Thompson’s WaterSeal Deck Makeover

(Thompson’s WaterSeal provided the products used to clean and stain our deck.  I was also compensated to review and write about the products used.  All opinions are our own and truthful.)

When we moved in 7 years ago, the deck was one of my favorite features of the home.

The traditional lines, large size, and beautiful staircase were striking.

The only problem, were the trees that covered it.  The droppings, shade, and just over growth in general, were over powering this beautiful cedar deck.

So, the first thing we did, was cut back the trees.  This helped, but over the years the wood still began to rot from not being treated.  The bones were good, but we had a lot of work to do to get it in good shape again.

So, yes…this makeover was a ton of work.  In fact it took us 2 Summers to complete.

However, what I’m really happy to tell you, is that we used some amazing products.  The hard part was replacing all of the rotted wood.  The easy part was using Thompson’s WaterSeal Products to not only protect the new wood, but to give the old wood new life.

This post does not focus on wood replacement.  My husband did that part and to be very honest, I have no idea how he did it.  The measuring, the cutting, the intense labor, the wasp stings…it’s not for the faint at heart.  He did not replace all of the wood, but approximately 30% is new wood.

When it comes to the “cleaning the new/old wood” part, and then “staining that wood”, I got you covered.

Here’s the deck before.  We had tried another brand of stain last Summer, even before we had replaced the rotted wood, but it didn’t make any of the wood look warm, and pretty like we wanted.

It made it look very uneven, and grey.

Before

I’m happy to say that this is how the deck looks now!

It looks so good, that we had an impromptu pizza party last weekend!

Here’s another shocker before photo:

And the after shocker:

And a little side show for you…

Here’s my husband replacing the rotted wood before we cleaned off the old stain.

*** Some of the links in this post may contain affiliate links for your convenience.  Read full disclosure policy here.

After the wood replacement was completed, he was so excited to try Thompson’s WaterSeal Heavy Duty Deck Cleaner.  My husband put himself through law school painting houses and power washing/staining decks.  His exact words: “It was the best deck stripper he has ever used.”

Clean the deck before staining:

(directions are clearly written on the can too)

1. Blow or sweep off all leaves and debris.

2. Spray surface of deck with water until it is saturated.

3. Using a pump sprayer, spray the deck with Thompson’s WaterSeal Heavy Duty Deck Cleaner until it is evenly coated.  Let sit for 15 minutes.  Be sure to mist it with water during the 15 minutes so it doesn’t dry.

4. Power wash that baby.

Find Thompson’s Heavy Duty Deck Cleaner here.

This is how it looked after it was clean…

Okay, back to work!

Maybe not right away, but after about 24-48 hours you can stain it!

Staining the deck:

1. Shake the cans and combine into a 5 gallon bucket.  That ensures one uniform color.

2. Use a good quality staining brush to brush it on heavily and evenly making sure it doesn’t pool.

3. If one coat doesn’t do it for you color wise, you can use *another coat.  That’s what we did.

*If you decide to do 2 coats, when you brush it on, you may notice beads.  Keep brushing through until it soaks into the first coat.

Find Thompson’s Waterproofing Wood Stain(s) here (this is what we used).

A couple days after we finished, it rained and this is what I saw…

Wow, just look at that water protection.

The last thing we had to do, was paint our railings with white stain.

Ahhhhh…what a site.

(yes, I still have a crush on my husband)

So, here we are.  At the end.

We couldn’t be happier with the results.

Thank you Thompson’s WaterSeal.

Enter Giveaway here:

When: July 24-July 31 2015

Prize Package: Thompson’s WaterSeal Heavy Duty Deck Cleaner (4 gallons) & Thompson’s WaterSeal Waterproofing Stain (4 gallons).

Who: 3 random winners will be chosen by the Rafflecopter on July 31st.  You must be 18 years of age and reside in the US (prize will be shipped in US only).

Good luck!

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