint it, and it lasts for ever.

If you've already bought treated wood, just give it a few good coats of really any quality sealer and you'll be good to go. Thompson's is fine. Do it on a warm sunny day, as the sun will help heat it up and open the pores of the wood. Clean it and scrub it down really well, and keep applying coats until it won't suck up any more, and it should last for a while.

Yep, that stuff was too expensive. Half the decking is down (working at a leisurely pace), but all of it is bought. Like I said, the only untreated wood is the steps because I apparently had a brain fart at the lumber counter.