Cedar deck preservatiion

May 21, 2011 1:28 PM

I have 6 year old cedar deck by the ocean that is aging quicker than expected, I have power washed and coated it twice with Benjamin Moore transparent deck stain. It's decaying, and the stain is not penetrating and peeling. Any ideas?
posted by daveo'h to home & garden (8 answers total)

There is a product called "Peel Stop" that you can apply. This will slow down the peeling process, but it doesn't really address why it is peeling in the first place.

I find that my deck in the midwest needs a coat every year to look really good. Every other year is stretching it a bit. But I have a big dog with big toenails that scratches off the finish when he goes outside.
posted by Ostara at 1:51 PM on May 21, 2011

Is it possible you are applying a water-based stain over an oil-based stain? That would cause some peeling, because water-based paints/sealants/etc. do not adhere well to oil-based underlayers.
posted by fancyoats at 2:16 PM on May 21, 2011

For what it is worth, I checked the Consumer Reports web site to see what they thought of it. The highest-scoring clear Benjamin Moore stain rated a 25 out of 100, which was not very good. In fact, most clear stains do poorly as most damage is caused by sunlight rather than water. Solid stains with color do the best, with Behr solid stain scoring 79/100. You will lose the natural cedar look, but it will last longer.
posted by procrastination at 2:35 PM on May 21, 2011

Best stain I ever used. Sikkens - DRG. One-coat. They have Sikkens for 2-coat.
No peeling, ever. I have used it for 10 years. Will use no other.
posted by JayRwv at 6:20 PM on May 21, 2011

You may have damaged the cedar in the past using a power wash. It's easy to splinter the wood if the PSI is too high.
posted by furtive at 10:40 PM on May 21, 2011

You might just be using the wrong product. Some wood "stains" these days seem much more like paint and less like stain. You want something that will wick into the wood.

Another piece of advice would be to make sure the wood is good and dry before applying the stain.

(Doesn't cedar have a lot of oils in it? I think there are special stains or pre-stains that counteract their effects so that your water sealer will stick properly.)

(Another thought is that you are applying it too thick?)
posted by gjc at 5:25 AM on May 22, 2011

If it is not too far gone I would strip off all coatings as they prevent moisture from escaping the wood. Moisture promotes rot and cedar contains natural preservatives. Of course you have to be ok with a natural weathered grey look.
posted by canoehead at 8:15 AM on May 23, 2011

Pressure washing pumps water into wood, raising its moisture level above ambient. Any coating that forms a film will peel under that circumstance.
posted by werkzeuger at 8:03 PM on May 25, 2011