Water Sealants for Wood Decks and Fences and since the 1980's, www.southernhomedeck.com

In Richmond, Virginia, please visit our website at www.southernhomedeck.com and explore the various colors we have used on wooden decks and fences, it will probably help you in making a decision when considering different products. I have many pictures there, sharing the characteristics of various water sealants and stains. Stains are just colored water sealants, so do not be confused when you hear the word "stain" bandied about when talking about colors.

This blog has been written to try to give anyone reading it, some understanding of watersealants and how they came about. In 1987, nobody had an idea of what to do when many homes were built with a cute deck on the back. The wood looked new and beautiful, but within a few years it had turned gray and looked very unattractive.

Enter, Thompson's Water Seal!

At www.southernhomedeck.com, I have been cleaning and sealing wood decks since 1987. So, I remember the early days when the only water sealant that you could purchase for wood decks was a clear, oil-based water sealant called Thompson's water seal. The product had a small seal on its can. Don't laugh, I am sure some of you can find a can of this old stuff in your grandfather's garage! The product was a simple seal, with no color. But, it's ability to prevent water from penetrating into the wood was incredible.

 The product was great. You put it on wood, and the water-repellency was amazing! But, one year later, the wood looked gray. Most people would be frustrated with the gray, but they would see the water-repellent still working great, little beeds of water pooling on the deck after a storm- so they knew that their wood was protected. Currently, turning gray quickly, is still the biggest problem with clear water sealants. Protecting wood from the elements, and the damage that occurs when moisture seeps inbetween wood fibers is more important than gray, so this simple sealant will at least keep wood from rotting. The take away? Clear sealants are the cheapest, they do what they are supposed to do, but they do not keep the wood from changing color. 

The second watersealant company to come along after Thompson's was a company called Olympic. Anyone reading this will remember the clear Olympic Waterguard around 1989. That was the competition for Thompson's before colors began being used. Olympic was the first linseed-oil based product available in the Richmond, VA area, where I first began cleaning and sealing wood. That was new for the time period. Linseed oil is considered a wood-conditioner. It causes wood grains to tighten upon themselves as they dry, reducing splitting of wood-planking over time.

                    This was a cute advertisement from 1989 featuring Olympic Wood Preservative, the product that came out before Olympic Maximum. They only offered clear for a number of years, and then Olympic started to mix a tiny bit of color in it that was matched to the color of cleaned wood- or, new wood. They contacted my company, www.southernhomedeck.com in 1989 and for approximately three years, we were shipped test packages of deck stain-strippers and water sealants and from Richmond, Virginia, Southern Home Wood Deck, was essential in helping in the development of these early creations by the Olympic water sealant company.

Those two companies paved the way, for new products and companies that created their own versions of water sealant. Flood Watersealant and Sherwin Williams were the two companies that offered high quality oil-based offerings.You maybe remember the CWF can, very popular at Lowes and Home Depot.  

This is for the real old timers!

                                                                 Flood CWF-UV

It is kind of important to note that CWF, from the very beginning, tended to be a slightly tinted product, even though it was considered clear. The Olympic product that I mentioned earlier was colored to the color of new wood. Flood was colored a natural "tea" color. It had rich body, the finish was very much like varnish. It was hard and very beautiful. The downfall was that because it was very hard, later when you came back to clean it with a pressurewasher, it was hard to get off. You needed to go back over the previously sealed wood deck or fence, with the same CWF product. After developing stain-strippers, we could get CWF off the wood after a few years, then a client could move to another product if they so chose.

SuperDeck by Sherwin Williams

Super Deck by Sherwin Williams came from a product that Sherwin Williams kept on their shelves for many years, Duckback. Duckback was purchased by Sherwin Williams and I do remember seeing it on the shelves of Sherwin Williams' company's stores for many years.

 

Sherwin Williams did not have their own sealant for many years. This was the product that they sold for many years before buying the company and putting their own label on the can. It was a very good water sealant, lasting for about three years, once put on a wood deck. "DuckBack" was a simple parafin wax and Linseed oil water sealant. I did not use it much during the 1990's, my brother did, and he used the product exclusively. He used it for more than twenty years and believes it was a good product. I use the Sherwin Williams SuperDeck more regularly, and I can honetly say it does a very good job at making wood look beautiful.

Enter the niche water sealant companies' like Ready Seal. In the year 2025, there are many water sealants available from smaller companies. Water sealants are easy to make, part Linseed oil, part parafic way, some other simple ingredients make there way into these products, some giving more sheen, some imbuing light coloring without overwhelming with substantial sheen. This simpler water sealant is perfect for new wood. New wood loses natural oils when the wood is pressure-treated and infused with natural substances that keep insects from eating the wood. That is why I recommend using a good, oil-based sealant like Ready Seal in this present year. It is easily available, it has good and natural coloring. 

Please, visit my website at www.southernhomedeck.com to see examples of this product. I really like it on new wood.

                                                                    www.readyseal.com

Cabot water sealants are very good, they have been around since the 1990's. And, they came out with a water-sealant called Australian Timber Oil. It is a very special product. The finish is amazing. You can see a few decks that I have used the product on by visiting my website. I like the hard and shiny finish. Many people love the hard and shiny finish. 

It really does look great! But, the look fades with time, and more rapidly than you might expect. The product looks amazing for the first year, but after that first year, the look quickly diminishes. 

Australian Timber Oil

The beauty of Australian Timber Oil is undeniable.

                                                                    

 

Fence Powerwashing and Staining, in Richmond, Virginia by www.southernhomedeck.com

Southern Home Wood Deck in Richmond, Virginia has been Cleaning and Sealing Wood since 1987! www.southernhomedeck.com

(804)585-8016

We are often asked about new wood and what is the best product to use to seal new Wood Decks or Fences and almost always I will recommend a product that I use quite often, Oil-based Ready Seal Water sealant, which contains Linseed Oil and Tung Oil, which act as a Wood Conditioner. What is a Wood Conditioner? A wood Conditioner is an oil, which strengthens wood fibers and compels wood grains to contract and to pull back upon themselves, helping to naturally strengthen your wood.

We have all seen the damage that sun and the elements can do to wood over many years of time. Wood becomes cracked and warped, and this process of applying a Linseed Oil-based product to the wood, keeps that from happening. 

Not only that, but it protects wood from the sun's natural and harmful Ultraviolet rays. It is also a natural fungicide and keeps mold and mildew from growing on your wood. This product is really good, it is very natural looking and comes in several natural appearances like Pecan, Honey-gold, Redwood, Cedar and a few more. You can look at our website for a full list of colors.

If you are looking to have wood cleaned and sealed professionally and using the highest quality of Soaps and environmentally friendly cleaning solutions, please contact www.southernhomedeck.com in Richmond, VA. (804)585-8016

 

#Wood Repaired and BEHR SOLID STAIN makes old wood deck look new! #www.southernhomedeck.com in Richmond, Virginia 23220

2-tone Solid Stain using BEHR from Home Depot

#Cleaning and Staining Wood Deck using Behr Solid Stain. Southern Home Handyman

www.southernhomedeck.com

 ## Refinishing a Wooden Deck in Richmond, Virginia. 

###At Southern Home Handyman, we specialize in refinishing wooden decks to bring them back to life. Our process begins with a thorough cleaning to remove dirt and grime. Once the wood is clean, we inspect it for defects. In this case, the wood was about 25 years old, and we identified several sections that needed replacement. After replacing the rotten wood and reinforcing the supporting structure, we applied a light wash containing bleach. This wash sits on the wood before being pressure washed, and the wood is left to dry for 24 to 48 hours.

Next, we sealed the deck using a Solid Stain by Behr, it is a solid water-sealant and stain that is used to cover severely worn wood decking. Although we considered a semi-transparent product at first, we opted for the solid stain to fill in the imperfections of the older wood. The final result was fabulous!

If you're in Richmond, VA, and need professional deck refinishing services, contact Southern Home Handyman today. Our expert team is ready to transform your deck and make it look brand new. Trust us for all your home improvement needs in Richmond and the surrounding areas.

When you want it to look great, you call

Southern Home Handyman!

www.southernhomedeck.com

If you want to clean and seal your wood deck or would like us to examine your wood in Richmond, Virginia please consider using the services of www.southernhomedeck.com. If you just have questions regarding what products to use, and or how to approach a particular concern, feel free to call and get some friendly advice.

(804)585-8016

 

Cabot brand, Australian Timber Oil, painted on a new deck by Southern Home, Richmond, VA 804-585-8016

Hello, my name is Joseph Sowell. I have been cleaning and sealing wood decks in Richmond, VA for thirty five years. I know about nearly every product available to the American consumer. I have recognized some very significant traits about the product called, Cabot brand, Australian Timber Oil. Pay very close attention as I know more about this product than most anyone. I have used it extensively and can tell you a few things before you get involved with this water-sealant. 

Firstly, the product does look absolutely beautiful when it is applied correctly. Secondly, it is very hard to apply and a good amount of time will go into the final product. Even the smallest deck will require more sealant than you are anticipating. The can says something about using only one coat, but there is no way in the world that you are going to get the finish that you are supposed to get using only one coat. A 10' x 15' deck with several steps will probably require two gallons to get the desired results. New wood will swallow the sealant as if you were applying the product to parched earth. 

The project at hand was one where a customer had a kind friend apply the product to her wood deck. He had done a fine job, however, this product is apt to show roller marks and imperfections if only one coat is applied. You will use less product if the deck was sealed in the past. New wood, however, absorbs more product into the pores of the wood. If a stain was on the deck in the past, a stain-stripper must be used to remove all old stain. That task alone can cause the previous product to come out of the pores, necessitating more product. 

The product will go onto the surface best with an applicator pad. I have been taught to use this pad for this product, so I cannot tell you whether a roller can be used, but I suspect it would not produce the same, smooth results that I get when using the soft applicator pad.

This project took two vigilant days of attention and two men about 22 hours labor. Material can be applied with a brush. Overlap is one of the hardest parts of this beautiful finish. See pics below.  

22 Man Hours

Most people don't want to take on such a project, many hours are involved. Getting the seal to look perfect is not easy. That is where, Southern Home comes in. Call: 804-585-8016 if you decide to hire someone to do the work for you. Our pricing is very competitive. Quality is excellent, always.