AboutMichael J. Owen Expertise Most questions about how to build, repair and maintain wood decks and fences.
Experience Have built many wood and man made decks in California, Bahamas, Florida and Georgia.Now living in Panama, Central America after 25 years in the U.S.
Organizations None
Publications Just had my late mothers book published. A murder mystery set in England.
Education/Credentials High School, College graduate.
Awards and Honors None
Past/Present Clients Too many to list in three countries and three states.
Expert: Michael J. Owen Date: 7/6/2008 Subject: sealing decks
Question QUESTION: hi there,
just a quick question. how many coats of sealant is optimal for decks after getting the power washing? i'm not stainging it at all. how many days do you recommend you wait after it rained, after power washing. thank you so much.
ANSWER: Hi Bethany. It needs to pretty dry before applying a water seal. I have always used a quality product like Thompsons Water Seal or similar. When I lived in S.W. Florida, I used to pressure wash about every six months and re-seal. Kept the decks looking good for years. One good coat should do it for a while and perhaps another in two to three months.
Hope this answers your question.
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QUESTION: thanks! that helps a lot. when i reseal after 2/3 months, am i suppose to do the pressure washing again? also, if i do double coat, can i go longer in between the sealing? thx.
Answer Hi again Bethany. You would not need to pressure wash again if the deck is still clean. Applying two coats initially would be perfectly O.K. if you let the first coat dry completely. It will soak into the softer parts of the wood more quickly than the darker and harder grain elements. I believe that rolling the sealer on instead of brushing will allow the sealer to better cover the sides of the boards.
Hope this answers your questions.
