Name:	Chevy4x4 -	Reply
Subject:	Dock sealer? Finally back on the lake!
Date:	6/18/2014 8:38:52 AM

Well, after a 4 year journey thru georgia, south carolina, maine and ohio... I've been fortunate enough to land a job in Auburn! 

Words can't descibe how great it is to be back in the south! 

Had a new dock built this week and curious what y'all would recommend for a good sealer/weather treatment? Not looking for a stain at this time, just something to protect the wood.

Any specific brands/products y'all like?

Good to be back, looking forward to once again being a part of the lake community!

-Chris 

Name:	lakngulf -	Reply
Subject:	Dock sealer? Finally back on the lake!
Date:	6/18/2014 9:18:03 AM

Don't have a sealer answer for you, need to do that myself.  But welcome back!  The Water if Fine!

Name:	BoatsRFun -	Reply
Subject:	Dock sealer? Finally back on the lake!
Date:	6/18/2014 10:26:34 AM

Welcome Home Chevy, just put some bumpers around your dock and it will be fine....

Name:	George -	Reply
Subject:	Dock sealer? Finally back on the lake!
Date:	6/18/2014 10:26:58 AM

My opinion is don't seal treated wood.  I know a lot of people will disagree, but it's a fact that wood must have a certain percent of water (say 20% for example).  If it had no moisture, that would be dry rot.  If it has excessive moisture, that would be rot rot (for lack of a better term).  Deck boards absorb and evaporate moisture all of the time and this natural process keep the boards healthy for 10-15-20 years.  If you seal/paint the boards, you inhibit the evaporation and the board retains too much water and this shortens the life of the board.  I figured this out years ago when a section of flooring in my boat rotted.  A repair guy told me he would take pressure treated plywood and fiberglass encase the piece.  Within a year it rotted completely.  I'm not an expert, but in Lifer's words "IMHO".

Name:	Ulysses E. McGill -	Reply
Subject:	Dock sealer? Finally back on the lake!
Date:	6/18/2014 1:49:25 PM (updated 6/18/2014 1:53:38 PM)

Welcome back, Chris. From my experience (30+ years of owning/maintaining/replacing/sealing/painting/refurbishing many different decks and docks) I have come to the conclusion that any clear or lightly colored water sealer is mostly a waste of money. The more opaque the product, the longer it can/will protect the wood. I've tried about everything from clear to solid stain over the years and my results are fairly close to what you will see if you look at consumer reports (I've only used the higher recomended products). Look at the pic I posted on FB this morning and see my latest attempt at preservation....I did my 15 year old pier with Behr Deckover. My initial thoughts are very positive, but we'll see how it stands up to the time test. In the pic you will also see I rebuilt my floater with new wood....I havent decided for sure, but I'm heavily considering the Deckover on that too once it's fully cured.

Name:	MrHodja -	Reply
Subject:	Dock sealer? Finally back on the lake!
Date:	6/18/2014 6:10:59 PM

Was the Deckover as hard to apply as it looks in the tv commercials?  Looks like the EGQ is pretty high.

(Elbow Grease Quotient)

Name:	Ulysses E. McGill -	Reply
Subject:	Yep
Date:	6/18/2014 6:40:54 PM

It's a chore on old wood. I think application on new wood will be rather easy if I decide to put it on the newly resurfaced floater.

Name:	mariah1 -	Reply
Subject:	Yep
Date:	6/18/2014 7:19:55 PM

John after 15 years in the paint business I don't put much stock in consumer reports. That being said the more pigment and binder in a product gives the product a longer life. The biggest problem is the wood itself. Hope the new coating holds up well for you. 

Name:	Ulysses E. McGill -	Reply
Subject:	Yep
Date:	6/18/2014 7:46:26 PM (updated 6/18/2014 7:48:32 PM)

I totally agree with the pigment and binder statment and the Deckover has a lot of both...my wood was in pretty bad shape so we'll see how it works. I also take CR with a grain of salt, but I  think they do a decent job if you can read between the lines. Their paint anaylsis has been pretty good from my experience.

Name:	MrHodja -	Reply
Subject:	Yep
Date:	6/18/2014 8:05:35 PM

Please let us know if the Deckover wood is hotter than unpainted treated wood.  Seems it might.  We may be looking at Deckover or new surface wood in the next couple of years.  Suspect Deckover would be significantly more cost effective.

Name:	Ulysses E. McGill -	Reply
Subject:	Yep
Date:	6/18/2014 8:51:33 PM

It is hotter, but seems less hot than composite decking like trex. I also went with a dark color which will obviously be a factor in holding heat.....pros and cons all over the place. If your wood is looking worse for wear, I'd do it now if thats the way you want to go. I  may have waited too long, but was curious to give it a try and see how it works.

Name:	MrHodja -	Reply
Subject:	Yep
Date:	6/18/2014 9:03:51 PM

Thanks for the info. A gray would go better with the present and soon to be new colors of our cabin.  Maybe it would be cooler as well.

Cheers!

Name:	Ulysses E. McGill -	Reply
Subject:	Yep
Date:	6/18/2014 9:27:37 PM

Looking back, I think I would have put down new decking and then applied this product (but the jury is still out). I say that because of what you stated about the prep time and the time it takes to brush it into all the crevices. If you have a lot of crevices and cracking you may want to consider that. If it works, it will be more cost effective, but maybe not a better long term value. I wish I wouldn't have waited so long.

I bought it on Memorial day weekend when HD had a sale for $20 off on 5 gallons and I could also get a 10% Vet's discount.....if considering, look to see if they have the same deal over the July 4th or Labor day weekend where you can get both.

Name:	Lifer -	Reply
Subject:	Yep
Date:	6/19/2014 9:34:42 AM

FYI- A close freind applied it back in the Spring on a combination of old wood, new wood, and some old wood that was under roof.  The application is the same on all. He equated it to spreading peanut butter. Of course that was back when temps were barely hitting the 70's, it may be a little better in warmer weather.  He also decided about mid-point that he would never use it again.  He researched all the different brands and I think chose Bher, but there is not a lot of difference in any of them.  According to the label it's life expectancy is about the same as stain and when you figure in difference in application time and trouble he decided it was not worth it.  Especially considering that once you use the deck over you have to always use the deck over, or paint I guess.

The biggest issue now is quality of wood.  Since they were forced to remove arsenic from the 'treating' process I have found it to be not nearly as good as before.  Unfortunately I built a new dock right after the formula changed and it looks 20+ years old already.  The last lumber I bought include a few 2x4's that I put on top of my spindles to serve as a drink rail.  It has to be wiped with a bleach solution reguarly to keep the mold a bay.  With the old formula I never had treated lumber mold before.

Name:	Ulysses E. McGill -	Reply
Subject:	Yep
Date:	6/19/2014 3:11:32 PM (updated 6/19/2014 3:48:49 PM)

I agree the new treated wood is not nearly as good. The floater I just tore apart was made just after the conversion and it was in bad shape. One of the reasons I decided not to use Trex (or similar) was because I don't think the framing lumber will last a whole lot longer than the decking. The Deckover goes on fairly easy on new wood in the heat. I estimate I can cover my new wood with 2 nice coats in 3-4 hours. The Deckover is not as thick as Restore X10 and a little thicker than Restore X4 (home depot sells all 3). The time consuming thing for the old wood is the many, many cracks and crevices that I have and trying to get them all filled in. I actually think it would have been faster in my situation if the deckover was thicker. I believe it all comes down to the shape of the wood.....I'll post progress reports over time on how it holds up. If applied correctly and all crevices are filled, I think this has the potential to last much longer than any stain; I've tried many and none have gone past 3 years in full sun and still looked decent. There are a lot of reviews on the Deckover, some good, some bad. The bad ones mostly talk about peeling after 6-9 months so I'm hoping I'm good in a year from now. I'm guessing the peeling is do to improper prep and/or not getting everything filled...hopefully i didnt eff up either of those processes.

Name:	mariah1 -	Reply
Subject:	Yep
Date:	6/19/2014 5:48:35 PM

Most of the peel is coming from the wood popping and checking. It causes the coating to loose adhesion. I am looking forward to your results. I know you have gone to great effort to apply the product correctly. We shall know all in the fullness of time.