How To Protect Your Deck _ Never Sand Again!

In this video , we are going to be restoring an old weather deck .

We're going to show you the process to take it from old and ugly into something that's amazing .

And we're going to demonstrate why we recommend using a sealer instead of a solid stain .

So two years ago , I was visiting with Max and it's a new house for him and he took me out into the backyard and he said , take a look , get this old weather deck .

What are we going to do with this ?

He was looking for some advice .

So what I told him is , listen , you're going to put in a lot of blood , sweat and tears with a , you know , softwood lumber deck , right ?

This is the curse of it all .

They're cheap .

They go install easy , but the maintenance kills you .

So I said , sand it down , pressure , wash it and then use a sealer and it's going to take a little bit more regular maintenance , but at least the maintenance is quick and simple .

So you can give it a quick pressure wash , roll on a coat of sealer and walk away twice a year and you can keep your deck in pretty good shape and get a nice life span out of it .

The minute you start touching a solid stain , you're committing to lots of sanding and preparation every 3 to 5 years because let's face it .

The U V rays nowadays are crazy and they're going to destroy everything that soft lumber outside your house .

So the first time Max got out here , he spent 30 hours , right .

Pressure washing another 15 hours sanding just to get it to a point where it's ready to seal .

So two years from now , here we are , you know , last year he pressure washed and now did the sealer again .

He only did it once and here we are , it's been a long winter , seven months since we've had sunshine in our neighborhood , but the deck has gone gray .

So he pulled out the pressure washer to start the process again .

And we were kind of intrigued as to what the options were because there aren't a lot of options with sealers .

But here's what we found the old deck with the sealer that went gray .

And after pressure washing , we're going to show you a water test here .

A little demonstration .

Look at how the water beats up even after pressure washing .

Ok .

This is the effect of the penetrating sealer .

It goes right deep into the wood and it keeps the water from absorbing into your lumber .

And if it's not penetrating the wood and it's not rotting the wood and this is why we recommend it .

Now , some people out there you might even enjoy the gray weather .

Look not a problem .

Once a year come out here , pressure wash 15 , 20 minutes , roll on another coat of sealer .

You're good to go .

But if you want something that looks a little bit more finished , a little more refined and is even less maintenance .

We've got a product to share with you today and we're going to show you the process cow , dude , it is gonna take another 30 hours to sand this deck down .

But good news , he used a penetrating sealer .

He doesn't have to , all you have to do is pressure wash it .

Let me show you how quick and simple this is .

Now , listen , if you don't own a pressure washer and you've got a huge expansive deck like this , I suggest the investment Mother Nature isn't always going to cooperate with your schedule when they're available to rent at the Home Depot , for instance , but for a couple 100 bucks leaves you in the driving seat .

Check out how easy this is .

Wow , that beats the heck out of sanding any day of the week .

So here's the deal .

This is the product that we used to preserve this deck and to protect it .

So this is an oil based penetrating sealer .

And basically what happens is it absorbs into the wood and it repels water and it helps to expand your lifetime .

Now , it is more maintenance .

You're going to have to do this once , maybe twice a year , depending where you live .

But the benefits are obvious .

No more sanding ever ever again .

Now , you could use any oil based product over top of this after the fact .

So if you just put in a deck this year or it's only a year old , give it a pressure wash , get a penetrating sealer into your wood , ok ?

That gives you time to shop around and look at all your options .

Now , Max has already done his shopping and he found the product that he likes .

So we're going to show you that product now and talk about all the features and benefits the pros and cons of both .

And then we're going to show you the finished product because last year we did the front deck at his house and he's got that one all finished already .

So we're going to show you what it looks like finished as well .

So if you've had experience with the Thompson's waterproof sealant , you're going to understand that one is a very clear liquid , ok ?

It's like a cloudy water .

This one is a lot different .

Let me show you says clear on the can , it has a three year UV protection on flat surfaces like decking and it looks like liquid butterscotch .

Ok ?

What this is a solution that has a clear finish to it .

So what that means is you're going to see the wood , but the little solution that's in here , this is the UV protection and it is going to do a fabulous job .

It's going to make this wood look brand new again .

And I'm going to show you the application process because it's oil .

You want to just apply and pull and it's going on .

Nasty .

Right .

There's just nothing about this that's attractive .

You are going to want to be careful and trust the process .

I know a lot of people that they would pull this product out , they'd do a first coat on a board and they would stop , turn around and go back to the store and say , what the hell is this ?

It's going on yellow .

It looks like sludge .

You have to let it dry , trust it .

Now it was asking for , I believe , six or eight hours of dry time before the rain .

Give it that because this kind of product will wash away if it doesn't have a chance to dry properly .

I don't know what else to say , except for the fact that this product is $55 .

This is 25 .

It's going to be different in every neighborhood .

But the idea is twice as much product .

You need two coats instead of one .

Keep that in mind .

Ok .

It's a little bit more money up front .

But over the course of three years , if you only have to use this one time , it ends up becoming a more affordable option than the waterproof sealant from Thompson's and you don't have to pressure wash and apply every year .

So if you're looking for low maintenance and you want to get a nice color with a bit of vibrancy , this is a better option .

But if you got a brand new deck and you're just looking for a quick fix and protection until you can sort out whether you want to go with a semi transparent or transparent stain or a solid staining .

God help you and bless you if you do .

But this will get you buy you some time and protect your wood until you can make your decision .

So you can see that this particular product is very uniform and it covers a multitude of sins .

So even when you're pressure wash , don't be too picky and concerned about getting every spot out .

Because if you over wash , you're going to dig out a lot of the fiber from the wood and you're going to get a real rough surface .

Having said that now we've got a finished surface that's a 3 to 5 year product .

And after 3 to 5 years , there's no stripping of this product .

It starts to fade , just simply apply over top .

That's the benefit of using a sealer , right ?

None of the old product needs to be removed before you add new product .

Any kind of stain , you have to remove the old stain before you add a new stain .

But sealers , you can keep going over and over and over again .

It penetrates into the wood and when it starts to lose its color and vibrancy , it's just time to give it a little refresher .

That's all .

So if you have yet to subscribe to this channel , I would encourage you to do .

So .

We publish every Tuesday and Saturday nights and we make all kinds of diy home renovation and restoration videos to help you around your house .

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Here's our playlist .

We've got all of our deck videos in this so you can build it , you can restore it and you can dress it up and make it as beautiful as you want .

Enjoy your life .

Diy .

It .

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