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PT deck protection?

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NutmegCT

NutmegCT

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I built my deck about 30 years ago, using good Pressure Treated wood. Painted the boards with Thompson Water Seal. Deck has held up very well - only replaced two boards, which had started to rot, about five years ago.

What product(s) do you guys use on PT decks? There are a lot more deck products now than 30 years ago.

Thanks.
Tom M.
 
Gliderman8

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Tom- About three years ago I got tired with the maintenance of my PT deck. I pulled up all the deck boards and installed Trex composite decking. It has held up well and I’m glad I did it. In retrospect, I should have done it ten years earlier.
 
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NutmegCT

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Thanks Elliot. As I'm not yet in the mood for pulling up a solid deck (!), what maintenance had you been doing on your wood deck?
 
Gliderman8

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I used Thompson Water Seal, various stain. One year I rented a floor sander which was a LOT of work. I’m really pleased with the composite.
 
Gliderman8

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I just took this pic.... it's raining here; deck is wet.

IMG_4491.jpg
 
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DavidApp

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Living in Georgia where the sun is a little stronger I have found that Thompson Water sealer did little to protect the PT lumber from the UV rays and damage. Some years ago I started using Olympic Maximum Waterproofing sealant/ It is an oil based product.

David
 
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CaptRandy

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Ready Seal or Armstrong Clark Sealers. Have used for over 28 years and never had a complaint. Do about 200+ decks per year.
 
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NutmegCT

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Elliot - that deck looks *great*. How long would it take to disassemble it, pack, and ship it to me in Connecticut?

David and Randy - do you use the opaque, semi-transparent, or clear?

Thanks.
Tom M.
 
dklawson

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Opportune timing.

Our house has a small brick patio that is rather useless and settling after 35 years. I want to replace it with a slightly larger deck. I thought I wanted Trex but a friend informed me that it doubles the cost. Before committing to a material I am interested in knowing how long a deck last... both pressure treated and Trex. Can you guys share your experiences?
 
Gliderman8

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The hardest part was pulling up the old PT boards. Installing the new composite boards was very easy.
 
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NutmegCT

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Doug - as a point of reference, I built my deck in 1991, using the "latest" PT lumber. It's lasted very well, replacing only two boards due to a small patch of rot, about five years ago. I used Thompson Water Seal on it once, about 25 years ago. The deck is on the east side of the house, and gets full sun from sunup to noon. Connecticut winters are harsh - and the summers are hot and humid.

Tom M.
 
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CaptRandy

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They are semi trans oil based.
Problems with trex and other composites we encountered over the years. Mold builds up inside the composite and is very hard to get out even with bleach, Molds may look like oil spills. Customers complaints are gets too hot to walk on in sun, slippery when wet.
 
PAUL161

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My deck with Thompson's sealer. Next treatment will be with another product, as Thompson's seems to disintegrate over the winter and I'm tired of re-doing it every spring. PJ
View attachment 64031
 
DNK

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CaptRandy said:
...Problems with trex and other composites we encountered over the years. Mold builds up inside the composite and is very hard to get out even with bleach, Molds may look like oil spills. Customers complaints are gets too hot to walk on in sun, slippery when wet.
Click to expand...

The mold problem they have almost eliminated, though the outside still gets slippery.
In hot climates they do get hot as blazes which is why I redid my deck in Garapa wood
 
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NutmegCT

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Thanks. I'd heard similar things about Trex, but have to admit the decks do look good.

CaptRandy said:
They are semi trans oil based.
Problems with trex and other composites we encountered over the years. Mold builds up inside the composite and is very hard to get out even with bleach, Molds may look like oil spills. Customers complaints are gets too hot to walk on in sun, slippery when wet.
Click to expand...

Paul, that looks fantastic. It's from standard pressure treated, right?

Don - what the heck is garapa wood? Is it used naturally, or is it pressure treated?
 
DNK

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NutmegCT;1138498...Don - what the heck is garapa wood?[/QUOTE said:
It's a Brazilian hardwood. Similar to Ipe, but not quite as dense. Still almost twice the hardness of pine
Click to expand...
 
Gliderman8

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DNK said:
The mold problem they have almost eliminated, though the outside still gets slippery.
In hot climates they do get hot as blazes which is why I redid my deck in Garapa wood
Click to expand...
My composite has a south facing orientation. The sun tracks from east to west and my deck gets full sun exposure. Is my deck hot?.... No, it is not; in fact you can walk barefoot on it with no problem. Walking barefoot on the composite is also safer to me than my old wooden boards where splinters were a possibility. No mold problems for me (yet).
As far as being slippery, I've never had a problem. The deck board has a "grain" and offers a "grip" when you walk on it while wet.
In my case, my PT deck was 30 years old and it was more than time to replace. Maintenance has been virtually eliminated except for the wood rails.
I throughly enjoyed my PT deck until it started to deteriorate.
 
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George_H

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I built my PT deck in the late 80s. I left it untreated till about 10 years ago. A neighbor treated his deck with thompsons and it would turn almost black every year.
I stain mine with cheap redwood stain every other year now. I replaced about 10 boards total so far. The biggest issue I have is the original screws have rusted and now break. So I am slowly replacing with stainless ones.
 
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