Clear sealer for cedar that's easy to maintain?

[aaroncgi 14]

Hi all, first post here. My wife and I just redid our front porch in western red cedar. This is a very small porch, only about 75 square feet, with about 80% of it being under a roof and receiving no sun whatsoever. Our primary goals are to protect the wood from rotting and that it be easy to maintain. We like the completely natural look.

A couple years ago we built a large deck of redwood and cedar and treated it with Cretowood. We have cleaned and brightened it at least once a year since and it's still looking great. It's been the perfect solution for us, as we don't mind the greying. We'd love to do this in front, but the problem is - Cretowood's only sold in 5 gallons, and we probably only need about one gallon. We can't justify spending $200 when we're only going to be using 1/5 of the product.

Having read how all the best product is sold at paint stores rather than the big-box stores, we picked up some Deckscapes clear sealer from our local Sherwin Williams. However, I'm reading a lot of mixed messages regarding this or any waterbourne product. And what I really haven't been able to find out is whether the SW Deckscapes can just be reapplied every year or two after a cleaning, or whether the prior coat needs to be stripped off. Even the employee at SW didn't seem to know. Anything that has to be stripped off before reapplication is a no-go for us.

I also came across a product from Timber Pro Coatings which looks to have all the features we want:

Wood Deck Sealer, Redwood or Cedar Deck Stain or Fence

Does anyone have any experience with this product?

Thanks in advance!

Aaron

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

You appear to be a home owner, so your thread is being moved to the Ask The Pro's area. As for the product you mentioned, never heard of it. We use several other thng, the one I suggest for you is Armstrong Clak. Click the banner here on the forum.

Beth

[John Orr 206]

I agree with Beth on the Armstrong Clark. They are VOC compliant, while other products may vary in formula from state to state.

[aaroncgi 14]

Indeed, I am a homeowner. My apologies for posting in the wrong forum. Thanks for the recommendation of Armstrong-Clarke. I've read all the info on their site, and it sounds like exactly what we need. The price is very reasonable, too, just barely more than I paid for the Deckscapes, which I'll be returning.

Thanks again!