Sealing Hardwood timber deck

**oricenap** · 10th July 2007, 05:50 PM

I'm getting sick and tired of having the clean my timber deck every few weeks and re-coating it.

The timber I used in building the deck is Merbau, and I've stain with Cabot's Merbau decking stain.

When its just clean and stained it looks really good and after a few weeks with a little rain and wind the deck looks like it's 10 years old, with dirty water marks everywhere.

The whole deck is open to all the elements up here in queensland

Is there something out there to seal the timber after staining and repel the water when it rains or am i use the wrong stain for the job.

The last thing I want to do is sand the whole deck back and use a better or More $$$$ oil or stain.

**scooter** · 10th July 2007, 07:14 PM

Gday mate, you might be best contacting the mfrs number on the can for the best advice.

I assume the stain is in the oil? Wonder if it's actually penetrating properly, as I understand it you would usually allow a merbau deck to weather & leach out the tannin for 6-8 weeks, then clean it with oxalic acid & apply a couple of coats of oil according to the instructions on the can.

This coating should last a year at least.

How old is the deck?

Cheers.................Sean

**oricenap** · 13th July 2007, 08:24 PM

I let the deck weather for a couple of weeks then gave it a clean oxalic acid wash it down again then gave it a couple of coats of the cabots stain.

the deck is about 2 years old

**luckysack** · 13th July 2007, 11:37 PM

Hey mate,

You sure your "water marks" aren't tannins making their way to the surface. I've just laid my merbau deck 7 weeks ago and I've still got timber bleeding every time it rains. We've had a lot of rain lately and that definately has been the biggest help. I can see the water run off getting lighter by the day. I've used napisan several times but nothing beats good old rain.
I've seen other merbau decks that weren't allowed to weather properly before sealing and you can see obvious stains.
There are 2 options when sealing your deck. Use a tough durable acrylic finish that will come in a variety of colours or coat in decking oil that will bring out the natural beauty of the timber. It really is a personal choice but merbau is a timber that looks great simply oiled due to its rich red colour.
If you choose to coat with acrylic you will pay more but get a good 2 years out of the finish. A good product is Spa-N-Deck.
If you choose to oil it will be cheaper but WILL need to be coated every 6 months to maintain that perfect look. There are heaps of products to choose from.
Have a read of this thread posted a while back, it will tell you everything you need to know and more.
http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com...ad.php?t=49270

Hope this helps,

Cheers.

**The Apprentice** · 16th July 2007, 10:00 PM

Hi,

My mate is a Qualified Painter and he has tried a variety of products, he said you pay for what you get....

He does alot of commercial properties in Qld ie. resorts with large decks, he suggested that when new deck gets laid leave for 12 weeks approx to let tannin bleed out you can help accelerate the process by hosing down the deck once a week...

He also suggested using a product called "Sikkens HLS" its very expensive but it penetrates the timber. Waterproofing and providing good UV protection, the darker the tint the greater the UV protection. However we use this product in "Natural" has a slight tint and keeps the natural look.

My parents merbau deck has been coated 3 times, it looks brand new...everyone comments on it...hahah it just requires a light sand with a sanding block and 1 coat over the top each year, i give it two cause im keen...

No product comes close to matching its performance, remember if it cost you $8,000 to build your deck spend the extra $500 (20 litre) on sikkens, youll never look back.

**oricenap** · 16th July 2007, 10:14 PM

It's defentily not the oilly bleed in the timber coming through it has when i get a lot of rain and wind and water beads up on the deck mixed with the dirt and the deck looks really dirty and old.

I think i need something that won't allow the water the penetrate the timber leaving it like crap.

Maybe i should just count my losses and sand back the deck and re oil it with something better than cabots

**scooter** · 16th July 2007, 10:26 PM

Originally Posted by scooter

you might be best contacting the mfrs number on the can for the best advice.

Ring the mfr, they should send a rep around if their product isn't performing.

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