# Cedar deck help



## mickbiv (Sep 7, 2010)

Live in the North East on a lake built a 1200 square foot cedar deck 3years ago and I cant get it right. 


Six weeks ago i had my cedar deck oiled with PENOFIN Red Label Ultra clear. This was the second time in ten months that we had the deck stained. Power sprayer and back brished application. Hired a "pro"
2 weeks ago the deck was attacked by what looked like mold.
PENOFIN corporate office said it was from tannins and possible oil that was on the surface and was not wiped off.
Cleaned the deck with BEHR, mistake number 1, deck cleaner.
Then used a bleach solution on top of the BEHR deck cleaner.
Deck looks worse then before I touched it.
Now what do I do?
Questions:

Is PENOFIN that right product? Would any other product allowed the wood to turn in such a short amount of time? Six weeks, UGH!
Can I let this go to the spring. Assuming the deck is going to need a tune up after a long winter.
What should be my expectation using PENOFIN in the North East? Do I need to apply the oil every 10 months or so and use a deck cleaner to maintane the deck.
What is the best deck cleaner out there for cedar?
Do I power wash the deck?
Thank you for any advice. This has been an expensive frustrating process.


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## jcims (Mar 21, 2009)

Wish i could help Mick. All i can say is my last deck was cedar and my favorite part was building it. LOOOOOOOOVE that smell. Unfortunately it was all downhill from there...and it had nothing to do with the material, just the crap that we put on it...it was like a three year trainwreck. Good luck! I'm sure you'll get some good input here.


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## mickbiv (Sep 7, 2010)

That smell is so good. We have scrap pieces we burn in the outside fire place it. Love it! But that can't be the height of my enjoyment smelling and burning it. or is it? UGH


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## Aggie67 (Dec 20, 2008)

My two cents on cedar:

Built a deck, using Evergrain decking (cedar color), and cedar posts & rails, and painted black balusters (aluminum). I love the look. I never stained the cedar. Just powerwash it gently every year. I guess I like that light golden look with the black balusters. It gets gray over the winter, but after you powerwash it, it looks like the day I built it, which was 13 years ago. I do remember getting mildew one year (2004). I think I cleaned it with simple green.

If I were in your shoes, I'd call the contractor, get his supplier's number, raise Cain with them, and push to get them to cough up the material to strip off the deck and brighten the wood up again, and have the contractor do that portion.

Then I'd hire someone else and apply a different product, after I've done some research.

A quick internet search reveals that this isn't a new problem with Penofin and cedar, either.


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## mickbiv (Sep 7, 2010)

Thanks but I suggested the PENOFIN from the contractor. I will raise hell with the corporate people at PENOFIN. See where that gets me. Love the idea od keeping it raw and just power washing it once a year.


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## jcims (Mar 21, 2009)

Aggie67 said:


> ...Just powerwash it _*gently *_every year


Just wanted to underscore this. lol


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## Chris Nolan (Aug 7, 2013)

Mick, here are some possible solutions to your Questions:

Is PENOFIN that right product? _I think there are better suited products for softwood decking like cedar. Penofin works great for high density hardwoods like Ipe and Cumaru._ Would any other product allowed the wood to turn in such a short amount of time? Six weeks, UGH! _What you are seeing could also possibly be black mold. Penofin won't cause it, but it won't kill it either._
Can I let this go to the spring. _Absolutely! Let the refreshing New Hampshire winter do its magic on the Penofin. _Assuming the deck is going to need a tune up after a long winter. _True dat!_
What should be my expectation using PENOFIN in the North East? Do I need to apply the oil every 10 months or so and use a deck cleaner to maintain the deck. _Quite possibly. We have found that Penofin will "flash off" in a fairly short period of time (depends on the wood species, exposure, amount of UV, etc.) We usually get a year out of Penofin here in coastal Connecticut on hardwood decking._

What is the best deck cleaner out there for cedar? _We have had good success with many of the per-carbonate based cleaners that are on the market - they basically turn into hydrogen peroxide when you add water and they give a fantastic deep pore cleaning for lots of wood decking species. Penofin's cleaner is one of several options for you._
Do I power wash the deck? _If you do, please make sure you turn the pressure down as low as possible or you may end up tearing up a lot of beautiful cedar boards. I would try the cleaner first and if you're not happy with the results, then try the power washing._
I hope this information is helpful. Best of success!


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## Gymschu (Dec 12, 2010)

I'm a painter that does quite a few decks. I have tried virtually every kind of sealer, stain, and toner on the market. I have found that CWF-UV from the Flood company is the best in terms of cost, longevity, and how the deck looks. It usually lasts 2 to 3 years before a recoat which is about as long as you can expect on a horizontal surface exposed to the elements. You can buy it as a clear or with a cedar toner in it to give you that orangish hue of cedar. Just my two cents'.


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

I do not know the penofin line but know things like Thompson's Water Seal that have some sort of liquid parafin or wax can actually encourage mold spore growth and I too wonder if that is not what is happening here. TWS is a one season product at best. 

The problem with such things, if penofin is the same, is you have to wait for the stuff to get out of your way now through to next season. 

Flood makes great products. I have had good luck with Sikkens and used to like Cabot as well. I grew up specifying and using Olympic stains but they do not seem to hold up so well anymore. 

Make sure you look for products with high UV protection.

Once you find a product that works better, you should still plan on applying every three years and especially in your climate. If you get more you will not be disappointed.

And I will second the thought on powerwashing. We jump to using them too often and set to hard when sometimes a good scrub brush is a better answer. Of course they are fun to work with to a point but be careful. You can carve up a cedar deck and even cause a pine treated one to check with so much water.


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## Jmayspaint (May 4, 2013)

Gymschu said:


> I'm a painter that does quite a few decks. I have tried virtually every kind of sealer, stain, and toner on the market. I have found that CWF-UV from the Flood company is the best in terms of cost, longevity, and how the deck looks. It usually lasts 2 to 3 years before a recoat which is about as long as you can expect on a horizontal surface exposed to the elements. You can buy it as a clear or with a cedar toner in it to give you that orangish hue of cedar. Just my two cents'.


 I used it on a deck last spring, and it doing great so far. The cedar color is nice. 

When that stuff first came out I used it on a lot of rough cedar siding. It looked great for 3-4 years, then it would give way quickly. Sometimes it would turn almost black. 
I stopped using it for siding in favor of Sikkens. Which is reputed to be the the longest lasting ext stain system (and I agree). 

When I used it years ago, I believe it was warrantied on siding for 8 yrs. That's unrealistic ... For just about anything really. If you want nice stained (not solid) ext wood, regular maintaince is a must. I think the warranty now is 4yrs on siding. 

I always liked the wet on wet application of the CWF. If you do 2 coats, the second goes on while the first is still wet. Once it dries, its waterproof and won't accept another coat. 


Just another 2cents, since we're posting in an old thread anyway


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

J
Just another 2cents said:


> Usually I look. Thanks for pointing this out.


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## Jmayspaint (May 4, 2013)

Old threads are a good place to chat anyways... Besides, deck stains/sealers is always a relevant topic


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