Deck staining this summer

[weebl]

So I'm finally getting around to staining the deck. It has never been stained before and is more than 8 years old (when we bought the house). Workmanship on the deck is less than ideal, but it is at least solid. Not wanting to spend big bucks ripping out the old deck and redoing it. Wood is pressure treated and heavily weathered. Some boards will be replacing. Rest of the boards are good, except for weathered cracking (some deep).

I plan on washing with deck cleaner, no pressure washing. Filling in big cracks with wood filler.

Now comes the stain choices. Being in Canada, I have no access to the top stains like Defy, TWP or Armstrong Clark. I have toyed with the idea of restoration products:

http://rustoleumrestore.com/ - not liking comments I am seeing about the viscosity and difficult application.

http://www.olympic.com/products/olympic-rescue-it-wood-and-concrete-resurfacer - new on the market, no clue how it will perform

For stains, I am looking for a semi-transparent or semi-solid.

Flood semi-transparent penetrating oil - easy to get locally

Duckback Superdeck semi-transparent or semi-solid - limited retailers carry only some of the product line

Hardware chain house brand, apparently made in their own paint factory, looks like it may be old school oil based which is next to impossible to find. Can't find any reviews on this, though: http://www.homehardware.ca/en/rec/index.htm/Paint-Décor/Painting-Supplies/Stains-Preservatives/Home-s-Exterior/Oil-Semi-trans/3-40L-Semi-Transparent-Clear-Base-Alkyd-Stain/_/N-ntlt3Z2pqfZ67l/Ne-67n/Ntk-All_EN/R-I1866608?Ntt=Stains+%26+Preservatives

Suggestions on the best bet.

 

[Doog]

I had a guy redo my tired 15 year old deck with new plastic railing (white) and Restore gray. Looks brand new a year later. Just make sure the wood is dry for a week before you apply. Follow directions closely.

 

[KevGuy]

Did my deck a week ago. I pressure washed it and after it dried I just used plain colourless thompson's water seal. It came out just fine.

 

[Jocephus]

We put the Restore on our deck steps at our cabin last week. We have 1600 square feet of deck and were unsure of doing the whole thing with the nightmare texture/application stuff we've heard. However, our deck steps are crazy slick when wet and both my wife and I have taken a few falls when carrying groceries, etc. so we wanted to get something with a little texture.

Deck was 4 years old, pressure treated lumber and unstained. Used Olympic cleaner and brushed then used a hose and let dry.

Application of the Restore was a pain. However, upon completion we are totally thrilled. The color looks great and the "bed-liner" type of texture has been well worth it.

Originally we had no intention of doing the entire deck but now we are considering it because of the end result.

edit: one more thing...the coverage isn't anywhere near what they say it does...you'll have to buy a bunch more product than expected.

 

[dwcopple]

I powerwashed, scrub brushed, sanded, and stained my 12x20' deck last year with Wolman DuraStain. It is a peeled mess this spring. I will be taking them up on their warranty claim. This is [censored].