redoing deck - what finish?

Hi all
We have a 5 year old red ironbark deck we painted with intergrain DWD plus UVC which has gone grey and peeled so we are now sanding it off. The deck is now roofed and it faces east.

We just wondered if anyone had feedback about some products we are considering. We have a timber house so low maintenacne and natural looking finishes are our preference.

1. Sikkens HLS mahogany 1 coat followed by Sikkens cetol deck oil 2 coats. Although we have beeen happy with Sikkens filter 7 on our exterior doors after 1 year, other people in this forum have commented on the Sikkens deck oil going grey, having to be sanded off, looking blotchy, looking too much like a paint etc. We dont want to sand this deck again so want to make a good choice this time. Also every 12 months to recoat seems a lot.

2. Flood company's Spa-N-deck - does anyone have any feedback on this? It does not seem commonly used.

3. Similarly preschem's Aussie Clear deck oil. Does anyone have any feedback on this? It does not seem commonly used.

4. Any other suggestions?

Thanks everyone for any help with this.
Sandstonehouse

PS Any quick feedback would be really especially apppreciated as we are sanding it as I speak.

I am restoring decks nearly 6 days a week on the Sunshine Coast. I have researched fairly extensively the multitude of coatings that are on the market. I too used Sikkens Cetol on my verandah deck and found that if it is totally covered it lasts OK but is too glossy and very slippery when wet and scratches easily. I had dome headed nails on my pool deck which presented a problem with sanding although now I punch them down below the surface IF the deck requires sanding. Some decks can be cleaned back with a detergent, scrubbing and high pressure clean. After reading the label on every product in every paint-hardware store I went with the Spa&Deck. There are always many pros and cons to each product and method. There is no product that will not require maintenance. How often depends on sun&water exposure, dogs, BBQS , drunken friends dragging furniture, kids rollerskating and the list goes on. You didn't mention the species of wood but I find that after I sand that it is amazing when I hose the deck down and spread some Flood powerlift as to how much dirt and tannin is brought to the surface. I then follow up with a oxalic acid wash and scrub and can go straight to coating with the spa&deck as the first coat is put down on wet timber. It touch dries in 20-30 minutes and can be recoated in several hours. I always apply three coats and if it is a deck that is in year round sun with no protection I think a fourth just buys you a little more time although it also covers the grain and darkens the wood a little more. All decks wet after hosing and clean look sensational if they are hardwood but to the best of my knowledge no one makes a clear that will block out UV from the sun and it is the UV that turns the timber gray. You need to have some pigmentation particles that block the sun. I have removed DWD from five decks-jetties and they are always peeling. Sikkens Cetol horizontal on exposed decks is similar.
Cabots decking oil goes gray and dissapears unles you recoat every 6 months or so. Organoil seems to just go black. Spa&DEck dries with a light satin sheen and over time just dulls but does not peel, blacken, blister and when you feel it needs tizzying up just remove the furniture, hose off the surface dirt and recoat. I find the 9 inch pad applicator on a pole works the best. How often depends on too many variables but I tell my customers be prepared too annually inspect. I am finding that in most scenarios you can plan on 18-24 months longevity. Sorry for the lengthy of reply but there is a lot of effort to cleaning back decks and it can be heartbreaking to see your hardwork go backwards because the product doesn't live up to its' advertising hype. Spa&Deck comes in 6 shades. Forget white, gray or Natural. Natural dries to yellow. 3out of 4 people who see my timber samples and portfolio of photos pick cedar as it allows the most variation in the boards to come out. Sedona would be second and then redwood. Washup is a breeze as all tools,trays etc. can be washed out with just plain cold water.

I could go on but I hope that may give you a few things to consider.

All the best

Great response Jim, I've used spa 'n deck too, only applied a few months ago in Cobar so can't give and feedback yet but it was really easy to apply and looked good.

Cheers
Pulse

Thanks Pulse,

I forgot to mention that Intergrain released a new product this year called ultradeck. It is also water based. I have tried it on some sample timber and I think it looks pretty good. It goes on milky and dries clear. I liked what I saw except it is a little glossy. However after cleaning back a large number of DWD decks I don't want to ber the first using it weekly to discover down the line that it may or may not hold up. I have met many upset people with many deck coating horror stories. It might but only time will tell and if it proves itself I will look at perhaps using it as well as the Spa&Deck.

Sorry Sandstone,

I failed to pick up that you have ironbark. I would still go with the cedar shade in the Spa&Deck.

My apologies for not reading your post accurately

Hi jimj
Thanks for your detailed reply.

What do you have to do to the Spa-N-Deck after 18-24 months? Recoat or resand and recoat?

Also from reading their product info I am not clear what kind of product it is - is 100% acrylic a polyurethane? Or something else?

And do you have to use the powerlift first?

We have a severe mould problem and were thinking of using TSS - intergrain mould sterilising solution - underneath. Does this sound OK?

The pictures on the Spa-N-Deck website dont look that great - not an even finish - do you get better results than this?

Thanks again - your input is much appreciated.
Sandstonehouse

Dear Sandstone

I. When it is time to recoat no sanding at all is required just clean off the deck and recoat.

2. Powerlift is really just an alkaline detergent which after you sand I would apply it to thye wet deck for 20 minutes or so and this will lift an enormous amount of dirt and tannins out of the wood.

There is no polyurethanes in the paint. I agree the photos don't look that good at all in the site. Perhaps if you want to email me your address I can send you some before and after shots.

To stop mould re occurring I use Flood vc175 additive mixed into the spa&Deck

Hi jimj
My address is [email protected].
Would greatly appreciate some shots ASAP as my husband is almost ready to coat the deck!

Thanks
Sandstonehouse