Decking

[r896neo]

check this out

//www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=129111&start=0

In my opinion which is shared by many staining softwood decking is a terrible idea and oiling it is the only thing you should consider, some oils have a slight tint. The water based stains will begin to flake off and then your stuffed as even re-staining it will look patchy.

A stained softwood deck will never look like a hardwood in my opinion as its more to do with texture than outright colour.

 

[imamartian]

my decking, which was pressure treated softwood looked great when i first built it, but after 2 or 3 years it started to look a bit dull and lifeless. And it looked like it needed moisturising - so we oiled it, and it revived it a bit, but still needs doing every couple of years.

But structurally, the pressure treated stuff is still sound as a pound... the posts are still not moving, and there's no rot in any of the timbers... very impressed with that.

I wouldn't dream of staining or trying in anyway to control the colour of it... mother nature will have none of that... She'll blast it with the sun and then send water, then boil it again, then freeze it... ultimately mother nature gets Her way !!!!

 

[Chit]

check this out

//www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=129111&start=0

In my opinion which is shared by many staining softwood decking is a terrible idea and oiling it is the only thing you should consider, some oils have a slight tint. The water based stains will begin to flake off and then your stuffed as even re-staining it will look patchy.

A stained softwood deck will never look like a hardwood in my opinion as its more to do with texture than outright colour.

That's horrible - hope WDIK managed to fix it somehow? Thanks for all the help and advice all, I've now realised a whole load of things that I'd never have even begun to think of if it wasn't for this forum!

My personal preference is the hardwood decking - I like the colour. But this should not be stained, but oiled instead? And this should last in the region of 1 - 2 years before it needs to be oiling again?