Decking stain woes - can anyone advise?

BuffetSlayer

BuffetSlayer

BuffetSlayer

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19 Jun 2012
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Hi all.

We had some decking put down a couple of years ago. Pretty good stuff. Tanalised as far as I know too.

Anyway about 18 months ago we used some ronseal ultimate decking stain:

http://www.wickes.co.uk/Ronseal-Ult...gclid=CMrI6O3fmtQCFQIcGwodI60COw&gclsrc=aw.ds

Within 8 months it was showing signs of coming away from the wood. Now, a total of 18 months since it was applied, around 70% of the 'stain' has just peeled off. It hasnt soaked into the wood at all. Every day it gets gradually worse.

We have used the stain on the sleepers (also tanalised) butting up to the decking and it is peeling off that too.

Any ideas why? Looks a right mess and I dont want to buy more for the problem to reoccur.

Wood was dry when applied and as far as I can see there isnt a damp issue.

The other thing worth mentioning is we had a large pine tree in the corner that overhung the decking but not as much as the peeling area, so not sure if it sap related.

Not sure what to do with it so advice welcomed.
 
Not decking, but I used exterior stain on all my garden furniture a few years ago. Stain crates a protective layer over the wood, but it usually flakes off after a while when the weather manages to get under it. I have sanded it all off my table and put some osmo oil on instead. Oil penetrates the wood so won't flake off, it will need a top up every year to keep it looking good, but it just goes over the old oil and it shouldn't flake off. I'm really impressed with the finish of the oil, and I won't be staining any more external wood again.

Dave
 
Try and strip off all the remaining stain off either by sanding of pressure washing. Then reapply with decking oil. I've had good experience with both Liberon Oil and No Nonsense Timber Decking Oil.
 
Osmo oil would be a pretty expensive option for decking I would have thought. It's about £70 for a large tin.

Some of the cheaper decking specific oils are probably a good option though. They'll soak in properly then and can be topped up regularly.
 
My decking is ~15 years old and though not highly used has survived very well with applying oil every year.

In-fact that reminds me I could do with some more and Screwfix do a 5 ltr can of Ronseal for £26.99 currently. No Nonsense oil is cheaper though I've not used that myself yet.
 
Thanks for the replies. The decking stain is charcoal grey so will need to look for oils in similar colour.

Will get it stripped back to wood over the summer and treat it with oil. Osmo seem to do a grey oil so might give that a whirl. Its £50 a tin and we will need at least 1 tin possibly 2. Pretty steep but I dont mind paying for good stuff.
 
Same happened to me with ronseal, complete waste of time and money. Looks rubbish after 2 months of weathering.
 
Whenever I hear of people complaining about decking woodstain not working I always have to wonder if it was applied correctly in the first place.

Everyone I have talked to, I always ask did they prepare the wood first, did they use a proprietary cleaner and reviver first, even on new wood.

9 times out of 10 the answer is "no I just washed brushed the deck, let it dry, and painted the stain on".

When i did mine, I built my decking, left it a year to weather, then spent two weeks cleaning it by brushing and sanding very thoroughly between all the gaps, prepped it with a top quality decking cleaner and reviver, rinsed thoroughly, repeated a couple of times, then left a few days before painting the woodstain on, 8 years later still looking as good as new, not been re worked at all.
 
Entai said:
Whenever I hear of people complaining about decking woodstain not working I always have to wonder if it was applied correctly in the first place.
Click to expand...

It was applied as per the instructions on the tin. I cant remember it mentioning propietary reviver or anything else.

So whilst it wasnt applied in the manner you describe, it was to the best of my knowledge applied in line with the manufacturers instructions.

As such, it is still a poor show by Ronseal.
 
Online on Ronseal's website

http://www.ronseal.co.uk/garden/decking/ultimate-protection-decking-stain/

they say

Ronseal said:
BEFORE YOU START
Untreated, weathered decking: For untreated grey and weathered wood use Ronseal Decking Restorer to restore the deck's natural colour and provide a sound base for application which ensures the stain penetrates effectively.

Previously finished decking: Use Ronseal Decking Cleaner & Reviver to remove any dust, grease, oil, mildew, algae and other contaminants. Remove any loose, flaking or peeling coatings. To avoid patchiness, and if using a contrasting colour, make sure you remove all previous finishes using Ronseal Decking Stripper. Ensure cut ends are adequately protected using Ronseal Decking End Grain Protector.

New Wood: New decking should be allowed to weather naturally (usually 6 months). This will make sure any pre-treatment has eroded allowing the stain to penetrate and adhere to the deck. Clean the deck with Ronseal Decking Cleaner and Reviver using a scrubbing brush to open the pores of the wood and remove any contamination from the manufacture of the timber. Rinse thoroughly with clean water ideally using a pressure washer. Allow to dry fully before overcoating. Test effectiveness of the cleaning by slashing the deck with water. If beading occurs, re-clean. Retest before applying any stain.
Click to expand...


I know it's a cop out but I guess they can't fit all that on the back of a tin. Then again it's manufacturers for you in the modern world, they want you to keep going back every couple of years and buy their stuff again, so don't make the correct way to prep surfaces and use their products really clear, otherwise they do themselves out of further business.

Quick google on how to prep for woodstain on decking will give up lots of reviews and instructions on how to get best results.

Ok, I was over the top in length of time my preparation took etc, I'm more than happy to admit that, but I'm all for, "if it's worth doing, it's worth doing right". My neighbour, on the other hand who did prep his deck similarly, with reviver etc, but did it fairly quickly in a few days, still got great results as the stain was able to penetrate, and not just sit on the top as a layer to peel off later.
 
Tried all of the DIY shed offerings over the last 6 years, Ronseal, Cuprinol, perfect finish, ultimate, tough variants, normally the £30-£40 a tine offerings etc They all last a year, and thats with proper prep, many years with full random orbital orbital sander back to wood.

Humid winters, cold weather, lack of sunlight in winter, gives algae, flaking, peeling and looking poor come Spring. Repeat above cycle.

Until last year when read reviews for the barrettine all in one, from wood finishes direct, was cheaper at Toolstation and comes in a huge canister so was good for 2 coats.

They do clear
http://www.toolstation.com/shop/p25816?table=no


and light oak
http://www.toolstation.com/shop/p91204?table=no


I always like a bit of colour so went for the light oak. Went on great, dried well, and a year on still looks fantastic, zero peel/flake, and colour still good. Highly recommend it.
 
Well we need slate grey colour. Now looking at alternatives like ecodeck or trex. The frame is OK so I only need new boards and screws.

Seems like a good option long term.

Going to try and get ecodeck but its gonna cost £1200. But if thats the price of never having to faff about with oils and stains then im certainly leaning towards a composite solution.
 
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