This post was updated on April 4, 2025
Deck Resurface Coatings: Behr Deckover, Olympic Rescue-It, Rust-Oleum Deck Restore – Do They Work?
Hi, I’m Scott Paul. With over 30 years of experience as a leading exterior restoration contractor and business owner, I specialize in exterior wood restoration. My Deck Resurface Coatings reviews and helpful tips are grounded in decades of hands-on testing and professional expertise.
Everything I share is designed to help you find the top product choices for your deck projects, ensuring long-lasting protection and a stunning finish. Let my experience guide you toward the best solutions for your wood restoration needs. See here for more info about me.
2026 Deck Resurface Coatings and Tips
Share Your Experience with Deck Resurface Coatings
Have you used products like Behr Deckover, Rust-Oleum Rock Solid (formerly Deck Revive), Olympic Rescue-It, Cabot Deck Correct, or any other Deck Resurface Stains? I’d love to hear about your experience! Feel free to share pictures of your project in the comments along with a detailed description of the product brand and your results.
A Word of Caution
If you’re considering a Deck Resurface Stain, keep in mind that many users report poor experiences with resurface coatings purchased from big-box stores like Home Depot and Lowe’s. These coatings often fall short on durability and performance.
Notable Recommendation
While user feedback for most deck resurface coatings has been overwhelmingly negative, one exception has been Gulf Synthetics Deck Revive, which has received favorable reviews for its performance and reliability.
Your insights and photos can help others make informed decisions about which deck resurface coating to choose—or avoid. Let us know how these products worked for you!
Deck Resurface Coatings – Do They Work?
Homeowners are always looking for an alternative to deck replacement. When wood is neglected, it can be expensive to have it restored or replaced. Companies like Behr, Rust-Oleum, and Olympic are selling deck resurface products. They claim they are the smart alternative to deck replacement. They can be applied to wood surfaces such as decks, stairs, docks, composite decking, etc. So, is it a good alternative or just a waste of time and money?
Deck Resurface products are similar to an extremely thick paint. They are designed to mask the wood and fill large cracks or voids. Deck resurfacer coatings will not show any wood grain. Please note that this product is far beyond conventional wood restoration.
Why use Deck Resurface Products?
The one plus reported by deck restoration professionals is that these products have little sign of UV fading. This, however, is typical for most solid paint or opaque stains because of the high volume of pigment.
Another benefit of using a deck resurface product is the wide range of colors. Because these products are more like solid, thick paint, companies can offer consumers unlimited custom color choices.
My Pro Tip: Avoid very dark colors as they can become hot to the touch when in full sun.
My 4 Reasons to Avoid Deck Resurface Products
- Deck Resurface coatings peel
- Difficult to remove when they fail
- Cause rotting
- Deck Resurface coatings are costly
1. Deck Resurface Coatings Peel
My tests and seeing these coatings in the real world show that despite what the manufacturers claim, these products are prone to peeling. Peeling is always an issue with any film-forming product. It still seems to stand true that anything subjected to the elements will not hold up for more than a couple of years.
Olympic Deck Rescue-It Peeling Photos
2. Deck Resurface Coatings are Impossible to Remove
Another issue with deck resurfacing products is that they create many maintenance and removal issues. With conventional wood restoration, the ease of maintenance using a wood stain helps the deck look so good for many years. With deck resurfacing, maintenance is a chore. Good luck trying to remove such a thick, heavy product. Once the product is on the deck, you may be stuck with it or need to replace the wood. Conventional deck stripper will not remove Deck Resurface Coatings, leaving your options to remove with heavy sanding or scraping.
My Pro Tips: See this article on How to Remove a Deck Resurface Coating.
3. Deck Resurface Coatings Cause Rotting of Wood
The third issue is that most deck resurface coatings do not allow the wood to breathe. They coat the surface 100%, leading to dry rot and, eventually, deck replacement. When the coating cannot breathe, the rotting starts from the bottom up and traps moisture.
We suggest reading the comments below for consumers who have seen firsthand how their decking rots away, causing the need for a full replacement of the wood flooring.
My Pro Tips: Gulf Synthetics Deck Revive is breathable and has had no complaints of rotting.
Rust-Oleum Rock Solid (Deck Restore) Peeling Photos
4. Deck Resurface Coatings are Costly
The cost per square foot for a deck resurface product is extremely high. This is mostly due to the poor coverage rate of these product(s). The average cost is around $1-2 per foot, which is astronomical compared to conventional wood restoration stains.
So, despite the manufacturers’ claims that the product lasts many years, I see firsthand that these products fail and peel within two years. They are expensive to apply, have a horrible coverage rate, create rotting wood, and are hot to the touch in direct sunlight.
My Pro Tip: A class Action Lawsuit has been filed against Rust-Oleum Deck Restore 10x: See Here
Still Looking for a Deck Resurface Coating?
Please read my article on Gulf Synthetics Deck Revive Review. If you’re looking for products that work, this product has real value.
Disgruntled Rust-Oleum Rock Solid (formerly Deck Restore) Customer on YouTube
Deck Resurface Product Reviews
Gulf Synthetics Deck Revive Review
Rust-Oleum Rock Solid/Deck Restore Review
If you have any questions or experience with these deck stain products, please post below
I used Behr on my front porch because it is small and I didn't want to apply it to the large deck until I knew I would like it. I used a color that is darker and I hate it! It has a flat texture and we have a dog. When she comes on the front porch she leaves paw prints everywhere! I wish mine WOULD peel off! Is there anything I can apply on top of this to either get it off or put some kind of sealant on it so that her paw prints don't show?
You cannot apply anything on top or seal it. Only way to fix is to remove it and start over.
Hi, i had the same problem.. you can repaint deckover product with deckover of a different color to change the look to something you like.. once it is dry you can use a thomsons water seal product to give it a little sheen ( no more then 2 light coats or it will yellow the finish slightly) and this will help prevent the paw prints and marks made by fallen leaves etc. It will also make the deck more washable with a hose. I did this on my decks and so far it has held up well. I would recommend reapplying the water seal annually in 1 light coat going forward.. sometime in the spring after the decks take a beating from the winter snows and salt, but before the summer heat starts to bake the surface.
A previous owner used Rust-oleum's Restore 10x last spring. It chipped before we moved in later that summer and the snowy, fairly cold winter in Utah. We then tried to remove it because it looked awful and it became a nightmare project. Five or six deck stripper products later, power washing, belt sanding, and hand scraping later, we have a deck that is half stripped. The color of our banister is a light grey (Cape cod looking) and we want to keep our deck that way. Because I don't think a full-oil stain would work with Restore 10x paint still on it in some places, what would you recommend to apply to our deck? I do not know the type of wood but it receives ice/snow and temperatures in the 90s during the summer. We do not have environmental regulations that i know of and I want something that will last and match the color of the banisters. Please help me!!! I really appreciate it!
Brian, you cannot apply anything on top of the Restore, it must be removed all the way. Once removed you might need to go with a solid color stain to match the verticals. Cabot or Flood solid stains can be mixed to match.
Had the same problem with the restore product.. it was a lot of work to remove the remaining portions.. I found a couple of techniques that may help you.. first was heat stripping.. they make professional heat strippers which you can rent or purchase perhaps.. money was an issue for me so i had to go a different route.. i had an old iron for ironing clothes.. i soaked some rags or old towels with water and placed them on the tuff spots.. i then ironed those areas, it made the restore puddy up so i was able to scrape it witha puddy knife. Then i used a citrus stripper gel from homedepot, applyed and let it soak in.. then i powerwashed the deck with a 0 tip. Which did get me back down to bare wood. I then used deckover product with a top coat of thompsons waterseal and it looks good and has lasted a full year thus far. Hope this helps
Years ago I had great experience with the Restore PRE-Rustoleum marketed product … still looks great after three years. Since Rustoleum got involved I have lost lots of money and time using their Rustoleum version of Restore. Surface prep, etc. was according to directions, but the product is really a waste of money … surprised they still have it on the market due to the very high rate of failures.
Too bad they seemed to have messed up a good thing after they bought it.
spent alot of time and money on the rescue-it product. What a nightmare! Can't seem to hose off the dust and dirt that get tracked onto the deck. Olympic has directed me to now use a deck brightener on it. By the way, previous to this they had me cover the orginal applications of rescue-it with the same color maximum stain.Sorry I used this product.
Brightener will not do anything.
My old deck is splintering a bit and was about to use one of the deck restore products until I read the posts on this blog. Darn glad I did before spending hours and dollars on applying something that I'd regret later. I have used Flood products in the past and a treatment lasts about 5 years. I'm in North Carolina at 3400 feet elevation and some pretty tough winters and mountain fogs pretty much year round. Thanks to all the good info on here I'm off to get 5 gallons of Flood wood treatment.
I live in Wisconsin and applied Olympic Rescue It last September to a deck that I had always used a Olympic Semi transparent on. The deck is in direct southern exposure and the wood had split and cracked. I followed all, the directions using Olympic deck cleaner and filling gaps with the recommended caulk. The process took a week after letting the deck dry off, minor sanding, filling the cracks and laying on the product. I also did a small piece of fence that is a privacy wall it all looked well but it did absorb heat so it was hot to walk on. It is quite an investment in time and product cost. When the snow melted this spring the Rescue It had failed and was peeling in some places. It looks terrible and just try to remove it and get back to the original boards. It is a nightmare and of course Olympic will return your money if you have the receipt which I can't find. There is a class action suit that you can join and it might be the best option but that will be years down the road in the meantime Olympic was no help in telling me how to remove the stuck on product. Buyer beware there is a reason there is no warranty on this product.
We live in upstate N.Y. A.K.A. "ILL Duce" Cuomo country Once upon a time we had a P.T. deck. Replaced it with "TREX." That was about fifteen years ago. Yes it's expensive. But most people I know do not have the time to regularly stain their wood decks, nor the money to hire someone, so they disintegrate. If you are replacing a deck and going to stay put for awhile, you cannot beat the synthetic wood for durability and low maintenance.
I am in the same boat. So disappointed. I have called several different times and told since I have no receipt I cannot get a refund. Now what? Lost hours of labor , and now trying to fix the mess!!
Good luck on getting your monies back. There is a class action suit going on due to the rip-off product. I had all of my receipts and was told to take it up with Lowe's.
Put Behr (Rustoleum) Deck Restore on our deck summer 2013. After the snow melted, spring of 2014, the peeling started. 70% of the deck peeled off in large "sheets". I caution others to STAY AWAY from this product !! Home Depot refunded my $$ after bringing in the remaining paint in the origional bucket and showing Photos of my deck. They can't compensate me for all the work I did and am now going to have to do to get the deck ready to use another product. (power washing, sanding, cleaning and restaining…grrrrr BEWARE !!!
Bill,
Which product exactly did you use? Was it Behr Deckover, Rustoleum Restore, or Olympic Rescue-it? They are completely different products. Just want to clarify for people looking for the best one.
I followed all the instructions exactly, had 7 days of perfect weather – mid 80's and low humidity, unusual here is SE Virginia. Deck looked great for 8 weeks, then the rust showed up. About 2/3 of the fasteners have rust spots showing through. I called Baer and all they could do was tell me to sand the spots, prime them, and repaint. Nothing in their literature says anything about possible rust from fasteners. I would not recommend this to anyone.
Same thing happened to me. I bought 2 big containers. Love it at first but then, the major peeling, hot to walk on and still splinters. I could not get my money back from Lowes because I could not find my receipt.
We did Rustoleum Restore last September and have awful peeling issues after a very cold winter. It was prepped and applied properly, so we got our money back from the company. They told us to just pull off the loose parts, wash boards well and reapply, but I don't want to go through all that work again. Any suggestions for how to proceed? Should we remove it all or how should we do that? it broke my heart that all that time and energy was wasted already. Ugh!
Yes remove all. Start by washing off what you are bale to and then sand off the rest. You are not the first to be deceived by there marketing.
Does anyone have recommendation for painting an old concrete patio that had been painted years earlier by previous owners? Please help.
I have old concrete steps all I used was some zinsser primer and had it tinted to the color of the trim on my house so far so good after one North Dakota winter. (Note: do not use satin, semi gloss or high gloss, very slippery).
I sell this stuff for a living. I've used most of them on both concrete and wood. I live in Wisconsin, in an area of extreme temperature & humidity variations.
#1 Pressure washing your deck on the high setting is a big no-no. Best is garden hose (good pressure), with a good deck cleaner/brightener (Behr does well). Pressure washing breaks the fibers of the wood and will cause failure of any product, especially if applied before the wood has had enough time to completely dry out.
#2 New, pressure treated wood will not hold any coating or stain until it has fully dried. I recommend an entire year for this step. I won't even sell you a paint, stain, or coating if you tell me your deck is brand new.
#3 Do the "duct tape test." Take a few pieces of duct tape and apply them firmly to your deck in different places. Rip them off quickly (like you would a band-aid). If there is anything on the back of the tape (fibers, dirt, peeling paint or stain, etc.) you MUST do more prep before ANY coating will be successful.
#4 Most of the 4x thick Coatings (Deckover, Restore, Rescue) will feel warmer in the sun, especially if you choose a very dark color (this is beneficial in northern climates in the winter, as snow is easier to clear). All REQUIRE two coats. It'll look good with one, but you need both coats if you want it to last and be covered by manufacturer's warranty.
#5 Depending on the space between your deck boards, the 4x coatings may close up the gap. Use a thin putty knife to keep that gap clear of product if possible.
#6 Behr does have the best reputation for honoring their warranties, with proper documentation. There is no doubt. Rustoleum has also been quite good to my customers. Rustoleum has the longest warranty. Olympic and Valspar customers have been disappointed,
Hope this helps!
Can I use bher deck cover on a deck that is painted with floor paint not stain?
No you cannot.
Can you use any of these types of products, including Cabot DeckCorrect on a deck that was previously painted and is peeling without sanding everything off, first?
You have to remove any old coatings for these products to have a chance at working.
I accidently hit thumbs down, but this was a very helpful review. We are trying to decide now what to do. We have always used thompsons clear waterproof, but never lasted, so last year we bought thompsons stain & changed to clear well looks awful, and so many mixed reviews on the three above products to restore with a double coat of paint, still not sure. we live in Alabama , so not much snow to worry about. Still confused to what we should do.
This is the best reply I've read yet. I'm wanting to use the new Cabot DeckCorrect on a badly weathered, cracked and splintered deck. The #1 tip you have about not using a pressure washer probably just saved me because that's what I WAS planning on using. I am still worried about peeling over the winter. I live in Virginia so winters aren't horrible. Any one has used this product and can offer feedback
I applied Restore last summer winter killed all pealed. Called the company and they refund me only the paint no labor or materials. Now I'm looking of what to do after striping brightening and sanding can anyone recommend which product should I use?
You cannot strip this. Pressure wash off what you can and sand the rest off. Sorry 🙁
What process did you use to remove the restore. I have been using a paint scraper but I'm having a though time. Any suggestions?
Chicago area, wooded lot, acquired an exposed old deck in mostly shaded western exposure, replaced a few rotten boards with new pressure treated wood, power washed twice, some (guessing) solid stain resides under the overhang that did not come up with the powerwasher. Just ready to look into a final prep product. Researching Behr Deckover and Rustoleum Restore appearing it would be perfect to fill in the old weathered unloved deck. Thank-you for all the honest reviews! Wow! So now looking at an oil based stain per recommended in this thread.
Questions:
Do we sand the remaing old solid stain/paint before apply any product?
Is there a recommended oil based stain for this region? Prep involved? Longevity expected?
Thanks
Yes you will need to sand off the paint if switching to a penetrating oil based stain like TWP 1500 Series. Typically will last 2-3 years in your area. Nothing lasts longer.
I can't get up all the paint, have used stripper and been scape
and pressure washed. but still in some places.
can I use the deck restore x10 anyway.
I would not. It will most likely fail.
Restore 10x wi lldo just fine.
If the subsurface is not chipping, flaking, peeling or bubbling, it will stick.
Follow their instructions to the letter. (2 coats, special roller cover.)
You'll love it.
I have customers who have had Restore 10x on their decks for six years in Wisconsin.
used and recommended rustoleum, then winter came now powerwashing it all off. Complete waste of money.
I started prep work and need advice! I bought a house with a painted deck that was peeling. I pressure washed the deck but only got the paint off in the high traffic areas. I want to put a coat of something over it, does anyone have any ideas. Wood isn't in top shape but isn't in terrible shape either! Any advice would work!
Just remove the peeling stain and reapply another solid color stain.
I was just about to use Deck Over on my deck – glad I found your website, I have used a water based stain on our deck and this year because of the bad winter and spring weather and the constant rains, I am seeing tiny wooden mushrooms growing on our deck. This is a first.
I was just about to use Deck Over on my deck – glad I found your website, I have used a water based stain on our deck and this year because of the bad winter and spring weather and the constant rains, I am seeing tiny wooden mushrooms growing on our deck. This is a first.
What would be the best way for me to get this cleaned up and properly re-stain? An oil-based stain this time? Should I pressure wash before doing anything ?
You need to remove the old stain first. This can be easy or difficult depending on the brand of the old water based that was used. Once you remove the stain you will need to brighten the wood as well. Best is to use an oil based for penetration into the wood grain after the old stain is removed. TWP or Armstrong Clark.
I just bought the Olympic Rescue It and am waiting for the shade of the afternoon to apply it. From what I have been reading, it is not adhering to the wood after a few months. I am doing the small deck and if I am not happy, I will be getting my money back. I do have the receipt and will keep it. Thanks for all the info.
Wondering is you ever got ur money back. I am having a difficult time. Says the warrenty was 6 months. Been ten……
Make sure the deck is absolutely DRY before applying. If the deck is new the recommended time to dry out is often as much as 1 year! This applies to everything except latex paint which I have painted with successfully on treated wood that has not dried out.
Thanks to everyone for saving me a lot of money! For right now I will stay very far away from these products.
I live in PA and I am working on preparing my deck to apply Rustoleum Restore. I got on here to find a recommended deck stripper and found all of these comments on the Restore product. While most of them were negative, there were a few positive reviews. I'm curious how much of the difference is based on preparation. The videos on the Restore website recommend using a deck stripper (not just a deck cleaner) to remove the existing stain and sealant before applying their product. They also say to do a "splash test" before applying the Restore, dropping a cap-full of water in various places on the deck to see if it beads or puddles. If it does, then the old stain and sealer is still present and they recommend using a stripper (and cleaner) until it passes the splash test. If people are applying this product without preparing their deck appropriately and fulling stripping the previous stain and sealer, Restore says that their product will not adhere appropriately and will result in poor product performance and coating failure (which it sounds like means chipping and pealing within months/years).
So, I wonder how many people who have had bad experiences with this product used a deck stripper before application. If you have done all of the appropriate and recommended preparation and still had negative results, could you please respond to this? I am still considering whether I want to use Restore or a regular stain.
Also, no matter what I end up using, I had a deck stripper question. I currently have a vegetable garden below my deck. Do I need to worry about the stripper getting into the wood, and possibly leaking onto my garden after it rains later on? Or is it simply okay to just cover the garden with a tarp while applying the stripper?
Thank you!
We would cover the garden while applying the stripper, wash deck, rinse well, remove tarp and rinse garden to be safe. Prep always makes a difference when it comes to performance of a stain but honestly these products just do not deliver what they say.
Okay, so if I decided to use a regular stain on my deck, what would you recommend?
I live in PA
Deck is in partial shade
Pressure-treated pine
Minor mold/mildew issues
Old stain is faded and wearing unevenly
And because I had already started preparing my deck for Restore, I currently have patches of their crack filler all over and I have my screws and nails primed with a metal primer. So I would like something that covers all that as much as possible.
Also, would you recommend stripping or cleaning my deck before staining? I already belt-sanded the entire surface once. The deck is approximately 15 years old with splintering and other signs of wear over the years. Also, I live in a townhouse and my deck is connected to my neighbor's deck (we have a privacy fence between the two). She just stained hers a few weeks ago, so I was thinking a cleaner may be better to use than a stripper so I don't ruin her new stain… Which stripper or cleaner would you recommend?
No semi-transparent stain will cover the crack filler so you will need to go with a solid color stain. Find an oil based solid color stain from a local store if possible as they will work much better then water based solid stains. Use the Restore A Deck Products.
I live in Chicago and used Desk Restore on an old gray out deck. Any old sealant was long gone. The out come was/is a beautiful deck. We actually sanded the deck like a wooden floor and removed about 1/8" then applied the product. we are on year 5 now and love the results. We have about three area that have small peeling, but for a deck that I was ready to completely demolish and replace with composite decking it has surpassed my expectations. Since this product has sand in it to smooth the deck surface, those planing on using it should have the store where they buy the product shake it up the day you are going to use it. We made the mistake of letting it sit for a week. That is what I attribute the peeling to. We went from sun bleached gray to a rich ceder.
We sanded our deck down to bare wood, applied Restore according to the instructions, watched all the videos before hand, followed label instructions for coverage, how to cover, coats, etc. We did everything to the Tee, including the splash tests. Our deck started to crack in two months and was pealing within six. We have now pressure washed almost all of the product off of the deck, per manufacturer's instructions. We received a refund of the money spent on the product, but not for the specialized rollers or labor. The rep said we needed 1/3 more product than what it calls for on the packaging. I would stay away from this product at all costs. Now we are stuck trying to get the last 5% off of the deck from out of the cracks, around the edges and wherever it has decided to pool. The only place it seems to have stuck is where it is pooled around the bottom of the posts in globs about 1/4" thick. Everything else pealed off like paper.
Well crud. Just finished 3 weeks of prepping, sanding, washing, and painting a playset we got off Craigslist. Used Olympic Restore It, and now that we have it put back together, it looks great but it scratches very easily. I can't believe I didn't research before I spent 3 weeks on this thing! Praying that it will fare better than everyone who posted on here, but I really doubt it.
Superdeck has the exact same performance as restore. Peels in less than a year. I've been a licensed paint contractor for many years, so I know the prep was adequate, hell it was my own deck so I'm not going to do a crappy job. Even used a moisture meter, and moisture content was below 10%.
Does not surprise us. Thanks for the post.
Used behr porch floor paint. Avoided this restore stuff.
The floor paint needs to be applied to dry, sanded wood but has held up well, getting lots of traffic and baked for 12 hrs a day. Needs reapplication each year and a half but its easy to roll on. Relatively cheap too. Not a bad price or product if you don't mind doing it every year or two…
I've used Behr Floor and Porch paint also and have had similar results. They make a great paint but, apparently, not a good stain.
Cwf uv and twp is about as good as you're going to get. Decks are maintenance nightmares. I've been painting since 1978, and while I've seen a lot of premature wear, I've only had one failure—using a new fangled product on that one—.coating manufacturers test panels are very similar to a small deck on the roof of their buildings. Beware of power washing without using a cleaning product….if you skip the cleaner you will most likely blast the mold into the wood. Once you coat over it, you have essentially created a science project for mold growth.
Many of the above comments are from those living near the Arctic Circle. I am in the San Francisco Bay Area. How would any of these products do on a wooden deck. The wood is pretty weathered and some patches of paint are proving hard to remove. Like one of the guys above, I have plants around the deck so using paint removers is out. Thanks
Frank: If you think 'patches of paint' are hard to remove, try some Restore/Rescue. We are ripping up all the decks of our condos and re-surfacing with conventional wood applications to get rid of this hideous, expensive, criminally marketed crap.
From just a bit South of Barrow… in Seattle.
I don't think I will use any ne of the desk restore products. My deck is about 24 years old and looks like barn wood. I only need to repair the flooring. What do you suggest?
If you have not sealed you deck in 5 years then Desk Restore will work wonders on your weathered wood. most of these people have bad outcomes because there decks still have sealant on/in them. Even new treated wood will cause these products to peel. Bottom line: the top 1/4" of the deck must pull water in without beeding for these product to work as advertised, My old deck looks new and I was planing to replace all the top wood so I had nothing to lose.
I am just finishing the cleaning of my deck and was considering either DeckOver or Rescue It. This will be the first application of any maintenance material. After reading these comments I am considering using the conventional materials and going the annual maintenance. Can anyone suggest anything more reliable. I am open. Thanks.
Go with an oil based penetrating semi-transparent stain for every two or 3 year maintenance.
Glad, I checked up on these as I was about to take the big leap based on advertisement. Thanks to all the feedback on here so I am going back with my regular Deck Scapes by Sherwin Williams. We used it and got 5 years so sounds like the new does not work and back with the old!
I, too, am glad to read these reviews. I was ready to use a restore material on my 17 year old deck. These are a definite help. Not now.
David, how easy is Deck Scapes to apply. I am also curious as to what part of the country you live in. I live in north central Illinois.
Jim
I just finished my deck with 4 buckets of 2.72 gallon Restore 10X. It was a lot of work. I live in South Carolina and am hoping this product works better in the south, than the north. It seems like most of these nightmare posts are from people live in the north. How are you southerners faring? I am holding my receipts and hope I am not a victim too.
used the Olympic brand in Asheville, NC fall of 2013 — peeling off spring of 2014. Not looking forward to the pressure washing and sanding. btw, has anyone had better luck w/ using it on the verticals and railings? Began a small portion of that in fall — so far ok, but wondering if I should just remove all that too?
Verticals will always perform better then a horizontal.
LI live in Charlotte, NC and applied Restore in summer of 2013. My deck looks awful, cracking and peeling. I am now replacing all the boards on my deck that I did to get rid of the mess.
WOW!!! I just started to work on my deck and Deckover was my choice!! EEEKKK !! Thanks to all of your feed back I will NOT be choosing any of those products!! Good luck everyone and thanks for saving me the grief …..
I bought the 2 cans of Rescue IT and then read the reviews. I too almost made a big mistake (on a concrete porch). I was so worried it might peel and now I know it will. As far as decks go, I have power washed and stained ALOT. Thomsons water seal is good if you want to apply that every year. I went with CABOT. Prep good. Wait until 4-5 days no rain or wet. Nice and clean and dry. Apply Cabot wood toned or clear stain. It's a little more expensive, but, I have found it to be really nice. The water will bead off and the deck will stay nice for years. That is what I'm talking about! Good luck and wish me luck bringing back the tinted cans of Olympic Rescue IT to Lowes for my money back…… 🙂
Drat. I usually check out products before purchase. This time I fell for advertising. Anyone considered a class action suit? Olympic Restore It used on 250 sq. ft. deck. Told I needed 6 gals. for 2 coats. Followed directions carefully. Cleaned with their cleaner on 7/1. Temp was 60 degrees and during day went to 90F. Allowed deck to dry for 48 hrs. Put on first coat. Used only half of 3 gallon container although applied liberally. Did do the prep on scratches but no directions on container to use caulk. Nope, product did not cover scratches. And, these were only 1/16" or less deep. Had chosen a light gold color. On deck was a glaring white. Got a darker color (free exchange) and on 7/5 applied second coat. Temperatures on application and during ensuing days identical. Again needed only 1/3 of 3 gallons. Without pouring it on, could not have been more liberal. Deck not walked on until 7/10. That morning noted shoe prints where we walked. Intended to apply another coat, but read reviews instead. Will see what transpires when talk to Olympic and Loews,
So thankful !!! I was getting ready to apply this to the flooring of my uncovered deck. I was originally searching for which product had the best reviews….seems as though none of them are worth a carp. Went through replacing the deck boards already due to the previous homeowner staining them 3 different colors and was worried about using these "WONDER" products… thanks to every ones post I NOW know this is NOT for me and my deck THANKS
After reading all the negative reviews I will go back to using "THOMPSONNS"water seal,No easy way
I have been using Defy from SaverSystems for quite some time on a 16 year old deck. We had tried Thompson and Olympic, neither of which looked good for more than a couple of months. The Defy looks great for a couple of years but needs to be redone after the third year. It's more expensive initially but well worth the extra $$$.
Now that the wood is getting more worn the Defy is not lasting nearly as well. Was thinking of trying one of these new products; NOT NOW! Thanks for all the informative posts. Back to the Defy I guess. By the way, the Defy is an epoxy fortified, water based product. It is very easy to use and dries quickly but you must make sure to powerwash and clean the deck using their cleaner.
We have also used the Defy on my parents and their neighbors decks; they live on southern Lake Huron in Michigan. The decks are in constant sun and exposed to very harsh conditions. Both decks are much newer than mine and the Defy is lasting 2- 3 years.
Considered treating my deck with the Olympic deck restorer and am very grateful to read all the comments and all the problems associated with it. I have used a wonderful deck stain called One Time. Some of you may be interested in looking them up to see what they offer.
I have used it on my outdoor cedar swing and am very pleased with the results. Thanks all for the heads -up. You saved me lots of aggravation
We had issues when testing and using One Time: https://www.deckstainhelp.com/one-time-wood-deck-s…
Thanks for your post!
I was just going to try Rescue It for our enormous deck but after reading these comments, will not! We have an old, pressure-treated wood deck and so I've been told not to power wash or sand it because of the formaldehyde that's released. Any suggestions on how to deal with large splintering pieces of wood, cracks, etc.? I was hoping these new products were the answer, but now I'm afraid to try them. We can't afford to replace the deck yet and last time it was stained they couldn't do anything about the splintering and cracks. That was two years ago–now it needs staining again at about $2000!
When we did our old deck with lots of cracks and chips – we filled the cracks and chips with wood putty (get the kind that you can paint or stain). My husband also used small nails to put the large splinters back in place (if still attached) then wood putty in the crack where it was reattached. Have to be honest that it was a lot of work- but broke it up doing an hour or so of patching every day for a week. Then you might try some kind of solid stain or paint. Our local True Value Hardware carries a good oil based solid colored stain that we used but I suspect you could also paint if the paint is specifically for decks. If time permits you might want to do a test on some old boards – we pulled up some from the edge of our deck that were in real bad shape and needed to be replaced. Put the stain on them and left them out all winter (we are close to the Canadian border). In the spring everything looked good so did the rest of the deck. I look forward to reading what others have to recommend….
We used a router to remove the splinters spots then fill in with wood filler and sand smooth.
Yikes. I was considering using one of these products on my deck. So glad I found these reviews. Thank you for sharing your experiences.
I used rust oleum deck restore in the late summer of 2013. Half of the project is a complete disaster in 2014.
Completely disappointed in this poor product (with great marketing). About 7 two gallon buckets of this junk. I'm not even gonna bother calling the company or lowes. Waste of my time using this product or complaining about it.
Stripping the reminder of this junk now, then will research better.
Rustoleum refunded the cost of the product to me when I sent them the receipt, so it is worth the effort to contact them. That way you have a few bucks to spend doing something else….
I sympathize with you. I had peeling and flaking before the first coat was finished. I strenuously complained to Home Depot and the looked up my purchases on their computer and refunded all my money. A wish they would have kept the money and sent someone out to strip and wash that crap off my deck. My back is killing me! My water bill also.
Hi Mr Hanson
Can I ask how did you strip this product off your deck? This product is horrible!
Just tossed my Lunch after reading these horror stories about Olympic Rescue It. After I drum sanded my 15-yr old deck (which was in Good Shape since I restained it every 2-yrs) for 6 hours last Sunday and resetting EVERY nail , having just finish the 1st coast and all railings yesterday prior to finding this blog.
Any clue if you're at the point of no return after only 1 coat, or is it Deck Armageddon at this point .
Hopefully will be okay but most likely not :(.
Our deck is very old. It looks better now than when we bought the house in '08. We don't know what was used before. On the advise of the next door neighbor who owns a successful painting company we used Flood CWF-UV5 clear wood finish with cedar tone. Because of impending rain we prepped by brushing the light moss, mildew and lichen with a very stiff plastic bristle brush and vacuuming. Their wouldn't have been time for washing and drying. The two times we applied this we actually did some in the rain, contrary to the instructions. The first time it virtually washed off in the rain, yet seemed to have protected well. A couple of years later the only difference was that we laid it on heavily and just kept going over it again and again until it looked like it was covered and absorbed evenly. This probably wasn't great cedar decking to begin with, having loose knots, cracks, etc. from the beginning. We of course are no longer considering any of the Restore type products, but would like to know if there is something better than this Flood product. We like the color choices with Olympic Rescue it. We are 70ish and don't want to spend such a significant amount of summer time and energy, but we can't replace decks either.
Thank You all ! Was going to recommend these products for our town hall………. whew!!!!!!!! You saved us a lot of work! Wonder what we can use for our deck/steps/and wheelchair ramp that has some ice grip?? Thanks.
Wow, I'm so glad I did my research! I almost made a BIG mistake!! It looks like my old, neglected deck is going to get a bunch of elbow grease and some oil based sealer. You just saved me a lot of money and frustration!
Has anyone tried Restore Solid Stain on Concrete?
Or Restore 10X on vertical concrete foundation?
Have not tried it but have seen it peeling on customers concrete.
Just found this site after returning from Home Depot where they recommended Behr Deckover or Rust-oleum Restore. I said I had seen bad reviews. They said that that was because of the preparation. I needed to do the 2 step Behr preparation. It all sounded great until I read thru all of this. I have a 20 yr old 800 square foot deck in PA. I had used Cuprinol for years until it was outlawed by PA. Since I have been using Sherwin-Williams Deckscapes. Is there anything better that works?
We have a 5 year old, uncovered deck that was treated with Thompsons Water Seal when built. What do you recommend for this climate as far as protection and rejuvenation. It still looks really good, just wanting to take care of it so will last! Any suggestions?
TWP or Armstrong Clark.
I have similar Pressure Treated Deck about 8 years old and used the TWS about 5 years ago. In Southeastern VA, no snow but sunny and humid. It's getting damaged….some boards will need to be replaced this year.. You recommend the TWP. but what about maintainence? How often? And what should I use to clean it first? and do I use the same on the spindles? Thanks!
What is TWS? TWP needs to be reapplied every 2-3 years with a good deck cleaner and brightening for the prep.
WOW! I just watched the Olympic Rescue It TV commercial on HGTV and was about to send an email to my clients to suggest that they use it. I am a Realtor and just listed a 9,000 sq ft house with a 1,500 sq ft deck that looks bad. I saw the ad and thought this was just the right thing to suggest to the homeowners to bring the deck up to the great look of the rest of the house. I'm sure they would have hired someone to apply this product if I had suggested it. Thank goodness I read the reviews first! Honestly, you saved the day.
Thanks for all the comments. We were considering using Behr DeckOver or Olympic Rescue it. After reading all of these comments I think we'll stick with the usual (pressure washing and re-staining). We live in MN where the winters are quite harsh. This winter we had 6 cold weather school call offs with temperatures 40-60 degrees below zero. It seems to me the only people who have had success with these products live in warmer weather climates. Yeah for you!! We will not be waisting our time and money as it seems these products DO NOT work in states with colder weather climates during the winter months. You'd think the companies would add this as a disclaimer!
has anyone used the Rock Solid Floor deck restoration product? it is from Menard's and came out just within the last 2 years i believe.
I am so happy to have come across so many reviews on these products. I refinished my deck 2 years ago with 3 tones (flooring, railing, and skirting). I love my custom deck, but the paint- deck surface only- did not last through the winters of Michigan. While I thought the refinishing products might be a good option, I think I'll stick to standard maintenance and touch ups. I can't see myself destroying something or investing money in an inferior product when I know it can be turned into a beauty with just a little help and less than a day's work.