deck / wood sealer?

[pixelmonkey]

need a few thoughts about wood sealer for a bridge i built over the summer.

thompsons?
olympic?

the bridge is 16' long and 8' wide. its going to require a good bit to cover the entire bridge.

chris<pixelmonkey>

 

[schultz]

I've always had good results with Thompsons seems to hold up longer, Olympic not so much. HD has it in 5gal cans.

 

[wineslob]

Our company makes stains and sealers, if interested PM me.

 

[Cougar67]

Thompson's was terrible the last time I used it. I once used transparent stain from Olympic and it was okay. Sikkens makes really good sealer. We've been using it for over 15 years. In that time we've redone it ONCE. It is great. You need to google to find dealers. It's not sold at the box stores.

 

[hutch4472]

For projects like this I use a mixture of 3 parts used motor oil (I have a diesel truck and tractor so it is plentiful to me) and 1 part diesel fuel, put it on with a weed sprayer or a bucket and mop. I use this on my wood deck flatbed gooseneck trailer, and wooden retaining walls. It is cheap, works great, and after allowing to soak in in the sun for 24 hours or so there is hardly any residual oil left at all. You can run your fingers across the wood and they are clean and it is not slippery as you may think.......some may question the environmental concerns but it all soaks into the wood so to each's own......Hutch

 

[timberseal]

The best stuff? www.armclark.com

Thompsons has nothing going for it but a huge marketing budget. If you want something "decent" on a local level Flood CWF-UV is an okay product if applied correctly. Above all else stay away from water based products and solid stains. The home brews (linseed oil and motor oils) have no protection for mildew and no uv protection and longevity is typically a year at most.

PS> I've been in the restoration/preservation biz for 13 years...... it's all we do.

 

[jack bacon]

Try Sherwin Williams Deckscapes Clear Sealer great stuff at $30 a gallon. Stay away from the cheap **** like Thompsons

JACK

 

[crankshaftdan II]

Sikkens is a first rate sealer, costly like snap-on tools, 2nd to none in quality and holds up a long time

 

[schultz]

Wow didn't know so many hated thompsons, I've been using the stuff for years with no problems.

 

[Question]

Used Thompson's for years, every other year, just doesn't last on horizontal surface in direct sun, switched to Sikkens and have had no problems. They also have some nice darker colors that helps hide the black spots left by the failed Thompsons...