clear sealer

[steffysmom 14]

Just wanted to see what everyone would recommend as a clear sealer for a pressure treated deck. All of the decks that we have completed this year have either been ready seal or WTW. The customer wanted Thompsons Water seal and we would prefer to use something a little better. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[PressurePros 249]

All customers initially want a clear. You should be forthcoming with the customer and let them know that is possible their deck will be graying by season's end especially if it has sun exposure. I have never done a clear for this reason. What happens is usually this. The deck looks great and the customer is happy. In thre months it begins to look a little grey. After the winter it will be completely gray and they will have long forgotten that initial joy they felt about your job and they will think you did something wrong. To compound the problem, if you use a good quality oil finish the customer would need to have the deck restripped. Noone ends up happy in this scenario. if you are familiar with Wood Tux I would dilute it 50% with water and you will get close to a clear but their will stil be enough quality pigmentation to heep the deck from prematurely graying. Apply some to a sample board and show the customer. It should be a relatively easy sell.