Southern Home Pressure-washing in Richmond, Virginia: Is Oil Based Water Sealant or Acrylic Water Sealants better on Wooden Decks?

Southern Home Wood Deck in Richmond, VA 23225

Oil-based Water Sealants vs. Acrylic Water Sealants

If you are a homeowner with a new deck and this is the first time that you are planning to treat your deck, you probably want to know how to clean it to make it look new again. And, you probably are trying to figure out the best product to use on the deck to keep it looking nice and to protect the wood against rot and decay.

There are fabulous products on the market, each providing great protection, but some Sealants will hold up better over time. It is important to mention available products along the east coast, for they do vary somewhat between what is available in other parts of the country. Wood decks in Richmond, VA are generally built with Pine lumber. In other parts of the country, Cedar is more prominent.

Wood is cut and milled and brought into big box hardware stores like Home Depot and Lowes regularly. It is a very short time period between the cutting and infusing/pressurizing of outdoor woods with chemicals to keep bugs from infesting your new wood. Wood can seem moist, and a little bit of time should pass before applying sealants or stains. A moisture meter is the best method to tell when the wood is ready to seal.

When wood is adequately dried, there are many products to choose from. For new wood, I almost always recommend using a product that contains Linseed Oil. Linseed oil helps to condition the wood. It strengthens wood fibers by pulling the grain back upon itself.

One of my favorite products is one of the more natural-looking products, called "Ready Seal" Water Sealant, www.readyseal.com. It contains both Linseed and Tung Oils. Another favorite is "Olympic Maximum" which also contains Linseed Oil. Oil-based Sherwin Williams "Super Deck" is another favorite of mine.

Acrylic water sealants can be applied the same day that you clean. But, these products do not help to condition and strengthen the wood. Thompson's and Olympic both have good acrylic sealants, they may gray quicker on wood surfaces, but they both do a nice job of keeping water from penetrating your wood's surface and thus keeping rot and decay from taking hold. These products are much cheaper, they work in a pinch!

If you are thinking about hiring a company, or if you have additional questions, please feel free to contact Southern Home Wood Deck in Richmond, Va, and allow us to discuss the pluses and minuses of using either version and how we feel about the various products available.

Call, (804)585-8016 to reach Southern Home Wood Deck in Richmond, VA. We clean Wooden Decks, Wooden Fences, and Seal with the highest quality Wood Sealants available on the market.