Natural Stained Decks
Cedar
Although Cedar is a naturally durable wood, it's properties are enhanced when protected by an appropriate finish. Left untreated, Cedar will darken and gray over time. Periodic applications of a cedar sealer will help maintain the rich color and protect your investment for years to come.
Cedar is perfectly suited for building a deck. It contains an inherent preservative oil that makes it naturally resistant to warping, weather, decay and insects.
Cedar is substantially less likely to shrink or swell than other domestic softwoods. It's lightweight and easy to work with. It can be cut, shaped, planed, sanded, nailed and glued easily with standard woodworking tools.
When selecting a finish for your deck you must keep in mind the properties of the wood. The same properties that give cedar it's durability and beauty, also will not allow some finishes to absorb into the fibers resulting in a dark, pealing, and spotty finish.
We recommend the rubbed oil finish to achieve the "Wet Look" or a light coat for a clear perspective designed for cedar. This allows the natural colors and grain of the cedar to be pronounced.
A beautiful wood deck will contribute directly to your home's value and to your family's quality of life. Whether the deck is 200 square feet or 2,000 square feet, many people are passionately proud of their decks.
So why do so many homeowners let their decks become downright shabby-looking? Besides time constraints, many people are completely confused about how to maintain a deck, so they avoid the project altogether. Even if you're an old-hand at deck care, the past few years have seen changes in deck care products, making it even more difficult to stay current.
The good news is that keeping your deck in good condition can amount to no more than an afternoon or two every couple years, depending on the climate factors and the type of products you use. (Of course, this excludes regular sweeping and hosing to remove dirt and leaves.) In fact, even a complete deck makeover can be completed relatively quickly!
On this project the home owner let the deck fall into disrepair, after replacing a few boards we cleaned and sanded this deck.
A deck in this condition we recommend a Semi - Transparent penetrating stain. This hides most of the imperfections and allows the natural grain of the wood to show through.
The addition of censored flood lighting and power outlets enabled the home owner to now use his deck at all hours.
On this project the home owner applied polyurethane over his deck. This might of been a good idea if he prepared the deck each year he applied the finish. After 5 years of this improper application the deck was in pretty poor condition.
The home owner requested me to replace all the boards with the Composite Boards at $34.00 each. After convincing him I can restore it for a quarter of the cost, I started to work.
After removing the old finish with a chemical striper, I started sanding. I finished the deck with two coats of Behr Premium Deck Stain in a Natural Finish. The end result was a new deck
This deck had naturally aged and took the characteristic graying of cedar. After cleaning we applied a rubbed oil finish.
This deck had a problem I have seen many times. The home owner went to their local home care center and asked for a finish for his cedar deck.
They recommended a Semi - Transparent penetrating stain in the cedar color. WRONG ! That produce is for pressure treated wood that you wish to look like cedar. As you can see after the first year the cedar repelled the color.
We Did It Right !
On this deck the rails were capped with cedar. Here we chouse to apply 5 coats of a Marine Grade Varnish.
This product is designed for boats and the harsh conditions at sea. So this finish will show the cedars' grain for years to come.
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