Decks are exposed to many elements throughout the year. Changing seasons, weather patterns and insects can all contribute to the decks premature ageing! Staining your deck will protect it from these many elements and ensure you can enjoy your deck year round. So what type of deck coating should you consider? Acrylic or Oil based deck stain?
Many people will visit their local hardware or paint shop and simply select a deck stain from the shelf only stopping to consider the different colours on offer, not even thinking about the type of stain they are applying. So let’s take a look at the key differences between oil based and acrylic decking stains.
Acrylic Stains: Create a coating layer that protects the timber from the outside (creating a protective shell). Over time acrylic stains will crack and peel and will eventually need to be recoated. Recoating will involve removing the original acrylic coating and generally a power wash and sanding will be required. After application all equipment used to apply acrylic deck stains can be washed in water.
Oil Based Stains: Penetrate the timber protecting it from within. The timber needs to be prepared properly before applying an oil based decking stain as the timber grain needs to be open so the oil can be absorbed into the timber. If the timber has been previously coated with a different product, you will need to strip or remove the old coating before applying the new stain. Oil wears away more gradually oxidising overtime and eventually fading away. Recoating with the same product is easy, a simple power wash and another coat. Unlike traditional solvent based oil stains that need to be wash up in turps, new oil based stains like Quantum’s Timbre Plus Decking are water based, so all equipment and brushes can be washed up in water making application easy. Take a look at how Quantum Timber Finishes works.
The verdict!
There is no right or wrong answer. You need consider the pros and cons of each and your own thoughts on maintenance. No solution is perfect and all timber stains require maintenance. Contact Us for more information.