DEAR TIM: I am so discouraged with wood deck sealing
products. I love the look of my wood deck just after it is cleaned. But I have
tried many clear sealers and my deck turns gray in six or nine months. The wood
then starts to turn green and black. Store clerks tell me to use products that
have pigments to stop the graying process, but I want clear. Is there a product
you know of that really works? What is the best way to clean and prepare the
deck before I seal it? Connie T., Mobile, AL
DEAR CONNIE: For years I have also told people to use deck
sealers that had color pigments in them to retard the graying process. The
microscopic pigment particles in the sealers and water repellent products are
very effective at absorbing the ultraviolet light that causes wood fibers to
turn gray. But my advice is now different because of a brand new truly clear
epoxy fortified deck sealer that contains two revolutionary crystal-clear
chemicals. One of the colorless chemicals deflects ultraviolet (UV) light and
the other one absorbs it.
Many deck sealer companies for years have said their products were clear, but
they actually contained small amounts of amber pigment that were mixed in to
slow the graying process. But as you and tens of thousands of other people can
attest, they performed poorly. I have fantastic news. The brand new crystal
clear deck sealer doesn't turn gray even after 18 months.
The primary ingredients of this new deck water repellent are synthetic resins
instead of the commonly used natural oils found in many heavily advertised
national brands and others you might find at home centers. These natural oils
are the ingredients that cause your deck to turn green and black. The oils are
scrumptious food that algae and mildew eat several months after water soluble
mildewcides and fungicides contained within the sealers are washed away by rain
and snowmelt. Algae and mildew do not feast upon synthetic resins.
I have in my office an actual test fence sample used to rate the performance
of the new clear sealer and compare it with other top-rated clear deck sealers.
The strip on the piece of wood coated with the new sealer looks like a gorgeous
piece of furniture. There is no visible UV damage that results in gray
coloration. The other three vertical strips are gray in color and mildew has
started to grow on one.
This test fence sample is astonishing when you consider the wood was tilted
at a 45 degree angle and faced due south. It was in the middle of a field with
no possible shade other than that offered by clouds. This method of testing
produces the highest degree of UV punishment .
Perhaps the best part of the story is the water-based epoxy contained in this
new product. You do not have to mix anything to activate the epoxy. Simply open
the lid and stir the product. Once the epoxy dries in an hour or so, it creates
a tenacious bond with the wood fibers of your deck and anything else it
touches.
Last year, I tested a pigmented version of this same sealer on my front porch
and accidentally got some of the epoxy sealer on the underside of my forearm.
Several days later I noticed it while looking in the mirror as I brushed my
teeth. Nothing I could do would remove it. It took about three weeks for it to
wear off my skin. My front porch today looks exactly as it did a year ago. The
color is rich and there is not a hint of gray.
Cleaning your wood deck is fairly easy. Perhaps the best advice is to tell
you what not to do. I would never use a pressure washing device on wood decks. I
have seen wood decks ruined by professional deck cleaning companies who use
pressure washers. The water blasting from the tip of the cleaner easily erodes
the soft light-colored spring-wood fibers. It leaves behind the dark summer-wood
grain and can turn these ribbons of wood grain into razor sharp cutting edges.
Beware of chlorine bleach and liquid cleaners that contain chlorine bleach.
If you see the sodium hypochlorite mentioned as an ingredient in a product, it
contains chlorine bleach. This harsh bleach can and does kill vegetation that
surrounds your deck. It removes the natural color from your wood, accelerates
corrosion of the nails and any structural connectors and it dissolves the lignin
that holds wood fibers together.
Oxygen bleach is a
much safer deck cleaner (Click
Voice
Message just below). It is non-toxic, safe for plants and does not harm
the wood nor remove its color. Oxygen bleach is sold as a powder that is mixed
with water. Beware of heavily advertised brands and ones with unbelievable low
prices. These products often contain ingredients that are of questionable purity
and quality made in foreign countries. What's more, the low-cost oxygen bleaches
often contain insufficient amounts of active ingredient. Buy an oxygen bleach
that
contains ingredients made
in the USA.
The brand new clear sealer is revolutionary. It is truly the first clear deck
sealer that works. Holding the test fence sample in your hand makes you an
instant believer. The epoxy component in the sealer is also amazing. It adds a
luster to the wood that makes your deck look like a piece of fine furniture.
Don't listen to the salesperson who says holding the tip of the pressure
washer away from the wood is safe to do. The high pressure stream of water does
erode wood. I get e-mail about this every year testifying to this fact. If you
feel the need to pressure wash, then wait three days for the wood to dry
and sand the deck to repair all of the damage. Do this before you seal the
deck.
