ot - deck sealing sprayer

[woodswalker]

Hey folks, I have a deck and a wooden fence I need to seal with Thompsons or a similar spray-able sealant. I figure some of you guys have some experience with this.

With pressure treated lumber material, what type sealant do you recommend?

What type of sprayer? I know people use pump type garden sprayers, but I want to get a really good one that will last. I looked at the stihl backpack sprayer, the sg 20,and it looked really nice. Is there something better? Is this overkill? would a 30 dollar walmart do just as good and last just as long?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Robert

 

[jpf]

water seal is as thin as water and will spray out of just about any cheap plastic sprayer.
no need to have a dedicated sprayer for water seal, just use your garden sprayer.

 

[stihlaficionado]

Personally I wouldn't use Thompson's ANYTHING. When folks hire me to refinish their decks I usually use Cabot's & sometimes Benjamin-Moore.


I use semi-transparent linseed oil based stains which seal the wood & allow for grain show-through. I have gotten at least 3-4 years on heavily used decks using Cabots. IMO stay away from poly coatings as they break down
with UV rays and will peel. Once this happens they are a ROYAL PITA to remove & refinish.

On small decks I usually just brush on making sure there is no puddling. Brush clean & do several boards at a time running start to finish. DO NOT take a break & allow the stain to dry(no wet edge) as you will most certainly get
LAP MARKS.

On larger decks/fencing I sue a pump spayer. Make sure you BACK BRUSH the stain to work it in & so that it does not drip. Again, do only a small enough section that you can maintain a wet edge. Linseed or oil based coats must
be applied wet-on-wet. Once the stain dries any additional coats will only lay on the surface. Latex coats can be applied in layers.

 

[stihlaficionado]

Personally I wouldn't use Thompson's ANYTHING. When folks hire me to refinish their decks I usually use Cabot's & sometimes Benjamin-Moore.


I use semi-transparent linseed oil based stains which seal the wood & allow for grain show-through. I have gotten at least 3-4 years on heavily used decks using Cabots. IMO stay away from poly coatings as they break down
with UV rays and will peel. Once this happens they are a ROYAL PITA to remove & refinish.

On small decks I usually just brush on making sure there is no puddling. Brush clean & do several boards at a time running start to finish. DO NOT take a break & allow the stain to dry(no wet edge) as you will most certainly get
LAP MARKS.

On larger decks/fencing I sue a pump spayer. Make sure you BACK BRUSH the stain to work it in & so that it does not drip. Again, do only a small enough section that you can maintain a wet edge. Linseed or oil based coats must
be applied wet-on-wet. Once the stain dries any additional coats will only lay on the surface. Latex coats can be applied in layers.

I forgot to mention that the deck must be free of dirt & UV damaged wood.
If the wood has a gray, ashen color to it I always use a deck wash that has a brightener. I use Cabot's Problem Solver. Once the deck is treated make sure to use the neutralizer. This procedure makes the chlorides in the brightener inert.

Finally, on decks I always sand the surface(finish sander, no orbitals) to remove nicks & burrs on the hand rails & decking.