deck care products

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In response to Tom's post....there are severe differences in the products listed in his message. First of all, some products like Sikkens can cost in excess of $220 for five gallons. Not to mention that Sikkens Cetol 123 system is a two step process, and that the second step will also set you back some cash.

Secondly, these products do not perform at the same levels. Essentially, any product that can be purchased at Home Depot or Lowe's dummy proofs the application process. They do not want some weekend warrior ruining their deck with a professional grade product that either requires ideal preparation of the surface or a working knowledge of wood and its characteristics. After all, who is going to test the moisture content percentage prior to splashing some Behr "UV" wood protectant on their decks?? Not many people. The trade off for ignorance is reapplication every year...

I assume everybody on this thread is speaking in terms of PTL. Ipe and Redwood often do not need every year application due to the qualities of those two materials. Overall, I have used in excess of 20 different materials over the course of 35 years. To me, the Sikkens product gives the best looking results by far but still requires yearly application of the second step. Most of the others listed in Tom's post are garbage despite all of the technical ho-hum that people like to throw out there. When it comes down to it, the best product is the one that looks the best when finished.