Deck Oil - Does anyone have a preference?

[Arry]

Hi

I have oiled my deck in the past however I would like to know if anyone has a particular type of oil that they prefer.

I have prepared the deck and am ready to oil it, the thing is you go to bunnings and there are brands like Carbots, Organoil and I have heard of tung oil etc.

The price difference between say Carbots and Organoil is quite significant.

Has anyone actually tried a few brands over time and has a recommendation?

Many thanks

[Colin Howkins]

Arry,
Have used Wattyl. Its price is right, and form experience I do not think the more expensive brews do it.

I find no matter what you use, in areas that are fully exposed to the weather, like stairs, it has to be re coated every 6-8 months

Colin Howkins
Graceville Qld

[Dusty]

Colin's on to it. Good advice.

You can either spend some big bucks on some of the pricey, highly marketed products and then look at re-coating every six to eight months.

Or, you could opt for one of the cheaper coatings on the market and then look at re-coating every 26 to 34 weeks.

To me, the choice is crystal clear.

[doug1]

I have used Organoil previously, they have a number of different oils, ie deck, furniture etc and have been happy with their products, I use them as they produce in Aus

Doug

[sol381]

Intergrain ultradeck.. 3 coats and looks great.

[Arry]

Thanks for the replies guys. From your advice I think I will go for the cheaper alternatives.

Also what is the best applicator you have used. I but a one from bunnings, ie a pole with a flat pad on the bottom. Someone has suggested to me however that a pole with a lambswool applicator on the end is better. Anyone have an opinion on that?

After the first coat I also may do a second. I guess you just wipe off the excess with a rag in between coats. How do you not walk on it and ruin the first coat, carefully I guess

[luckysack]

I applied wattyl oil with a lamb's wool applicator. Couldn't be happier with the result. There are now several applicators on the market that have an attachment to get in between decking boards. I personally didn't bother with them. After 3 coats I found enough oil had found its way between the boards. It depends how picky you are I suppose.
You'll be surprised just how far the oil goes with the woolen applicator. Highly recommended.

[dan76n]

I used cabots and applied it with a lambs wool applicator. I was happy with both the applicator and the finish cabots gave but I am currently building my second deck and front porch which I am considering trying "Spa N Deck" on the two of them, If it turns out as good as its reviews and lasts up to 5 times what cabots does, I will redo my first deck with it.
I have alot of timber so the longer it lasts without recoat the better.

[luckysack]

I used cabots and applied it with a lambs wool applicator. I was happy with both the applicator and the finish cabots gave but I am currently building my second deck and front porch which I am considering trying "Spa N Deck" on the two of them, If it turns out as good as its reviews and lasts up to 5 times what cabots does, I will redo my first deck with it.
I have alot of timber so the longer it lasts without recoat the better.

I too considered Spa N Deck but was put off by the unatural look. I prefer to see the grain of the timber. Some will argue that you can still see the timber's grain with the acrylic finishes but, in my opinion, it doesn't compare to the oiled finished. Not to mention the fact that you'll have to sand the deck each time you want to re-coat down the track with acrylics. I have also seen cracking and discolouration problems. Oil is cheaper(initially), doesn't need sanding and looks better in my opinion.
I'm sure you've considered these points already.

[brynk]

we are using organoil on our project. not sure how it will go yet, however something they don't tell you in bunnings is the decking oil needs to have another of their products added first, woodguard. according to organoil's technical line (very informative) the theory goes:

the woodguard has a bees-wax suspended in the oils which is melted into the grain of the timber by the sun. this provides an impervious base for the decking oil to sit on. the woodguard is a once-off application prior to treating with the decking oil, to all faces of the structure & decking. any surfaces not exposed to the sun, this will be sufficient.

if the timber is unseasoned then it will refuse the oil - our timber was unseasoned & lo, some of it refused to soak the oil. however, the coating is quite resilient & it has rained last night & the oil is still present on the timber. the bearers soaked most of the oil as they were milled two weeks ago, however the joists still remain oily to the touch, milled one week ago.

we paid 130 dinars for 10 litres - 30 sq.m of decking, 60m of 100x50 joists & 10m of 150x50 bearers - we still have 1/3 of the can left. we'll need acouple of litres of decking oil to do the top side of the decking boards after this. the decking oil has oxides suspended which prevent uv breakdown of the oil. i'm not sure what the life-span is for the oil itself, however i was told by their technical line that the decking oil will not last anywhere near the length of time if it doesn't have the woodguard base applied first.

the product smells quite strongly of pine (a bit like pino-clean) & lemons & clears the sinuses. i would not consider it offensive if used inside, certainly nowhere near as bad as acrylic enamel, but definately noticable.

[Arry]

I bought a tin of Cabots Natural Decking Oil tonight from Bunnings. Interesting that it now looks like they have a new decking oil product called Aquadeck. Anyone heard of it or used it or know what the differences are. The CABOTS website doesn't really say a great deal.

[luckysack]

I bought a tin of Cabots Natural Decking Oil tonight from Bunnings. Interesting that it now looks like they have a new decking oil product called Aquadeck. Anyone heard of it or used it or know what the differences are. The CABOTS website doesn't really say a great deal.

I think you'll find that the Aquadeck product is a water-based product. Many companies are now beginning to make these acrylic products. I can only assume that they are easier for the average joe blow to apply and clean up. In my opinion they are an inferior product as far as timber protection goes. I'd stick with the oil based 'oils'. The main ingredient of natural oils these days is 'oil alkyd'. I'm not sure if the main ingredient of oils in years gone by was actually 'oil' and I'm not sure if there is any difference.
Go with the product that has been proven. The good thing about oil is if you don't like it you can simply re-coat with an acrylic finish down the track.

[dan76n]

The good thing about oil is if you don't like it you can simply re-coat with an acrylic finish down the track.

Is this the case?
I was told you need to scrub the oil deck before applying a water based product. That will certanly make my life easier....

[Mick Nash]

Its seems a little too late but for those who want a great finish, easy as rolling on with a paint roller, Only one initial light sand, Scratches are fixed by a simple roll on with another coat.
Decks Ol jay (oil)
Get it from whitworths marine, Its the best stuff for decks. Ive used it on a teak ships deck and is just so easy. It does not plasticize like urethanes etc and a new coat melts into the old and irons out scratches etc.
Comes in thin and thick and can be mixed for different levels of gloss

[Arry]

DO NOT USE CABOTS AQUADECK

What a mistake that was. I swapped the Natural Decking Oil for the Aquadeck Product and then started to apply it to approx 5-6 boards.

I have a batu deck (similar to Jarrah but more colour variation) and it made it go yellowish.
Was supposed the be natrual decking oil, what a mistake.
As soon as I realized I quickly poured Napisan and scrubbed it off, unfortunatley some staining still remains.

I then went and purchased a urethane based oil and applied that. Came up great.
I agree 100% with Luckysack, what an inferior product it was, and was more expensive than the Cabots Natural Decking Oil.