Thank you for bringing that to my attention. I'm an astute online researcher and am embarrassed that I just learned this. Live and learn, even in old age, and continue attempting objectivity is my goal.
For fun, I just did an extreme in-depth A.I. study (yah, I know) of online deck stain review sites. It was very revealing of the deckstainhelp website but didn't toss it our completely. Instead it recommended the site as a cautious data point, and compare the source to other data. It discussed Consumer Reports, but MANY here also question CR's legitimacy. CR's tests are on new wood only, not exposed to foot traffic. Still, it's a data point. My A.I. study suggested that there are outside consumer reviews of the TPW, Armstrong Clark, etc. that substantiate excellent results, so we shouldn't toss out the baby with the wash water regarding the deckstainhelp site?
The problem is we have no single excellent review site of deck stains, and the climate/user variables across the nation make it even more difficult. Add to that frequent stain formulation changes. That people share completely different experiences with the same products supports this. I used a very highly rated Consumers report acrylic solid stain product, doing excellent prep and following all instructions and had very mediocre results. I have used Behr acrylic solid stain on vertical plywood hoophouse gable ends with excellent results.
I tend to gravitate towards penetrating, non film forming oil products. In the Op's example, I understand some of the recommendations to use a solid stain to better cover/protect the very poor quality surface, but I also question any product that edges on becoming film forming.
As always, the opinions are all across the board. Thanks again
@Cropduster172 for bringing that information to light.
