How To Protect Your Deck | Never Sand Again! 

Just joined! And man, I have never seen a RU-vidr give such incredible perks. My husband and I are closing on our house in a couple weeks and I already have 5 projects planned out! Your videos are always playing in the background at work and home! I would love to see you try an epoxy counter top some time! Thank you for your content!

Yes! I am a general contractor also and I try to tell everyone. Never paint or use a thick stain! They crack peal and hold water under that peeling Rotting the deck faster. Tip: use a insecticide/weed sprayer to spray on the sealer.

Every single time I need to fix something around my house or my mother's house, I drop by your channel and learn how to do it first. Thank you so much for all you do! You are appreciated.

My deck was installed in 2004, replaced 4 boards couple yrs ago, silly me used a stain, twice....well the stain is almost gone on the flat boards & I swear, no more stains for me! I get the hot hot sun going from south to west and the stain just didn't last. I thought about using a product called 'restore' but after watching this video, I will follow this method, the less upkeep I have to do, the better. This ole gal isn't getting any younger! LOL Thanks Jeff! "Donna in Indiana"

I really like this guy. Talks in terms everyone can easily understand. Imagine being his apprentice? You would be an expert in a few months working along side him haha. Hope you're still making these Jeff! Special thanks to the video crew as well!

Bought my 1st home..its brand new. Built a deck and a ramp. Yout videos has so many tips and perks. Love being able to do it myself

I have a 23 year old pine deck. I live in South Florida. The deck is still in decent shape, with only one rotted board, and a couple of small patches of rot I have fixed. There are a couple of others that will probably go in the next 5 years. Its sits on a roof and the framing is also still mostly solid. I try to seal it every two years. My neighbors never seal their decks and they all rotted out long ago. This is my advice. Only very lightly pressure wash your deck, and be careful. If you use high pressure too close to the deck it breaks up the fibers in the wood and damages the deck. No matter what the product you use says about how long it will last cut that down by at least a third. Use a better more expensive sealer. I use Bear from home depot, the higher end sealer and stain. Its water based, which I like better than oil based products, but it may not last as long. Its states its good for at least 3 years, but it does not, every two years I redo the deck with the sealer and I don't strip the old sealer at all, and have had no problems because I did not strip it. At two years the sealer is mostly gone in Florida due to the amount of rain and moisture. Never miss a sealing. I made the mistake of not sealing the deck for 3 years just one time and I found the deck had started to rot in several places. I was lucky because I fixed the small areas of rot easily, but one board was too far gone. Dont skimp on the amount of sealer you use, put it on so you know it covers everything. Double up on knots or depressions because that's where water will pool. Try to seal the sides of the boards to is you can it helps alot. Try not to have shade over a open deck, like shade from trees. This is different than having a covered deck with shade. With open decks you need the sun to dry out the deck after it rains or in the morning when there is a lot of moisture. Shade will keep you deck from drying, especially in hot humid climates and this will cause mold and rot to set in very quickly.

I had my boathouse built back in the fall of '21. The wood has already started looking not so new by the spring of '22 so I decided to act quickly because I didn't want it turning gray like so many others had on the lake. I opted for the clear Thompson's proofer/sealer and what a fantastic finish and look. After watching this video it was good to learn that I can pressure wash and reapply over the current finish yearly. BTW; I tried applying it with a pump up garden sprayer but didn't like the way it was going on after the first gallon of application. Seemed like more of the product was dripping into the lake than absorbing into the wood. I applied the next 7 gallons with a paint roller and it was a much better process with just a little more work involved.... Thanks for the great videos!

I had given up finding a way to care for my deck without spending a day or two every year and a lot of money. Along comes Jeff Thorman, rescuing me once again. What a blessing he is to the world.

I watched this video and then did the same thing to my deck. Picked a sealing stain with a redwood tint and it turned out great. Thanks for the video.

Hey, Jeff! It's been 3 years! Any chance you could do an update on this deck? We're ready to tear one out and have decided against the expense of composite, so are going back in with pressure treated lumber. Curious how this finish has held up... thanks!

I'm no home improvement expert, but I really like this guy. Uses language that everyone can comprehend.

Thanks! I watched this video and I pressure washed and sealed my old deck and it's GORGEOUS now! I didn't even sand the wood but it's so dang beautiful. I used the exact Olympic Clear Sealant and it darkened the wood a bit, it's even better than I imagined it would be. I'm using this product for life. Thanks guy!

Hi Jeff…well it’s been 3 years since you and your son have completed this deck. How has it held up and would you still recommend the Olympic Maximum? We have cold winters here in North Bay with a lot of snow. Our deck takes a lot of abuse with shoveling in the winter, crazy dirt from our maple trees…. I’ve pressure washed it once but it does tear the crap out of the wood. We have yet to find any product that holds up. Your advise would be greatly appreciated

Wow, I couldn't believe how fast that pressure washer took off the silvering! I'm replacing my rotted deck this year, so thanks for your advice!!

I have experimented with many 'color' stains and have never been happy with the end result. I have been trying to find some good products and processes for using a clear stain. Just got a brand new deck, so this video helped alot. Once you add color, there is no going back...

Bro! You made my day!! 😅👊🏽 Gracias! I just found you and thank you for to be transparent and honest with us. Great video. I’m going to be watching your videos 🎥

After you apply sealer can you apply a stain or paint. We have a pregola with only wood and nothing protecting the wood. Should we just stain it or seal it then paint? We want a nice grey look. Not sure if theirs a different process for that.

They sell 6" wide brushes for just this purpose. They screw into your painting pole. You can stain your entire deck without getting down on your knees. Best $8 I ever spent.

Quick question to see if I got it right. If there is any sort of STAIN in the oil based Sealer, maintenance will be difficult requiring sanding. But if the Oil based sealer does not have any STAIN Maintenance will be lots easier. Did I get it right?

On a similar note, Spray and forget for mildew on a roof or anything seemed to good to be true. I have a white tile roof and used to pressure wash, but tried this Spray and forget and was skeptical, but the damn stuff works great. I just mist it on with a pump sprayer and the key is it has to rain over next few months and it completely removes mildew! I love it!

I followed your instructions from this video and used the Olympic Maximun waterproofing sealant in June of 2023. After only 1 winter the sealant is peeling off our deck leaving patches. We spent days cleaning and applying your recommended Olympic product to our 800 sq ft deck and it now looks like crap. Please let us know what we should do to restore it to its' natural beauty.

Yea , I work at home depot so just tryna learn to further my customer service

So last year I applied the Thompson's Clear Sealer .Turned out fantastic ...Very happy...so this year after a pressure wash.. I could top coat with Timber oil?? I purchased Cabot Timber Oil last year after watching this video.... Can you tell me... can you specify to be clear: Once I use the timber oil as you recommend over the Thompsons Sealer... do I go back on Thompson's the next year ??? or do I now keep going on with the Timber oil every 3 years for the duration of this deck. OR do you do Thompson Sealer again in 2 years This step is not very clear.

As a new homeowner, man your videos saved me a tone of time and money! Having a brand new 2 year old deck ( treated wood) what's the MAX psi recommended for the pressure washer ? Thanks!

My deck stays looking new all of the time now. Thank you! Thank you! I'm going to check into joining because I've learned lots of things watching you.

Thank you for your vidéos Jeff. I need to sand, clean, and stain my deck this summer. What comes first? Cleaning or sanding?

So glad that I found this video, this is just what I needed to know before purchasing stain!

I agree with the sealer...what about semi transparent stains with sealer included. Thought?

This is dope, I am 6 months into a new home but my deck is painted. Can I still pressure wash and apply this product on top or will the pressure washer take away the paint?

How would you do this with a cedar deck? Power wash or no power wash? Don’t want to splinter the cedar. How would you remove last years seal since some has came off while trying to clean the deck with bleach water ? The old seal is difficult to remove . I would leave on the deck but shows a difference in color. The old seal is by Valspar and it’s a clear with the slight honey color almost the same as what you showed in your video. Thank you !

Love it! Love the black railings. I'm wondering if they'd have to be stripped if they neede redone at some point or could they just be painted over? Also what about Australian Timber Oil and Cabot Semi-Transparent Stain? Would it have to be sanded and stripped in the future to redo? TIA

As a painter, clears are a great option for weatherproofing the deck, but the reason semi transparent or semi solids solids etc have more popularity is the slight pigment provides better UV protection. With that said most stains are a stain and sealer in one as well. More prep work like sanding or using chemicals such as a stain and sealer remover and wood brightener generally use chemicals or abrasion to open the wood grain, which ensures the wood will be more accepting of that stain. For a quick and easy approach, sure, but you can get more than 1 year of out a deck that’s been properly prepped, cleaned and stained vs an annual quick fix like pressure washing. It’s all contingent on the amount of sunlight and harsh winters you experience in seasonal states for your decking. Often times, for jobs I am hired for, the stain and or sealer was applied unevenly or incorrectly and the deck was either soft washed or pressure washed only by either a DIYer or handyman, and because of this the stain starts failing in areas quicker

I bought the Olympic clear sealer and started today on a 1400+ sqft new deck. So far so good!

I have a second story wood balcony that gets pounded by Texas sun, wind, rain, ice, snow and golf ball size hail. It has a solid base stain that I have to have redone every 2 years. Would it help if a sealer were put on top of the solid stain? This 10x10' balcony has an amazing view of a beautiful golf course, but it is getting very expensive to maintain!!

Was this a pressure treated wood deck or cedar? Exploring out options and have been told NOT to sand out PT wood deck prior to sealing.

Jeff, what if we already used the solid stain. Can we sand it this year and put this on it now or do we have to keep doing the solid stain? Oh goodness, wished I would have found you before doing that!

First off..... Max, deck & fence look great👍🏻, very beautiful & love the black rails.....makes the entire deck “pop”! Can also use this stuff on privacy fences as well, & works great too. Is a little “messier”(suggest rolling &/or spraying on); but looks great in the end & the maintenance is awesome. Like that they also offer low VOC versions too. Cheers✌🏻

During this pandemic I have been doing lots of renovations at home and your videos have been really helpful. I just finished the deck reno with pressure treated siena boards. How long should I wait before treating with a sealer?

You are right about the solid stains, and they curl up too, I wish found this video before I used that solid stain, now I have to pressure wash to remove all that peeling solid stain, thanks for the video

My deck is 5 years old and though I stained it twice, it has discolored and now it is not just dull, but also has a lot of chipping off. I am a bit confused with your advice. Should I apply the Olympic Maximum coat and does that require me to pressure wash first? Or, should I pressure wash and apply the Thompson sealer? It appears that the second option would give me better looks. Correct me if I am wrong.

Do you still recommend the Olympic Maximum product or is something else better protecting the wood and easy maintenance every year or two?

Hi Jeff, How long the sealer will last on the deck? Will the sealant change the colour of the deck a bit? I am planning to seal my deck and not to stain.

Best video to help people maintain a deck without all that extra work. The idea of cleaning it every spring and add more sealer sounds wonderful compared to a solid stain that peals off and have to sand and suffer. 👍

Can the Olympic product be applied to damp or wet wood? Thanks for the great video.

Open question for all: _Are there any deck stains/sealers that are designed to withstand winters where it snows a lot?_ I've tried a Cabot oil-based stainer, but it didn't even last a full year, befo6i noticed zome planks were rotting faster. I'm replacing pressure treated cedar planks now; and in the Spring I'll refinish. I'll look around for a longer lasting stain/sealer.

Great video but never had any luck with Olympic.Ready Seal is my choice . HD used to stock it but you order online and ship to your local store. No sand or power wash after initial application.

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 yes, finally real and to the point. Talking about oil base penetrating. Do you have one for water base? There are some outstanding products out there.

Is it okay to stain your fence around this time? Also after staining can I seal? How long does it take an oil solid stain to dry on fence? I love your videos, it’s so informative. Saved money just by following you. God bless you and your family.

I just cleaned and pressure washed my deck but there was no sealant on it before. Do I need to sand the whole deck before I apply the Thompson's water seal so that it can penetrate the wood or can I just apply it on now without sanding? Thanks!

I don’t want to pressure wash and seal my deck every year. I used Behr product and it lasted about eight years. I do appreciate your video.

Will and combination stain and seal like Cabot Semi-Transparent Stain + Sealer work the same, or will be need to pressure wash and sand when we apply in the future?

I’m working on my backyard fence and plan on doing the deck as well. Once I pressure washed one wall of the fence the natural beauty of the wood looks amazing so now I don’t think I want to paint it. Should I seal it to preserve the natural look?

What is the product being used here? There are several olympic maximum products and they say stain and sealer. Should I look for a "clear sealer" or would a semi transparent "stain and sealer" work? Also is this oil or water based?

Is that pressure treated lumber? My deck is about 6 months old now and that C2 Guard says it's for unsealed wood surfaces so not sure if this is appropriate for my deck.

Also Jeff, what kind of wood is that on the deck? Is that just douglas fir? Or Cedar? I feel like doug fir will get wrecked after a few years. Or maybe I'm wrong?

You have probably saved me so much time and work. Thank you! :)

Have you figured out what do do with an old Trex deck that has turned gray? I inherited one and dont have the funds to replace. There is supposedly a paint on option the manufacturer recommends, but it was pretty expensive.

Would one recommend pressure washing if we inherited an older deck, wood isn't great, but also not bad enough to re place?

What is a safe way to power wash the deck? The first time I power washed mine , I guess I over washed it . I had to re sand the whole thing because it looked like it fur on it .. So what is a safe way to power wash special tip ? Certain psi? Thanks

I use TWP 101or low VOC 1501 cedar tone natural. Water beads up nicely!

Gary this video has earned my *seal* of approval #cheers I like seals so much it’s otterly ridiculous

I too was quite confused by the thickness of the product. It took us about four months to get our deck completely sanded so that we could seal it (afternoons, between rain etc) We have a cedar deck two years old and it’s never had any product on it. We purchased the exact same can as shown in the video with blue label. It was the clear oil based sealer by Olympic and here are our findings. The consistency was not thick at all, it was exactly like water. When looking in the can it does look like a butterscotch color but again is the consistency of water. The other thing that surprised us was that it colored the wood. We were actually happy about this because we really wanted the wet cedar look but opted to go with the sealer not a stain because of the maintenance issues explained in this video if we had used a stain. After all of the sanding the cedar looked a lot whiter than a natural cedar color. It almost looks like a white pinewood. After applying the sealer it does look really good but the other thing that I’m curious about is it doesn’t seem like the seal is soaking deep into the wood as noted in this video. Now maybe I’m wrong and it’s simply the color change that’s on the surface but I dripped a little bit on an area that I wasn’t ready to stain yet, and when we went over that area with the sander the seal just came right off. When water gets on the areas that we have finished putting the sealer on, water is definitely beading up so it seems like it’s working. I guess only time will tell on whether it will hold up or not. We live in the Pacific Northwest so we get lots of rain, so I guess we’ll see. For those of you who have not sanded a deck, let me just tell you...we are proud of the work we did but we will never ever ever burn time in our lives doing that again. Once this deck rots we are absolutely putting composite in. Jeff I would love to know about these thickness consistency questions a few of us have. It’s probably hard for you to answer since it seems like the product that you’re buying is a slightly different formula perhaps because you are in Canada? Maybe there are different regulations there and the company has to slightly modify the formula for the country that it’s sold in. So to wrap up, we love the way it looks, we were surprised by the color change but that’s actually what we really wanted anyways, so we’ll see how long it lasts I guess. Like I mentioned the only thing that I’m a bit concerned about is it very much seems like it’s just on the surface of the cedar not deep within but maybe it is and I just can’t tell with my eyes.

I have been doing the pressure wash / thompsons for years. Way better than something like a Sikens which leaves a hard shell that will have to be sanded off.

Thank you so much for this info, I was thinking of paint but I think I am going to go with sealant. Do you think sealant would repel carpenter bees? I am putting in a bee hotel nearby so the carpenter bees will not get put out, I just don't want them to make Swiss cheese out of my deck.

Is that just regular black paint or some kind of stain? I like the pop of color.

can I use this product the first year? just got a new deck a few weeks ago and I want to seal it.

Hi Jeff! Have to say, first video I've come across that I trust for information. Thank you for that and for sharing. Currently, I am tackling a restoration of my 15+ year old 1200 sqft pressure treated cedar deck and 16x12 pergola. The upper deck is enclosed on 3 sides that go into the house. The lower deck is open, south facing, and nothing short of Dantes Inferno. Taken a beating the last few years from extreme heat 50° plus and extreme rainfall to the tune of 3 feet in a month. It's pretty crazy for even Lower Mainland, West Coast Canada. I was hoping to get your feedback on a few things I'm thinking. Powerwashing is done up top, bottom yet to do, and see what it ends up as. Old, grey, and weathered and hydrophobic in some spots, not others. I don't want to stain anything, certainly not sanding, powerwash and seal only. See what top and bottom and panels, etc, look like. If they all have the same color to them, then easy enough to use the same product for all of it. My concern is sealing the deck with the same product if they don't match in color and also the protection on the lower deck vs the upper deck not lasting as long. Would it be OK to use Thompsons wood sealer on the lower portion and clear on the top? Or just do it all with TWS then do a clear as maintenance. Tad confused about which product to use first and with what. Anyhelp would be really appreciated. Thank you in advance. Hope all is well. Cheers from the West Coast 😃

Yeah, I had a deck replaced years ago and decided to just keep the oil based Thomson's on it. It's been probably four years and if I start seeing signs of graying, a quick cleaning and re-sealing does the job. My deck always looks the natural golden brown color! One year a ignorantly bought the Olympic water seal on sale but after shaking well, it came out of the can looking like watered down milk? I ended up trashing it and running to Home Depot for the Thomson's.

Good, helpful video. Do you like any water-based sealers? I read they've improved and can last.

Hey, I want to use the product but the can has changed and you make no reference to its stock number or a link. They now have a few different similar products. which one is this?

Thank you for your clear explanation and suggestions. It makes my life so much easier

I have a wood deck, maybe...300 feet from the ocean in LA. It's painted not raw. Can I use the Thompson sludge? I'm really sick of rebuilding it.

Can you please give us some advice? We had a deck built just 3 days ago on the south side of the home with lots of sun. It has yet to be stained & today we noticed that a lot of the boards and 2x4 railing tops are cracking and some floor boards are cupping!!! We are in disbelief this would happen in 3 days. The wood is pressure treated pine from Home Depot. Is it the installation? The wood? That it’s on the south side and had intense sun for 3 days? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I just rebuilt my deck after Behr's Overdeck absolutely destroyed it. Unfortunately I didnt know about the lawsuit until after the fact. Not only did it hold water against the wood, it also hid the rot in the spots it didnt flake up from. This sounds like a nice option that gives you a better sense of the state of the lumber.

So you say not to use a pure stain but a sealer so you can just pressure wash it and put on a new coat, but what about a sealer and stain in one? As I have pressure treated pine and would like a redwood or cedar tone. Which gets me to my next question do I have to pressure wash or scrub the fence pickets with a deck cleaner to get rid of the green hue and white spots which from the internet seems to be sap. Really starting to regret my decision of using treated pine instead of spending the extra dollar or two to put up a cedar picket fence that doesn't require all the preparation. I mean if I have to do all this scrubbing with that cleaner or pressure washing that I don't have the cost would have been the same just to put up cedar pickets. I kept one board out to be my test subject and it just looks like crap as the white spots bleed through

Great video. Could you please tell me what product you used to paint the pickets black? 🙏🏼. Thanks.

I'm confused, is the section that is already a good color pressure washed before the video or have a different stain a previous year?

Hey Jeff, this deck is two years into the Olympic sealer. Do you know how this product has held up during this time? Does it look like it will make it three years before re-sealing again?

I checked many of your videos. I enjoyed every single one. You done with great job for the people and for me personally. Thank you very much for your work. Wishing you the best. Sincerely, Samuel.

Hey Jeff, thank you for taking the time to make these videos. I agree with using oil base sealers on deck surfaces but in my neck of the woods we are extremely limited in our oil based products. I've made my own sealer from boiled linseed oil mixed with paint thinner at a 3:1 ratio and then add an M-1 mildew additive to the solution.

Hey Jeff, I just installed a new deck at my place this week, should I do the stain/sealer before fall?? or wait till the spring as the wood is brand new and moisture content seems to be high, I just figure the sealer won’t absorb right in areas where the brown treated is still soaked in the wood if that makes sense.

Just a quick question so if i decide i want to use the Olympic maximum am i supposed to still put the Thompsons sealer on first before that or just not use the thompsons at all?

Thanks Jeff and crew, When would you apply Second coat of Olympic Maximum? Or do you have to apply second coat?

Brush vs Roller - what's your opinion about the sealer? Also - what about having an oil seal applied prior to installing the deck? If i'm building a brand new wood deck, should I seal the deck planks in advance?

Will it last 3 years in Florida? Lots of rain here

Jeff, my porch has been painted. Now it collects dirt and looks terrible. How can I clean it? I have tried hard floor cleaners. Help!

looks great. Can I paint over the sealer? Can you suggest a good deck paint?

Hi Jeff, I really want to try the Thompson and don/t think about sanding anymore, but does that work for the tinted version too? I found Thompson Water Seal Waterproof Plus Tinted Wood Protector , is it the same, does it work the same? Please let me know because I would like to try it this year. Thank you so much

Muchas gracias por tus hermosos consejos Jeff, tus videos ayudan mucho a los que no somos expertos, Dios te bendiga. Thank you very much.

Hi Jeff , love your video But I have a brand new deck only couple days installation, can I use the second oil option on your video right away ?or still I need to sand my deck even if it’s new

Hi, I have used Thompsons waterproofer for years now and I also used it on bricks to seal them against water infiltration and it works well, I have a bay window in the front room, and I was getting dampness coming through the brick and making the wallpaper strip by itself. I did consider rebuilding the bay but I also wanted to change the flat roof to a pitched roof but I have a lot of other things that were higher on the to-do list and I had a gallon of this left from another job I had done, so I tried it to see if it would give me some breathing time. It worked so well that I have not got around to a final fix and it has gone down the list.

In a less serious vein, Can I use the pressure washer to clean my teeth? By the way, when I take my shower, I do set the hand-sprayer to jetstream and I do clean my mouth with it. So far, no toothpaste wear, no cavities.. I have a desk that has been abused. I just want to roller your product onto my deck. Will do a test apply in a corner and check it out.If it works as described, I will do the entire deck.

I have just installed a cedar deck 4 days ago. Can I just use just the Olympic clear sealer or should I use the Thompsons first and then apply Olympic?

Thompson's water seal is essentially wax dissolved in a liquid. It can be difficult to remove completely. It's likely you'll need to scrub it furiously with mineral oil. It's like melting candles across your deck.

I’m a little confused; does the Thompson water sealer go on only once, for the entire lifespan of the deck if you use the Olympic product on top of it. Or does the sealer need to be used every year as well as the Olympic product?

Hello, I have pressure treated wood deck that has 1 yo. The colour strated to shade. Can I put a stain and then the sealer ? Thanks.

Ready seal is the way to go. True oil based penetrating stain. And no overlaps or streaks. Won’t wash off!

Great job sir!! I’ve got a 20 by 20 deck and I’ll doing this. The wood looks like a reclaimed barn wood

Dude is wearing a Ramstein shirt!! Mad Props!