I'm about to redo my deck and need to use a sealant that will last more than just a couple of years. What do you like and how has it performed?

Been searching since the 80's for my 888sf DIY deck
but even the acid-soak-in $$$$ (e.g. Flood) stuff will leach out unless roof covered + the Flood acid brand eats most nails.

Yes, land.arch guys preach the benefits of protection (& of course lumber yard salesmen) but gotta say, raw naked bround-treated 2x deckboard did A-OK over these decades. Replacement of some boards with the inferior global friendly ones began 10 years ago but not back breaking.

That said, a perfect party deck for social/biz climbing reasons, needs protection and finally, there are some EZ-2-apply tools found an Amazon if nowhere else. From sheepwool to soft brushes that load to the brim, etc.
As for me, if involved, I would want a big tank o Devoe/Ben.Moore/equal on a spray push roller plug-in dolly (think vac cleaner machine) w/spray wand attachment for benches - that takes only one hour/1000sf, then vacation for another year.

Since no one answered your Q thus far, thought this might be priming the pump, as I would like to learn real world Texas experiences to share ... from 3 or more years observation betting NONE

I used some Sherwin Williams stuff that had a five year "guarantee," but within two years, it was mostly gone and by three years I had boards that were rotting out.

Ready Seal. It's oil based and doesn't peel.

This is what I just out on my columns in my porch so we will see how the sun facing portions do.

I put the solid color behr premium on a fence and raised garden beds two years ago and it has been really good so far. Over $200 for 5 gallons. Claims it's 10 years for a deck.

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FWIW, I too have had good luck with the Behr semi-transparent and solid color stains. We applied the solid color to some park benches we refurbished about 8 years ago and the still look good (despite being in full sun/no shade). We have used the semi-transparent on our deck, but I don't think we got more than 3-4 years before it needed refreshing.

We have tried many transparent stains, none lasted more than two-three years.

Bonfire97 said:

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Ready Seal. It's oil based and doesn't peel.

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This is my preference but even it only last about 2-3 years if getting direct sun exposure.

This thread is why I went composite when I had to replace my existing deck. The cost was close to double vs. replacing with wood, but almost 10 yrs later and all boards & railings are straight, not faded, and look essentially brand new. Maintenance consists of scrubbing it down once a year. Would never have another wood deck.

Bonfire97 said:

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Ready Seal. It's oil based and doesn't peel.

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But needs to be reapplied every 2-3 years in my experience. It sure looks great though.

TheRatt87 said:

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This thread is why I went composite when I had to replace my existing deck. The cost was close to double vs. replacing with wood, but almost 10 yrs later and all boards & railings are straight, not faded, and look essentially brand new. Maintenance consists of scrubbing it down once a year. Would never have another wood deck.

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I've given a lot of consideration to composite, but my deck was built with 24" joists, which could be problematic. However, I built steps on the west side of my house with 24" stringers and composite steps without any sagging issues after four years of getting hammered by the sun. The other issue with composite is I will have to choose between a lot of butt joints or a lot of waste, as 33 of the 44 boards are 10' long. The other 11 are 16'.

No way of do composite with 2x the recommended joist width.

I'll take a photo of my fence and garden boxes that are in year two and get full sun with the coating discussed earlier. It's almost certainly wh as t I'll be using on my deck when I redo it.

Ryan there's a guy in I think 3rd Ward who sells 16 foot treated deck boards for less than$9 each. I've bought a lot of treated lumber from him ever the years.

This is after 2 years in the sun.

This is after 2 years in the sun.