Good & ecofriendly wood water sealant?
 

I think its time to re-seal the porch flooring. I'm not sure how often this is supposed to be done, but I'm starting to see a little buckling here and there.

Can anyone recommend a good wood water sealing product?

I did a lot of research on stains, most performed dismally including several I personally tried. The solid colors and semitransparent act more like paint and hold up better.

If you want a transparent clear or transparent tinted (the best choice because clear ones have less UV protection to prevent graying) I would recommend Sikkens Cetol 1 (base coat) with Cetol 23 (top coat), Sikkens Log & Siding, Shuco Transformations, Continental Weatherseal. and maybe Permachink Ultra. There are probably other good ones out there, but there are so many bad ones I would only use it myself if I saw real test data or had personal experience myself or from someone I trust(a high end painter) You can also use 3 coats Cetol 1 in place of the 1/23 combination. DON'T use Sikkens SRD-it doesn't hold up nearly as well.

All the good ones are oil based from linseed/soy oils so the raw materials are enviro friendly but require paint thinner for cleanup. The water-cleanup ones are less enviro friendly to make but don't do as well. If it holds up longer so you have to do it less often, I think that makes it more enviro friendly!


Here are 2 good links-the only visual comparison test info I found where a manufacturer put their money where their mouth is:

http://site.ozarkloghomes.com/pdfs/t...tionreport.pdf

The Continental Products Company - Your source for Log Home and Industrial Coatings including - Log Home Paints, Log Home Presevatives, Log Home Stains, Log Home Sealers, Log Home Maintenance Products, Log Home Coatings, Log Home Floor stains, Log Ho

Craig

Linseed oil? Brazilian rose wood oil?

What type of wood is it and what type of finish is on there now?
For straight up water proofing bare wood I like Thompsons water seal, but it's wax based so it's going to prevent most other finishes from sticking over top later on.
On my Ipe deck boards I'm using Australian Timber Oil because it has UV protectiveness, then on the ends of the boards and on any of the knots, to keep them from checking and splitting I put on Anchor Seal, a thick wax based coating.

I assume that the deck is exposed to weather?

I've had good results with boiled linseed oil mixed 50/50 with thinner (easier to apply and absorbs well). I sweep / brush / clean the surface and make sure it is as dry as possible before brushing or rolling on the boiled linseed oil mixture. Try to stay off the wood for a couple of days as it tends to be a bit sticky (and aromatic) until it can dry / cure. Boiled linseed oil will definitely darken the wood, but it helps the wood shed water and resist weathering.

Best of all, boiled linseed oil is inexpensive and easy to find at any hardware store. You can use a less-toxic citrus-based thinner to reduce the number of lost brain cells from the usual petroleum based solvents.

FWIW,
Tim

I have no idea what was previously used on the deck. It has a roof over it, but it is exposed to weather.

You might want to pressure wash and sand it first.