I'm replacing my rotted out deck that's old tongue and groove fir planks. I'm treating them with Borate mix today and tomorrow and would like a natural finish in the end. It's a covered deck.
I've seen some competing advice here on when to seal: should I seal before I install the planks? Or seal after when they're all in place?
Appreciate the input!
If you have the opportunity, I'd seal the sides/ends of the boards before placing them down, then seal the tops once they're mounted. Avoids the whole bit of getting a brush down between them, and provides a cleaner finish. You can do the tops twice if you like, but I suspect that either way they'll not match the existing deck unless your Borate treatment has aged them properly.
You can put down an adhesive bead on the joists before mounting the boards. I normally don't, but some people do. If you plan to live there another 20 years, I would use the adhesive, just to keep things a bit tighter, and lock out a bit more of the water.
