Oil for new deck? Recommendations?

Hi,

We've just had a new Jarrah deck installed (about 2 weeks ago) and are about to oil it. Having done lots of research, I can't seem to find a decking oil which has consistently good reviews. I've looked at various oils from Cabot's, Intergrain, Wattyl, Spa N Deck, British Paints and Sikkens. General consensus is that oil-based is more durable and generally better, is this true? The decking oils with the best reviews so far have been Cabot's Natural Decking Oil, Feast Watson Decking Oil, Wattyl Weatherguard and Sikkens Decking Oil. The deck builder recommended Intergrain UltraDeck but I've heard a lot of people have had trouble with it. Has anyone used any of these? Opinions? The main issues people have with decking oils is that they crack and peel and aren't durable, I want to avoid this completely. If it takes a week to dry that's okay but I want great results that last. Don't mind re-applying every year or so. I'm not too fussed if it changes the colour a bit and as it's a very vibrant red it shouldn't come out too yellow but I want as much of the natural timber colour retained as possible.

I should also mention that the deck is uncovered and gets the morning sun.

Anyone used multiple decking oils and found one they love?

Thanks in advance!

You could try Osmo Oils. Fine Australian company based in Melbourne I believe.

Regards,

Rob

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Originally Posted by LGS

You could try Osmo Oils. Fine Australian company based in Melbourne I believe.

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Thanks for your quick response. Do you know how durable it is? I've heard it's good but some say it isn't good on horizontal surfaces.

I used Intergrain Ultradeck on my tallowwood front veranda. There was a colour change even though we selected Natural because of the pigments required for UV protection. It is water based so is easy to apply and clean up. We do a coat every 12 months (just did the first recoat 2 months ago). Just a matter of a scrub down with "wash-a-way" and a thorough rinse, then a recoat.

I used Ultradeck on my "mixed forest reds" deck; in time all the different timber hues (yellows, pinks and reds) darkened to a mahogany colour. You have to follow the instructions exactly, and despite it saying you can walk on it in 24 hours I'd leave it a week if you can.

Any deck open to the elements will deteriorate. Ultradeck will crack as the temper expands and contracts, then you get water ingress into the cracks which forms dark lines. You can fix this by using a timber reviver before recoating but you'll be doing this every year. I recoated my deck after 2-1/2 years but really there are only two areas that get weathered, both of these were suffering.

To me it really boils down to how much stuff you have littering the deck like loungers and BBQ's. If you have a lot of items cluttering the deck then probably Ultradeck will be more suitable, but if you can cope with shifting everything off every six months then go with oils as they are much quicker drying and a damn sight easier to apply. High traffic areas can be recoated weekly if need be.

Thanks for the detailed response! I'm leaning towards an oil as I don't mind having to recoat reasonably regularly. The Ultradeck was what was recommended by the builder of the deck but having heard about it changing the colour and peeling/cracking, I've been put off. If I were to use an oil based, I'm considering using either Osmo Oils with their Wood Impregnation as the base coat and UV Protection as the upper coats, the other ones I'm considering are the Wattyl Weatherguard and the Feast Watson Decking Oil. Does anyone have any experience with any of these?

Whatever you choose, if you want UV protection, the product will have pigment and you will get a colour change.

I feel it's any concellation, I built a 60sqm deck in 2 sections 2yrs apart. I used merbau and as was under a pergola it had to weather properly for any finish or oil to be applied. I hosed it down every 2days for at least 3weeks to remove the tannins. When I was ready to finish it I used cabots deck was then let sit for 20min. I then used a Karcher to wash down, I then let dry and used cabots merbau tint decking oil. And it can up a treat, even the 2yr old section. Looked brand new.

I always use Feast Watson Decking Oil Natural on a number of decks I maintain. 2 coats each time. Second application usually after 6 months and then maybe every 12 or so after that. I left a deck for 24 months recently as it looked good after 22. When revisited 2 months later (rental property in Bright) it was so dry I was cursing myself for leaving it so long. Bright had a very hot Christmas in 2015! I also use Intergrain Reviva Timber Cleaner before each job.

I've been using Cutek Extreme with a blend of pigments (you buy them separately and can mix your own color) on a Blackbutt deck for the last 2 years and it is holding up fine so far. Expensive though at around $330- per 10lt. I just used a full 10lt tin to re-coat a few weeks ago (about 80 sq.m.). It doesn't form a coating but rather soaks into the timber like a straight oil so it doesn't crack etc. Depending on the timber you may need to put a couple of initial coats and then recoat every 6 months for the first 2 years.

Water based oil? ...... am I missing something?

Soundman..you are missing the contents of the waterbased oil...oil and water do not mix..so what other auxiliary chemicals are there in these products?

Whatever product one chooses for outside will break down. It will be a matter of time BUT how easy will it be to rejuvenate. No point in getting something that will last a couple of years longer than other products, only to find out one would need to sand back because the coating has peeled or blistered.
A natural penetrating oil not only nourishes the timber but as time goes and the pigments wash out, one usually only needs to ensure the surface is clean to then reapply another coat.

Water based oil is a pain in the . Defeats the point of oiling a deck. The benefit of oiling is that future applications are easy to apply. Usually just a clean then a wipe with the oil. Scuff marks can also be touched up at any time with just a quick wipe. The water based goes on like a coat of poly and was a bugger to sand back. Wish I had never used the muck. Anyhoo back to oil based now after a lot of work, muttering, cussin and swearing.
Regards
John

PS are we being censored. I was sure I had ''pain in the ''in the first sentence.