How to Finish Your Deck Using a Sealer or a Stain

Your deck is going to put up with a lot of abuse over the next many years, from the rain, the snow, and the never ending sun constantly beating down on it. You will want to put something on your deck to protect it from these natural occurrences. There are basically two different types of protectors against weather and they are sealers and stains. In general they both do the same thing when it comes to protecting your deck however a sealer will go on clear and not affect the look while a stain will change the appearance. Depending on what type of stain you are looking at, either a semitransparent which will still show the wood grain, or a solid color which in many cases will cover up the wood grain all together.

Sealers and stains usually are penetrating, which means they seep into the wood and protect it from graying, cracking, and warping. Again, both sealers and stains will protect the deck, it basically comes down to what type of look you want. A semitransparent stain is most common, it will protect you deck while adding some color, however it will still show the grain of the wood, in fact it will make the grain pop a little. A solid color stain will often create a paint look which will almost always cover up the grain of the wood. If you are planning to use a solid color stain there is no reason to use an expensive material for the decking itself. If you want to keep your deck looking like real wood I would use a semitransparent stain or just a clear sealer.

I will go through a list of the most important things when it comes to deciding what type of finish to use on your deck and hopefully it will give you enough info to make the right decision. The fist thing to look at is color; sealers are clear unless you pick one with pigment in it which in my mind is stain but they do have sealers with pigment. Stains are obviously a deck protector with color to beautify the look of the wood by adding some color. The next thing you want to look at is durability; sealers will usually last between 2-3 years depending on the exposure the sun and water. Stain will usually last between 3-5 years for a semitransparent stain and usually about 10 years for a solid color stain. Drying time is the next thing you need to look at when choosing between a sealer or a stain; sealers will dry in about 24 hours depending on the temperature and the humidity level, however a sealer is able to be touche about 30 minutes after application. Stains take about the same amount of time to dry overall but it does take a little more time to be able to touch after application, about 3-4 hours. One of the most important things to look at is the actual application; sealers can be put down with a sprayer or roller or brush but needs to be put down in temperatures between 50 and 90 degrees. Stay on the lower end of the scale especially if it is in the direct sunlight. Sealers normally only take one coat to be affective. Stains can also be applied with a sprayer or brush or roller but need to be applied in temperatures between 40 and 90 degrees, again staying on the lower end of the scale. Stains will usually take at least 2 coats and sometimes more, depending on the location and usage. Hopefully these things will help you decide what type of finish you want.

When it comes down to it, you are really choosing the look because the two products will essentially do the same job. It just depends on if you want a more natural look or something with a little more color and contrast. I can give you one piece of advice that will save you a lot of sore knees; pre-stain as much of the material as you can. You may think it will be easy to get into all the areas but it will be harder than you think trying to stain or seal certain spots. If nothing else you should seal or stain the ends of the decking before laying it down. I hope this helps and good luck.