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Apologies if the question seems silly - my wife and I bought our first house last year, so this is all new to us. The house was built in 2016, and from what we were told, the seal on the deck was intended to last a few years - and was never re-done. So we're about 4 years late to do this. We're looking into just sealing it ourselves, since it'd be about 5 grand to have it done professionally (courtesy of ~60 feet of second-floor railing), so we're getting some clear coat now.

We had a couple professionals come out to evaluate it and give us quotes, and from what they said it should just need a quick wash (no power washing necessary) and it'll be good to apply the coat to. Our concern comes from my in-laws, who apparently did their own deck seal a while back, and the deck started to rot a couple years later. I'm chalking it up to their house already being fairly old, but my wife's terrified of doing the seal ourselves and whether or not the same thing will happen. Anyone able to chime in by chance? Living in the Pacific NW if it helps - it's fairly humid.

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isherwood
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Michael
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1 Answers1

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Sealing a deck preserves its appearance. Most decks fail when rot occurs in hidden places--joist connections, behind the ledger, the bottoms of posts, etc. Sealers don't help with that. They also don't substantially increase the rate of decay.

Before spending time and money on refurbishment, take a closer look at the framing. If you find mushy wood at the ends of joists or where decking crosses the joists, you're throwing good money after... other good money.

If you don't find rot, carry on. Note that some sealing products leave waxy substance behind that inhibits absorption and adhesion of other products, so you'll want to try to find something compatible. Look around for old cans, or take a piece of decking with you to a good paint store.

isherwood
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