Treated pine

[Harv]

what are people’s thoughts on weather to oil or stain a new treated pine deck,I was going to oil but reading a few forums I am leaning towards stain now,woundering what you guys prefer 

Thanks guys

[Jason]

Hi @Harv,

You might find this information from Cabots interesting about why there's no clear (colourless) decking oils. They say the reason all exterior decking oils have pigment (stain) in them is due to the colour being the component which provides protection from Australia’s harsh Ultra-Violet radiation. Screening out UV helps to protect the timber surface, and prevent degradation. Bare timber left in the sun will go grey and eventually cup, crack and splinter.

I'm sure other community members will be happy to make suggestions, but you might also find these previous discussions useful:

• Deck renewal project
• Ocean grove deck - strip, sand and oil
• Which oil should I use on my deck?

When did the new deck go down?

Jason

[Jason]

Hi @Harv,

Just wondering how you are going with your deck? Have you stained it as yet?

Jason

[Stuardo]

Hi Harv, 

Here is my recent treated pine deck story.

I used Cabots Aquadeck merbau colour on my new treated pine deck. I followed all the rules of aging, sanding, cleaning etc before hand and after 2 coats it was bright orange. I hated it! I had to put a different darker stain over the top to tone it down. I found out afterwards on other forums of other people who had orange deck complaints. Maybe I should have tried doing a test piece first. I think treated pine being a very light timber you just have to be careful with the end colour you want. Hope it all comes out good for you and enjoy your new deck.

[MartyH]

How long did your darker stain last @Stuardo? I'm curious as to whether a lighter or a darker stain is longer lasting. You would think that darker is more heat and more likely to suffer from the sun, but then the reason why the manufacturers don't do really light or clear stains is that there's no UV protection...

[Stuardo]

MartyH  It's only been stained about 4 months and I have since had a patio cover built over the deck so the sun won't be a factor any more. 

[kiazeb]

Hi, I was just reading your post and have had the same result as my pine deck is extremely orange after 2 coats of the merbau aquadeck. Can I ask what you used to get a darker finish

[StevieB]

A very warm welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @kiazeb. It’s wonderful to have you join us, and great to see that you’ve jumped straight in and asked your first question.

Let me tag @Stuardo so they are alerted to your question about which darker stain was used. It would be fantastic to hear an update on how your deck is going now @Stuardo.

Our resident D.I.Y. expert @MitchellMc will also be more than happy to make suggestions when he’s back on the site tomorrow so you can start enjoying your deck soon.

Stevie

[MitchellMc]

Hi @kiazeb,

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, and many thanks for your question. You might like to have a read of what the difference is between decking stain and decking oil. Of particular interest would be that applying an oil instead of a stain to a light deck can turn pine and cypress an orangey colour. Cabot's suggest applying one coat of Deck & Exterior Stain in Merbau to darken the colour. As always, it's best to do a test section to ensure you are happy with the results.

Please let me know if you need further assistance or have questions.

Mitchell

[Stuardo]

Hi @kiazeb  I used Cabots Merbau water based stain to darken the orange colour and ended up with a dark terracotta shade. Neither product gave me the colour of Merbau. After a few years now the colour is still the same and the deck is good and solid thanks to the patio cover I suppose. Maybe next year I will sand it back and try something else.