Defy?

[Paver saver 14]

Can anyone tell me anything about Defy and the epoxy fortified sealers? I have been strictly a concrete sealer guy and have had far and away the best success with Techni-seal, but they do not make anything for wood. I am sure wood sealers are like concrete, that there are many names but very few good ones. I am interested in the Defy sealers, but wonder if I am just suckered by the ads. Are they any good or is something better. I currently need to do a deck about 18 months old, never sealed, customer likes the look of the existing wood, wants a clear unless that is really a bad idea. any thoughts are greatly appreciated.

[steve r 14]

Can anyone tell me anything about Defy and the epoxy fortified sealers? I have been strictly a concrete sealer guy and have had far and away the best success with Techni-seal, but they do not make anything for wood. I am sure wood sealers are like concrete, that there are many names but very few good ones. I am interested in the Defy sealers, but wonder if I am just suckered by the ads. Are they any good or is something better. I currently need to do a deck about 18 months old, never sealed, customer likes the look of the existing wood, wants a clear unless that i

s really a bad idea. any thoughts are greatly appreciated.

as far as clear there is no uv protection .the darker the seler the more uv protection you will have .some products are ready seal ;wood tux wet;wooddefender;thes are products i use and have good success.if applied right .fist you have to clean and then neutralize the wood .i use hd 80 for cleaning .and apply oxcalic acid for the neutralizer.this is the easiest way.depending on the wood .is it pt or a hard wood different circumstances.

[Aplus 525]

Use the search function of this board and you will find answers to the questions you've asked.

Welcome to the board, don't be afraid to dig around.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

We have used Defy products at the request of the homeowner to maintain the warranty in effect for their log home.

Personally, we were not very impressed with the product in both duration and maintenance applicability. It needs to be completely removed once the product has failed and then re-applied. It does well if the integrity of the original product is still intact. Stripping proved to be a trick in itself. We had to do a great deal of sanding afterwards to remove the blue stain from the logs (we usually only need to de-fur the logs after a strip.) on the side that needed to be stripped.

We applied this product in temperatures of 70-80* and it did not want to penetrate very well which resulted in a bit of running and drips which needed to be spread about on uncoated areas.

Based upon our experience with Defy on a scale of 1-5, 5 being the best, we'd give it a 3.

For other stain brand options and feedback, conduct a search. There is plenty on this board to be found.

Rod~

[charlie 14]

Rod

I didn't think Defy made a blue stain.

Charlie

[JFife 14]

does he mean blue stain, a.k.a sapstain??

[Paver saver 14]

Thanks for all your info.... OK Defy is out. Now I have narrowed it down to Wood tux and ready seal ( I think) which would you suggest on the following deck: 18 months old, never sealed, Ohio valley, Heavily shaded( trees built into the deck) pt pine, wood is clean and bright, home owner likes look of exisiting wood or is afraid of change, not sure. So currently looking at the lightest stain I can get away with while still have some uv....... so what do you suggest WTW or RS or something else?

Thanks

[Celeste 341]

Oh this is going to get fun! There are multiple contractors here with as many opinions as to what stain is going to be the best. We have used both - from an applicator perspective, we found that Ready Seal & Wood Defender to be easier to apply as no back brushing is necessary. The Wood Tux line has a definite advantage in moister conditions as Ready Seal & Wood Defender require a dryer wood. We have gotten excellent coverage rates with all products and have personally have not had the best longevity with Ready Seal BUT are also willing to say that the cause for this MAY have been newbie error at that time - not sure but the possibilty is there.

The Wood Tux has a wonderful pigment system and will be lighter if applied on wet wood. Ready Seal & Wood Defender offer pre-mixed tones.

Celeste

[Paver saver 14]

OK, you people are the best. Again bear with me, I am a concrete guy........we're slower. Anyway, cleaned this deck 2 weeks ago with Behrs( I know) cleaner. I am going to use RS. Do i need to clean again, or neutralize? is so with what?

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Jon, you are correct, sap stain. Thank you for the clarification.

This was only prominent on one side where the product had failed from southern UV exposure. We don't necessarily contribute the sap stain condition to the product but it is coincidental that it occurred on only one side we had to completely sand. This log home has only ever had Defy installed and that was the first application. We were called in to service the home 1 year after that initial application.

Rod~

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Anyway, cleaned this deck 2 weeks ago with Behrs( I know) cleaner. I am going to use RS. Do i need to clean again, or neutralize? is so with what?

If you are using local resources to buy in, pick up one that says Brightener/neutralizer. It will contain oxalic acid. Buying locally from HD or Lowe's is expensive, we recommend you find a supplier of contractor grade and quantity products for your wood restoration needs. It will save you money and increase your bottom line.

Rod~

[charlie 14]

Rod

My guess that the reason why Defy didn't hold up well on the Southern side is that 2 coats weren't applied or the product didn't penetrate in the wood do to poor preperation from the other company that did it previously.

Did you apply the epoxy or regular treatment on it.

Charlie

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

We were supplied by the homeowner with the epoxy version.

Your guesses are right Charlie.

The builder did not wash the logs first and they apparently slopped it on with a mop :lol:

Seemed like a single heavy coat that we were seeing.

The sections under the porches faired well. The north side come to think of it was badly mildewed under the finish. That part stripped well but we did some lite sanding in places to get rid of the mildew in the wood.

Rod~

[Paver saver 14]

Ok, I just checked, the cleaners used was a cleaner/brightener with the acid you mentioned. It was cleaned to weeks ago, Do I need to clean again? I am fighting falling temps here and not sure if I use another day to clean it, that I will get warm enough to get it sealed. So if was cleaned and brightened two weeks ago, can I just seal it with the ready seal?

[RPetry 564]

Jeff,

The wood should be fine two weeks after cleaning/brigtening to stain. Make sure to remove any loose dirt and leaves prior to stain application. A powered air blower that landscapers use works well.

The problem here in the Northeast at this time of the year is wood moisture content. Ready Seal is a terrific stain that I use exclusively for softwoods but the product does require dry wood (<= 12%). Dependent on weather conditions, deck exposure, shade, AM dew, etc. it may be difficult for the wood to get this dry in Nov.

In general, plan on starting to stain late in the morning and start on vertical wood that dries out quicker. Wait until mid to late afternoon to stain the horizontal wood. Two applications of stain on the horizontal and one heavy application on the vertical wood works well with Ready Seal. As this is the first time the deck has been treated, get as much stain into the wood as possible. If applied correctly, the wood will take a lot of stain.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Only if the deck is not exhibiting sings of dirt or graying. Then I would seal it. If someone else has done the cleaning (if I am understanding you correctly here) I would not guarantee the work though. You are only doing half the job and considering that the wash part is the most important to obtaining a quality surface prep and you were not a part of that process. This is our policy.

If the deck floors and handrails are exhibiting graying or any signs of dirt, you can prep with some sanding. Usually we would recommend a defurring pad if time wasn't short for you.

Rod~

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Charlie,

You should have seen the drip marks from the builder's initial application. It was soooooo sad. You would think a builder would finish a house professionally or hire someone with the know how.

Beth