What do these deck painting companies use to redo wood decks, that they claim it will stain and protect the wood deck to the apocalypse? Can’t I get this product and just do it myself?
Our Answer
Paint that will last until the apocalypse? Now THAT we have to see!
It sounds like you are referring to a category of products known as “high build” elastomeric coatings. High-build is tech talk for thick paint, and elastomeric is a type of product that will expand and contract with the substrate, which is this case is your wood deck.
Some history here – about 20 years ago we began hearing about companies who would make similar durability claims for a product called “liquid vinyl siding.” Similarly, hard-selling contractors would claim that they could apply this paint to your wood-sided home and it would last and perform like vinyl siding. It did just that, except for months, not decades as promised. After that it began to peel of in sheets and/or allowed water to get behind and rot to set it. Those claims also extended to the products claimed ability to insulate as well — which is about when the Federal Trade Commission stepped in and put the kibosh on a lot of that.
Today we don’t hear much about liquid vinyl, but there are finishes designed to protect and restore decks and docks that sound a lot like that original product. The difference is, these are made by major manufacturers who thoroughly test and warranty their products.
Products such as Sherwin Williams’ SuperDeck Exterior Deck & Dock Coating or RUST-OLEUM’S Deck & Concrete Restore® 10X tout that they can fill gaps as large as a quarter-inch, adhere to deteriorate surfaces and can take the foot traffic. I’m more tempted to believe claims with a major manufacturer behind them but unfortunately, I’ve not seen enough independent reviews from purchasers to run out and buy any high-build products. The other deterrent we should mention is cost. The average good-quality gallon of paint covers about 400 square feet of surface area and costs around $25 a gallon. These products run around $50 a gallon, and offer coverage of just 75 square feet, so they are not inexpensive.
My best advice, pickup a gallon and do a small section of a deck, like maybe the stairs. Follow the prep instructions to the letter as this will ensure maximum adhesion, and see what happens. If it works as performed, then go all in the following season.
this is super informative and has really helped me move forward on my deck project. i kind of spontaneously decided to
i installed my ground level deck over a concrete patio solo in 2006 and boy what a job. 730 deck screws later…has brought so much joy over the 17 years i lived here – being able to be outside constantly. 200 square feet or so of put joy.
i realized too late that several boards were not installed properly (cup side down) which has resulted in rot. i refinished it after 4 or maybe 6 years and it turned out great. next time it needed done, 5 years i believe, i tried Behr Deck Over and despite following instructions to a T (albeit cleaning the surface with a much more eco-friendly deck cleaner to spare my animal/pollinator community), it failed within 16 months. of course Behr would say it was my prep.
anyway, there was peeling cracking and generally allowing rot on so many surfaces. on top that damage to the surface, the yard has eroded to where the ground level deck is now below the yard! this has caused the joists to completely rot causing spongy conditions. i plan to only be in this home 3 more years and cannot – nearing retirement age – fund a redo of the deck. i cannot get the screws to BUDGE so removing boards is not an option either. those i could remove allowed replacement of several boards BEFORE the Behr issues but that also led to rot at the replacement sites.
so, i am capitalizing on the only span of dry days all summer coming next week (August) to repaint the deck using PPG Porch Paint in Gingerbread shade (lovely orange sheen). [already decided if I do this again, I’ll use Sherwin Williams Cedar shade for their Super Deck paint, a little less brassy]. anyway, i have used JB Wood Bondo for the holes but had to brace and use fabric tape in many spots for better adherence. the big holes will just be where i park the grill from now on but most filled nicely. i am letting it dry/set for 48 hours before washing (by hand, on my knees b/c I have pollinators, geckos, birds, and other wildlife to try to keep safe). am likely to use simply green to scrub surfaces after lightly sanding. takes my wood a long time to dry and it has not been a day it’s not rained or stormed since June!
so am hopeful this PPG paint can at least last until i go to move. the color won’t appeal to most buyers and most will prefer to redo the deck anyway by then since the wood will be 20yo.