10 Products You Didn’t Know We Had For Your Deck

ByWillow Yoder


Restaining or Resealing your deck this season? Read on to learn our not so secret deck and exterior floor refinishing tips!

Restaining or Resealing your deck this season? Read on to learn our not so secret deck and exterior floor refinishing tips!

But before we dive in:

Do you need a solid solution with no fuss? Overwhelmed by the state of your deck and need something to make it look good again? We suggest Killz Floor Coatings an Over Armour Wood and Concrete Resurfacer. This product covers splinters and fills cracks up to 1/4th of an inch deep and restores durability for a long lasting finish. This is a no fuss solution when you need to give your deck a facelift and don’t want to deal with the Big Question… What would that be you ask? 

The big question is: how in the heck do I narrow down all these products to a manageable selection? Come on down to our paint section and we will help you select a custom tinted finish from our selection. We carry just over 100 color options between Woodsman and Penofin alone!

Choosing the Right finish for You: 

Step One: Oil or water? 

Many swear by oil based finishes because they require less upkeep, like our Penofin HardWood Formula and Ultra Premium Red Label penetrating oil finishes, or Penofin’s environmentally friendly formula (by special order), all with 99% ultraviolet protection.

Every option has pros and cons.  For instance: 

  • Oil finishes do tend to yellow over time which means you won’t be off the hook for a scheduled refinish. 
  • Water based acrylic finishes with a sealer applied do not tend to yellow overtime, like the oil based products. Woodsman Premium Colors and Finishes have options from semi-transparent, showing wood-grain, through solid color, which hides the grain. 
  • Acrylic finishes are easy to seal and keep clean with a vibrant color that lasts. 
  • However, it does require yearly maintenance to refinish here in the Pacific Northwest. 

Step Two: Narrow your selection further based on your type of wood and desired style of finish:

  •  Solid:  A solid color finish means that the woodgrain of your deck will not show through at al. For example, if you wanted a white deck to match your whitewashed fence, a solid color finish would create the effect that your deck was whitewashed, but with the durability of a sealer rather than paint. 
  • Semi-Transparent:  A semi-transparent product means that you will still be able to see the wood-grain. Similar to a stain, semi-transparent finishes can change the look of your cedar, redwood, or treated wood deck. If your fence is made from another type of wood (or is stained to look like another wood) and you have a pine deck you want to look like redwood for instance, you might choose Woodsman’s Semi-Transparent Sierra Redwood. 
  • Translucent:  Woodsman sealers come in a variety of colors which we can mix for you right here at the store.
    Your two lighter finishes are translucent and clear wood which show most of the woods’ grain and all of the woods grain respectively. If you just want a tint to your wood, but like the natural look a translucent finish will work well. Clear wood provides coverage while keeping your deck looking like it was just built.

Step Three: Sealing

If using acrylic (water based) finishes it is time to select a sealer. Polyurethane sealers like our Varathane Ultimate Spar-Urethane gives your deck the opportunity to shine, with gloss for shiny, semi-gloss for low-shine and satin for low shine! 

The True Value brand Painters Select carries a Porch and Floor Coating that is so durable we kept ours with NO touch-ups for 10 years in our housewares and garden area. Why is it not there anymore you ask? Because we remodeled that entire edition and the floors a few years back. We highly recommend this product because we have seen how well it holds up under heavy foot traffic 7 days a week!

Did you know that you can use most deck stains for your fence too? Your backyard has never matched so perfectly!

You’ve made it to the Tips and Tricks for a Better Deck. Hooray!

  • Pencil out a weekend every 2 to 5 years, pressure wash or use DeckBright and a scrub brush, and one to two coats of stain. If you do choose to pressure wash let the deck dry out for 2 to 3 days before sanding and staining.
  • Rags are better than brushes or rollers! If you are only working on small areas grab one of our sponge brushes.
  • Follow the shade, don’t do anything in direct sunlight.
  • Is you deck new and made out of cedar or redwood? Did you know that waiting to stain and seal the wood for a year lets it season, weathering the wood so the product absorbs deep into the wood and ensuring a longer lasting and better looking finish.
  • Sanding your deck depends on its condition. If you choose to sand this ensures your stain will absorb properly into the pores of the wood. Start with 80 grit moving towards 200 grit and stop when you reach uniformity or your aesthetic preferences. Your starting point and ending point depends on how much gunk you need to get through. Come on in and talk to one of our sales representatives so we can help determine what is best for you and your deck! 
  • Color matching? Bring in your old stain or finish and we will work with you to find a color you like.

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