Finally the days are longer and warmer and, like every spring, we were itching to start some projects. Since the weekend was forecast to be dry, we decided to prioritize the deck, which is really bleached but still in good condition. Our last attempt to stain and protect the deck did not go very well – See “The Tomato Soup Deck.”
Four years have passed since I said I wouldn’t use the Thompson’s Water Seal treatment again, and having failed to find another product we liked, we reversed course and bought an ‘advanced formula’ Thompson product which did not require the deck to be bone-dry. We even chose the same cedar colour, for want of better options, since putting a transparent seal on the bleached wood wasn’t going to improve its looks enough to satisfy us.
Thompsons 'advanced' formula on the bleached deck
Back then, I read that power-washing would cause the wood to ‘bloom’ and was not advised. So I scrubbed the deck by hand.
This time, Cottager just got the power washer out.
Back then, we really didn’t get the product into the spaces between the slats.
This time we taped paint brushes to broom sticks and got much better coverage in those spaces.
Cottager with a brush taped to a broom handle
And while the product recommends you don’t use a roller – without explaining why…
We did it with a roller anyway.
Either the product has improved or we have. We shook it really, really well and it went on evenly and looks and feels great!
Nicely stained and preserved for another few years.
It didn’t take all weekend either. We also had time to: trim hedges, do some garden clean up, barbecue steaks, see a movie, walk into the village along the beach, have a weiner and marshmallow roast on the beach, fly the Angry Birds kite a recent visitor left behind for us, and have the neighbours over. Love these longer, warmer days.
The Cottagers 