I ran accross you guys while trying to find help with my 3 year old cedar deck. I built the deck myself and it is great. Unfortunately, I know little to nothing about stains and by deck looks like it. I want my deck to look good for at least a season, but so far I have stained it each of its three years with poor results. 1st, I stained with Cabbot clear oil based sealer. Big mistake, no UV protection. Next year, stripped (using Cabbot problem solver + brightner) and stained with Cabbot clear solution cedar stain. Looked nice for a week, and blothing started soon after. Last year I just put a coat of the Cabbot clear cedar stain on again, no stripping. Looks bad. I called SealMaxx for an estimate (2K for my 12 x 14 deck), They said they are like a Pella window, expensive but a life time solution. I just plain don't trust these guys as they can't answer any of my questions with a straight answer. I looked at one of their customers who were supposed to be very happy, and found out that the were very happy that Sealmaxx replaced all the shrubs they killed when they did their job. The deck looked like driftwood you see on the beach, only harder. I've read your postings and read some stuff on a website about Wood tux, it seems great. I am just looking for a good contractor to do the job as I really have had no luck. However, I don't even know what my deck needs. If anyone could educate me or point me in the right direction. Thanks, Chris.