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If you’re like me, you’ve been frustrated with “modern” deck finishing products that don’t last, and require stripping and refinishing on a yearly basis. In the Pacific Northwest, decks are wet at least nine months of the year. Algae, mold, mildew, rotting leaves, torrential rain and even snow create a tough environment for a deck. Even using the best oil-based stains, two years was the maximum before refinishing was needed.After considerable research, timber oil seemed to be a finish that had some real advantages over sealers and stains. The Woodrich Timber Oil products receive excellent marks from homeowners and commercial deck builders alike. The biggest attraction was that, once the deck had been cleaned and stripped of the previous sealer/stain and timber oiled, further stripping was not required—simply clean and re-oil when required.To decide on which Woodrich oil finish color works best for you, buy the sample color kit (https://www.amazon.com/Timber-Penetrating-Fences-Siding-Cabins/dp/B014GAJIWK/ref=lp_13190602011_1_4?srs=13190602011&ie=UTF8&qid=1502116006&sr=8-4) and apply each one to a sample of the wood you plan to oil. In order to get the proper finish, flood coat the area with the sample color and let it soak in. Once the oil has soaked in you can compare the colors and decide which one is for you. Consider waiting 24 hours before you make your final color choice. This will show the true color on your wood. We choose “Amaretto,” which gave a rich reddish-gold look to our cedar deck. Woodrich supplies the production oil in 1 and 5 gallon sizes.Any refinishing project will yield maximum results only if properly prepared. First, strip off the old finish. Woodrich has a 2-step stripping and brightening kit(https://www.amazon.com/dp/B014GF4LSQ/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=IS50S3C2JMWS1&colid=3FI9NMB6VPBEP) that come as powders you mix with water. Read the cautions on the stripper container. I'd suggest mixing it outdoors and wearing a respirator mask and rubber gloves.. The chemical powder is caustic! Apply the stripper according to the directions and pressure wash or scrub the old finish away. Stubborn areas may require additional stripper. Keep at it until all of the old finish has been removed. Rise thoroughly to make sure all old finish and stripper has been washed away. Let the deck dry until it's damp, then use the brightener to bring the deck back to a clean "new wood" look. Allow at least 48 hours drying time. These are the best products of their type that I’ve found.At this point, replace any wood that is too far gone to be saved. Look the deck over carefully for any imperfections, stains, scratches, etc. that may have been hidden by the old finish. If needed, sand these away, either by hand, an orbital or small belt sander, or rent a deck sander from your local big box store. Our deck is a mix of 13 and 30 year old wood and really benefitted from the sanding pass. Rinse the deck to remove sawdust and apply the brightener again and allow 48 hours drying time. At this point your deck will look like it was just built. Remember, the oil is transparent and will allow the grain the show though. Any imperfections and discolored wood will also show, so make sure you’ve done a thorough prep job.The 5-gallon size comes in a handy plastic container that is easy to use. There is a single large cap, which comes with a plastic wrench for easy opening and closing. There is also an air vent with cap to make pouring easy. You’ll need to remove the air vent cap and poke a hole in the plastic before trying to pour the stain. For those of you used to wrestling with a standard 5-gallon paint bucket, this container is an enormous improvement.With the air vent and pouring cap closed tightly, shake the container for a minute or two to mix the oil. If you have more than one container of oil, mix them in another large container to insure that you have one color.If you only have a single 5 or 1 gallon container, simply pour the oil directly from the container into a pump garden sprayer. We used a somewhat fancier 2-gallon pump sprayer with changeable spray tips, an air release valve and solvent-resistant seals. Pump up to moderate pressure and test the spray pattern on scrap wood. Once you get used to the sprayer, you’re ready to go. Apply the oil when the deck is in the shade (if possible) and the temperature is moderate. Hot wood will absorb more oil, but may push oil out when it cools. If this occurs, wait a few days—it will eventually absorb all the oil. The moderate temperature is for your comfort—you don’t want to drip sweat onto the fresh oil. The temperature here in Portland was over 100F last week when we did this work. Starting at sunrise when it was only 75F was the only option.Wet down plants that might get over spray on them, and use cardboard and painter’s tape to mask off concrete and anything else that shouldn’t be oiled. Mineral spirits and a rag will remove over spray, as well as clean the sprayer and stain pad.Start with any vertical surfaces (posts, rails, planter box sides, etc) and spray on a flood coat. The idea is to saturate the area with oil. Watch as the oil is drawn into the wood. Wait until no more oil is being absorbed, then use a stain pad or rag to smooth in the excess. Don’t worry about any oil that has fallen onto the deck surface. Use a stain pad to smooth it out. You won’t have any problems with overlapping when you do the deck surface. The oil “self-blends.” This is one of the key benefits Woodrich Timber Oil has over conventional stain.Do the deck surface in sections small enough that you can reach them with the stain pad on the pole. Try to plan out your route so you don’t have to walk on fresh oil. Flood coat and wait, as before, and smooth out any excess oil. Continue until the deck is completely oiled.Another advantage of timber oil is that it can be used on new wood. The finish looks identical on the replacement wood and the older wood. You can also pre-oil the new wood before installing it, which will allow all sides to be finished. In the photos, half the wood in the stairs is new. Try and spot it---I bet you can't.Allow 24 hours for the oil to be fully absorbed before walking on the deck. Check for any areas that may not have been fully saturated and apply more oil if desired. If there are areas that are wet with unabsorbed oil, use the stain pad with some fresh oil to smooth it out. The appearance of the deck will change subtly over a period of several days as the oil is fully absorbed. The appearance is difficult to describe—the deck seems to “glow” from within and every detail of the wood is highlighted. This 30-year old deck has never looked better. There is no "re-coat window." If you see a spot that seems to need extra oil, apply it whenever you want. The odor is also pleasant, without a chemical smell.Timber oil is a penetrating oil, not a sealer. There is no “barrier” and water poured on it will not bead up as dramatically as with a sealer. This is normal and the wood is still being protected.Woodrich has superior customer service. They are a small family-owned business, and my email with questions was answered within minutes by Russell, the owner, who asked if he could call me. We had a very pleasant and helpful call. If you have questions, don’t be afraid to contact Woodrich. They’ll answer immediately and get you on the right track. We’re so impressed that we’ve ordered more timber oil for our side gate project.The photos show the deck before starting work (dirty and gray-even the dogs were embarrassed), after stripping, sanding and brightening, and finally after oiling.
