billdvorak

About a month of summer has past since I finished the deck. I did the steps with Cabots ATO cedar because I liked the yellow tone and the rest of the deck with AC rustic brown. The AC looks to be still curing as the appearance is getting a nice depth that it didn't have a first. The Cabots looks to be already getting sun bleached. The AC is not showing any problems with the abuse it is getting. I am becoming a big fan of Armstrong Clark.

Picture one is the old stain that lasted 10 years on the covered part of the deck.....but peeled after one year on the exposed parts. The color was yellow, then turned orange. Never looked natural. Picture 2 and 3 are about two weeks after applying the AC. When I installed the wood stove in 2009, I loved it so much that I wished to match the deck to go with the looks of the stove. I tried samples of Cabots, RS, Sikkens, etc. Only the Armstrong-Clark looked natural and had the ease of use like Ready Seal. I am not quite done yet but I am loving it.

Thanks for your advice. I will leave it alone for now. Any suggestions? It otherwise looks much better than I ever imagined. The AC was very easy to apply. I will have the wood stove and furniture back in about a week and will post some pictures then.

I have finished the deck. Will post pictures when it cures. The odd thing is that the most weathered part looks the best with AC Rustic Brown. Overall it looks great except it seems to be attracting dust. Especially the stain that was applied during cool weather. I am planning to apply some clear AC transparent over the dusty areas. Does this make sense?

It is not slippery at all. I wish it was a little bit glossy but it is a very matt finish. It hasn't stopped raining here. We are at 500% normal rainfall so I have had plenty chances to grip test.

I am getting exactly what I want for now. I have an old fashioned wood stove and so I wanted kind of a cabin feel to the deck but most of the stains I tried looked like kind of like "look at me---I'm a beautiful deck". The RS and the AC both seemed more modest but still very nice. Anyway I can't do the whole deck at once so I am trying to do a board at a time and every other board. Also around the sides is very weathered and is going to look different not matter what I do so I am thinking about highlighting it by using a different color or shade. weird huh. Anyway nobody but me looks at the floor so in the end it doesn't matter that much.

Charlie-I am mostly going for the color I want. If I understand correctly the worst that can happen is the need for clean and reapplication in a short time. I can live with that. Am I missing something?

This is a weathered area where the old coating pealed off. I used a cleaner and brightener, sanded 150 grit. Came out much darker but I think it will be fine. The weathered areas will be darker than the protected, covered areas but it looks good IMHO. Not completely cured yet.

Thanks for everybody's comments. To explain my choice of 150 grit. I did RS test patches with light brown, medium brown, dark brown, 60 grit, 80 grit, 120 grit, 150 grit. Since I am the homeowner and this became my pet project-----I need something that works consistently for me. I was almost happy with the RS DB 150 combination when Peirce at Ready Seal advised against using RS. So back to the drawing boards or web boards in this case. I found the threads about Armstrong-Clark and tried some samples RusticBrown. Once again 150 grit gives me the results I wanted around the parlor stove. It is a light brown with a distressed look by making the dings and stuff darker. I wanted a thin coat anyway because I am afraid I might change my mind. Either way the old coating on the covered part of the deck is still there after 10 years. The old coating on the steps and around the edges of the deck didn't last one year. I want to do something else for the steps. The AC rustic brown is very dark on the steps and a safety issue at night. I am thinking of Cabots ATO Natural for the steps. I will post more pictures soon. I fell in love with the Alaska Cedar after sanding the old semi-solid orange finish and discovering how beautiful it is.

Thanks for your comment. I will use 80 grit on areas exposed to sun and rain. I used 150 grit to get the color I wanted around the wood stove. This area is protected from the weather but gets heavy foot traffic.

I have decided on Armstrong-Clark after having success with sample of Rustic Brown. The other color samples looked too yellow or orange on Alaskan Yellow Cedar. The rustic brown was too dark for may taste so I tried a different application method. I am applying a thin coat with a rag and rubbing the stain in. This gives me a nice finish similar to Ready Sealy medium brown. I think because of the heavier AC pigments, knots, dents and other variations are darker and causing a nice 'distressed wood' look. Since my deck is distressed anyway I was hoping it could turn into a feature. I am retired and can only do one board at a time so it will take about a year. Am I crazy? What do you guys think?

This is my original picture. To the right of the Dog(Gracie) is RS Dark Brown one coat. I used 150 sandpaper because I couldn't get even penetration with 80 grit. I just got a sample of Armstrong-Clark semi Rustic Brown. I thought the brown would give a nice cabiny atmosphere. Otherwise cedar stains look good but I don't know if I want a light colored finish.

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Mine is in Gladstone, OR south of Portland. It does look exactly like your picture. I love the look and feel of alaskan Cedar. The covered part of the deck looks like new wood after I sanded the acrylic off. I have a test patch of RS dark brown. As you said, it didn't take much stain. I also wanted to do a test patch of Armstrong-Clark. I am a little concerned about the non-drying quality of RS as I have a crawling granddaughter who will lick the deck. I will post pictures later but the baby just climbed the end table. How do I post a picture?

I wrote to ReadySeal and they discouraged me from using their product on Alaskan Yellow Cedar (difficult of seal?). My deck is 10 years old, covered and originally stained some kind of acrylic that turned orange. I sanded off some of it and the wood underneath is beautiful. I am looking for and old-fashioned distressed brown. Nobody in the forums seems to use Alaska Yellow Cedar. Any help out there?