New untreated deck, wait 12 months ? before sealing ?

[Barry Loy]

Just as the header reads, how many of you recomend waiting 12 months before applying sealer ? I am going to be using CWF- UV. The Flood Co. recommends waiting a year before applying sealer or the CWF will not penetrate properly causing early peeling. (cleaning or no cleaning ) They recommend using their product called Seasonite for the first 12 months and then applying the sealer. I'm not sure what to do next, I was planning to start this project Wednesday, the 29th.
What are your thoughts ?
Barry Loy

 

[johny]

Dont wait 12 month and dont go by Floods recomendations,i wouldnt use their stain,its crap.
Do ASAP ,wash it with citric or oxalic and put on a good stain
Johny

 

[darrel]

i would wait till the decck turns completely gray then power wash and seal cwf is probably the best product i have worked with in the past waiting for your deck to turn gray will prove to be the best and longest lasting way to treat your deck
darrel

 

[Aplus]

Good Luck then.....

 

[Mike Hughes]

Dont wait! That is some serious "old school" thinking at work there...........damage can occur in that timeframe. Do not wait for the deck to turn gray............gray = damage.

CWF is not a contractor grade product, do yourself a big favor Barry, don't asscociate yourself with it.

I have sealed decks as soon as two months after they were built.

 

[reedsterstl]

Barry,

DON'T WAIT. Like Mike stated, this is old school thinking. new wood will grey inside of 3 months and = damaged wood. Seal as quickly as possible. CWF-UV. NO NO NO. Other products available with much less hassle and quality. Mike and I use a sealer that will run circles around CWF-UV. Did you know that Flood even states their own stripper won't take it off?

remove the mill glaze and seal. This is the best opportunity to preserve the wood. That is, get it from the get go.

Reed

 

[Backbrusher]

NEW WOOD

I have used their Seasonite on a few new decks and that stuff does work. It lets the wood dry out evenly the first year but the wood must be clean or the dirt will be trapped. Otherwise remove the mill glaze with cleaner then apply a good sealer. I use Wolman F and P which can be put on new wood.

 

[Tim Smith]

Mill Glaze

Mill Glaze - exterior of wood has been compressed by the saw blades. Clean it with an acid to help open the pours so that your wood will take the sealant.

Baking Soda and water will help age the wood.

 

[Sunny1]

Wait...but don't

Barry, listen to what these guys are saying. The only thing I'd like to point out is that"as soon as possible" may not be right. I say this because newly constructed decks are made from lumber recently cut. They will still have natural tannins in them that need a little time to dry out. 12 months will certainly result in damaged wood, but the first month or two may still have the wood too wet to get a good seal job accomplished. 2-4 months of dry time after a new deck is built should be just the right time to seal. Take into account the duration of sunlight it gets a day; if there a lots of shade trees; ect.; and any other factors that can increase or decrease the drying out time for new construction. After that, use a contractor grade sealant for best results. Keep in mind that you get what you pay for! A low cost sealer from Home Depot(who isn't in the business of wood care) will give you low cost results. And although a customer who is price savy now, ussually turns into the complainer later. Just my thoughts. Hope they give you food for thought.

 

[Barry Loy]

Thanks to all who redirected me !

Thanks to all of you who I trust your experience over my inexperience. Thank you. ( yes, I did switch products )
Barry Loy

 

[johny]

What does ,strip this crap off,anything at all??I have 5 decks,have been sealed 3 years ago and a wood siding home,all with clear,.Did one today ,and ouch ,thats when i disovered whats on it.Seemed to have sealer still on the railings.
Johny

 

[Mike Hughes]

HD-80 will remove CWF nicely.

 

[reedsterstl]

Sunny1 raises a great point. If you perform a splash test and the water soaks in readily you can count on the wood pores ready for sealer. If the water just sits there then time to do a simple oxalic acid wash to remove the mill glaze. Oxalic acid will aslo force tannin down and remove the runs from nasty oxide stains from bolts, nails, and screws.

Sometimes in our busy schedules we may forget the basics. Of these basics the splash test being the simplest is probably the most over looked.

Sunshine at last!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Reed

 

[TCRSJUAN]

Barry


Johny is right don't wait, you may not have anything to seal in 12 months. use a citric or oxalic to remove the mill glaze rinse real good. and use a commercial grade sealer, and load the wood until it will not take more.[tie] BUT DON'T WAIT

 

[Beth]

Don't wait!
Alot of that "old school" came about (from what I understand) as a result of what people thought the checmicals were doing to the wood when pressure treated. There is a big differernce between the chems used in that process and a sealing. The chems used for pressure treating are supposed to deter/kill wood eating insects etc. (CCA)

All the dirt that gets tracked onto the deck during construction needs to be washed off. Mill glaze (very common on cedar) needs to be removed too. At that point the wood is ready.....

Remember, you really don't know how long ago the wood was milled... for all you know it was cut a year ago.

Beth

 

[Rob Smith]

FYI

One thing I always do with a newly constructed deck is ask for the builder. Then I can call him and ask if they recieved the wood "wet shipped" or if the bought form a local lumber yard. This does two things, 1) gives me a new contact that builds decks that I may be able to get business from. 2) It allows me to make an Informed decision on when to powerwash and stain the wood. If wood is wet shipped, it will always be in the 2-4 month frame. Most lumber yards have had there wood long enough not to have to worry about it. i.e. can be washed asap. Does anyone else do this ?

Rob