This post was updated on June 24, 2024
Hi, I am Scott Paul, a leading exterior restoration contractor and business owner with over 30 years of experience in exterior wood decking. My Behr Semi-Transparent Wood Stain Review is based on my history as a wood restoration contractor and hands-on testing, all designed to present you with the top deck stain choices. See here for more info about me.
BEHR PREMIUM® Semi-Transparent Waterproofing Stain & Sealer Review
This is our 2nd Review of BEHR PREMIUM® Semi-Transparent Waterproofing Stain & Sealer.
See here for our first Review: Behr Deck Stain Review
BEHR PREMIUM® Semi-Transparent Waterproofing Stain & Sealer
Behr Premium Deck Stain Manufacturer Description
Enhance your wood’s natural patterns while providing increased protection from the elements. This 100% acrylic formula seals out the elements and the sun’s harmful UV rays for up to 6 years on decks and up to 8 years on fences and siding. It’s available in 60 custom colors to help you create a look that’s as beautiful as it is durable.
BEHR’s best semi-transparent product, this advanced 100% acrylic formula, penetrates deep into the wood to deliver complete protection from the elements for up to 6 years on decks and 8 years on fences and siding. The silicone-fortified formula delivers excellent protection from the sun’s harmful UV rays. BEHR PREMIUM® Semi-Transparent Wood Stain is available in 60 custom colors that add beauty while allowing the natural wood grain to show through. The alkyd/acrylic formula combines the benefits of an oil-based finish and the convenient clean-up of a water-based product.
How I Rated BEHR PREMIUM® Semi-Transparent Wood Stain
My BEHR PREMIUM® Semi-Transparent Wood Stain review contains an 8-step process and the final average score. Each step is on a scale of 1-10.
- The appearance of BEHR PREMIUM® Semi-Transparent Wood Stain after Application
- Preventing UV Graying
- Peeling or Wearing
- Cost Per Square Foot
- Preventing Mold and Mildew
- How Easy was the Application
- Color Shifting
- Ease of Reapplication
- BEHR PREMIUM® Semi-Transparent Wood Stain Final Score
8-Step Review of Behr Premium Wood Stain
1. Appearance After Initial Stain Application: 2
Applying the Behr Premium Weatherproofing Stain was a repeat of our first test. We found that the Behr does not penetrate the wood like the product claims it should. It dries on top of the surface like paint. It looked semi-solid, with much of the wood grain masked by the pigment. The Cedar color on the deck made it look like a pumpkin.
2. Preventing UV Graying at 2 Year Mark: 8
The one positive about the Behr is that it has excellent UV protection in the areas where the stain had not failed. Unfortunately, this was only half of the deck floor and most of the railings.
3. Wear/Tear and Peeling: 1
The cedar porch was “Behr” of stain on over half of the flooring. The stain had peeled or worn in large, uneven patches. Vertical rails did not have any issues.
4. Cost Per Square Foot: 4
Behr Premium Weatherproofing Stain costs $39 per gallon. We used 5 gallons for the 300 square feet for the 2 coats applied.
$.55 per foot.
5. Preventing Mold/Mildew/Algae: 7
Behr Premium Weatherproofing Stain had mold growing on the flooring near the home and on top of the rail cap.
6. Ease of Application: 2
Applying the Behr Premium Stain is like painting your deck, except it does not apply evenly. We have stained 1000’s of decks and have never found a stain to be more challenging to apply than Behr. It dries extremely fast and will show overlaps if not careful. We used a paintbrush and hand-applied the stain to the entire deck, as that seemed to give the best results.
7. Color Shifting (darkening) after 2 Years: 8
Behr Premium Weatherproofing Stain does not darken in color much or at all.
8. Difficulty of Reapplication: 2
This is how we fixed the Behr Premium Wood Stain. We applied a heavy dose of the Behr Stain Remover and tried to pressure wash off the remaining stain. It did not work. We then used the RAD Stain Stripper at a very high concentration and repeated it. This removed about 85% of the stain. We were left sanding off the rest, then cleaning and brightening the wood to even out its porosity. Prepping took 12 hours and needless to say, the customer switched brands.
Overall Score Behr Premium Stain at 2 Year Period: 4.625
Rated #1 by Consumer Reportss. I’m not sure why, but feedback from most of our users agrees. Consumer Reports’ own website has a user rating of 1 out of 5 stars. Thirteen out of the 14 user reviews gave it a 1 star.
This stain should be removed from sale to the public.
Buyer Beware!
Product Information:
Behr Deck Stain Home Depot
Where To Buy: Home Depot
Cost: $39.99 per Gallon, $199.99 per 5 Gallon Pail
Stain Type: Premium Semi-Transparent – Water Based
Available Colors: 60 custom colors
Application Temperature: 40-90 F
Coats Required: 2 Coats
Coverage Per Gallon: 125-150 sq. ft in field tests
Application Tools: Sprayer, Pad, Brush, Roller
Dry Time: 1-2 Hours
Cleanup: Soap and Water
VOC Compliant: 250 Compliant in all States
Test Deck Stats:
Deck Wood Type: Cedar Porch
Deck Square Footage: 300 Square Feet
UV Exposure: Full sun
How Many Years Tested: 2 Years
Stain Color Used: Cedar
*All products tested and results are from our hands-on experience. We offer no guarantee of similar results. Consider that results may differ widely due to different wood types, exposure to UV radiation, and natural weathering.
BEHR Semi-Transparent Deck Stain Photos
BEHR Semi-Transparent Deck Stain
Disgruntled Behr Customer
The stuff traps water under the stain. I would scrap up huge pieces of peal and under it would be very damp wood. This is on a south west facing deck on a hot sunny day. Dont use.
My whole deck was destroyed. We stained last summer 2020 in August and we were walking to the deck to begin cleaning the pool May 2021 and this is what we found. So frustrated. Time, effort, and money spent only to have to do it all over again.
Stained new cedar deck following all instructions. Like others I found it stayed tacky for several days. Home Depot was confounded. It finally dried but after less than one year the deck is totally peeling and needs to be redone. Absolutely useless product!! How can this be sold??
Strip and sand to remove. Brightener after. Use one of these brands: https://www.deckstainhelp.com/the-5-best-deck-stain-reviews-and-ratings/
Apparently this stuff hasn’t changed much over the years. I had the exact same problem in 2004 with my cedar deck. Waited 6months, followed all the instructions for prep, removing tannins etc. Stained in Sept. and started peeling in March of following year just like all the pictures you see in these bad reviews. I thought I did something wrong or I didn’t get enough of the tannins out but thank god I found this site because I almost bought more for my newly rebuilt deck. You would think that Consumer reports would look into this to see why they continually rate this #1 yet no one in the real world has the same results.
You didnt’t do anything wrong, Behr sells poor stains.
April 2019 built a 500 square foot cedar deck. I applied the Behr semi-transparent stain as per the. Instructions on the can. The weather conditions were “perfect” . A week later, most of the deck was still tacky. Customer service at HD said that this was very unusual. By October, the color had faded and most of deck was peeling or showing bare wood.
Threatening a law suit, HD reimbursed me for refinishing the deck. It had to be completely sanded to remove all of the stain.
Another complete weekend wasted in Toronto, where the summers are relatively short.
That is exactly how my cedar deck looked the following season after staining it with Behr…..peeling all over the horizontal surfaces. The vertical surfaces, however, looked great for many years.
So, for the past 10 years, I’ve been doing a clear coat every year.
This year, I’ve decided to give Behr another try. I’ve done all the proper prep work, just like I did the first time. The stain doesn’t seem to penetrate at all, it stays on top and is tacky…which is weird, because when I shake the can, it seems so watery.
Since I’m getting too old for this, I’ve decided I am never going to do my own deck again and will hire someone, I figured I’d give it another try anyway, so we’ll see what I end up with next spring, and if it doesn’t hold, its going to be done by a professional anyway next time. It looks great the year you stain it, so at least it’s nice now.
But based on my original experience, this stuff is crap.
This is the worst thing I have ever have happened to my deck. I have been a professional painter for over 25 yrs. and have been happy with other Behr products. This stuff started peeling within weeks of application and after one winter is peeling everywhere. While it is holding up well on my fence DO NOT USE on any lateral surface. Now the nightmare of the guarantee begins.
I read the warnings and thought naw, it can’t be true! Well folks! It’s true. Colors are gorgeous. However! Stain doesn’t penetrate, stays tacky and peels! Behr will come on the threads and say user error, was applied too thick, I am here to tell you not the case. Their internal testing is done on a roof not a deck, so it is not a fair comparison. Hours of wasted work, time effort and cost for nothing! Expensive lesson. Buyer beware! Do your homework, other sites say the same thing. Run. Do not use on decks.
I read the warnings and thought naw, it can’t be true! Well folks! It’s true. Colors are gorgeous. However! Stain doesn’t penetrate stays tacky and peels! Behr will come on the threads and say user error, was applied too thick, I am here to tell you not the case. Their internal testing is done on a roof not a deck, so it is not a fair comparison. Hours of wasted work, time effort and cost for nothing! Expensive lesson. Buyer beware!
Same as most reviewers here, Behr Premium Semi-Transparent Stain ruined my new deck!
The stain was applied on a brand new deck as per manufacturer’s instructions.
However, after only a couple of years of clement Californian weather, the stain started peeling off. My deck looks terrible now (see attached picture).
Now I have to spend a more money and a LOT of effort to remove this stain, and apply another brand.
VERY UNHAPPY WITH BEHR!
Are all these rotten reviews about behr water based or oil based semi transparent stain? I bought oil based but haven’t opened it yet and am thinking of returning it since it was a stock color.
The oil based Behr is definitely a superior product for decking, as are oil stains in general. Oils penetrate and leave no film on the surface to peel.They allow moisture that gets into the wood to exit without causing damage.
Will Behr solid stain work through a power sprayer?
Airless sprayer only.
Peeling like crazy after 1 year!! DidNOT penetrated wood!! JUNK!!! DO NOT BUY!
We agree!
Well, I actually like this stain. Although, it could be the way how I applied it. We applied it to new pine deck boards and also made a nice pine horizontal privacy fence. I used the palm sander, wiped it clean, and then used a white cloth staining pad to apply the stain. After I applied it, I wiped off the excess stain after about 30 to 45 seconds. I then waited 45 min to 1 hr for it to dry. Then, repeated the process 2 more times and then flipped over and did 3 coats on that side as well. Yes, it’s time consuming, but the result is magnificent! Our back deck does get some sun and of course shade. It has been about 2 months now and it still looks great! I have no complaints. We have gone through a couple of bad storms as well. We are in Georgia.
FYI, it will be fine on the fence but it will start to have issues on your deck floor within a year or so. Especially since you over-applied it.
If he wiped the stain after each coat, he would not be over applying it. He will have wasted stain that did not penetrate though.
can you tell if a fence has been stained in the past?
It does not look like it has been.
I wish I had seen this forum earlier, it would have saved me a lot of grief and expense. I did everything by the book and wound up with disastrous results. It is hard to apply without getting overlap marks. It does stay tacky for a long time (and yes, I used their recommended application procedures and applied coats as thin as I could) . It looked great once it was on. Then a few months later started flaking off.. What a mess! THIS STUFF IS PURE GARBAGE!
This stuff is terrible. How do we get reimbursed?
Our deck peeled within a year. Leaves a bunch of peeling pieces to infiltrate your yard and house. Yes we did everything right and careful about application.
(We are in Oakland CA)
Im so glad I found this site tho!
Great work!
I was really liking the look of rustoleum rock solid resurfacer, but am now 100% convinced that its a bust. Im considering gulf revive now…
You would have to talk to Behr about any reimbursement if they will even do that. The Gulf Deck Revive would work well.
So I used Behr stain on my older sect after 3 weeks sap is coming out of the deck . What causes this?
That is the wood itself bleeding out the sap. No way to prevent it or stop it.
It is horrible. The clear coat is brown and colored my gutters and my new outside door. It says you can add a photo but it won’t let you. I’m so disgusted! Don’t buy it. I have an 18 by 10 deck and 2 gallons didn’t cover it. Don’t waste your money
Does it need a thinner?
You cannot thin a deck stain.
Started peeling on new deck within 2 months. Prepped and applied exactly as directed. Now it’s peeling.
I used Behr Deck Plus Semi-Transparent Stains a couple of times over a decade ago, and the quality of product was good; 1 coat application. The current Deck Plus Stain looks reformulated that requires 2 coats. The old version of Deck Plus Stain that I had left over had a “thicker” oil based formula. For my situation, labor time to cover a large fence area requires a 1 coat application; I did not have the time to labor (during my free time) another 10 days to apply a 2nd coat. I would opt to spend a little more money to buy Olympic brand stain in the future.
Applied this product to a small (200 sq ft, 15 yrs old) deck in 2019. Application and initial appearance were very good. One year later there are several spots on the horizontal surfaces where the stain has worn away. This deck is used lightly. I am looking for a better option.
Strip and sand to remove. Brightener after. Use one of these brands: https://www.deckstainhelp.com/the-5-best-deck-stain-reviews-and-ratings/
Ive been using behr 501 for over 20 years. Im a pro deck builder. In that time its only failed twice and esch time it was application error. If you dont do everything right it wont adhere, or wont cure properly, and it will fail prematurely. Its that simple. Prep the surface. Clean it. Use the behr deck prep and rinse thoroughly. Allow it to dry between 10 and 20% moisture level in the boards…usuall that is a day or two of drying. Do not apply in direct sunlight but if you do make sure it less than 65 degrees. Apply on low humidity days. Apply TWO THIN coats! Do not over apply. Thicker is not better! It will fail!! 2nd coat must be applied within 72 hours of first coat….ideally the same day. Temp range is 50 to 90 and must not get cold at night. My stain usually lasts 5 to 7 years. I hope this helps some of you. I understand some here can’t /wont follow instructions. You must follow application guidelines.
John oliver custom decks, st louis mo.
Just tried the behr semi transparent stain in “Redwood” -(not custom mixed) the color was Cheeto orange! Nothing like the color represented on the can or in the brochure. Beware.
Is it oil based or latex based?
Water-based.
Can I apply a second coat after waitin a werk
It will probably peel if you do.
What is The best oil penetrating clear stain that is water resistant and does best in Arizona hot sun?
TWP Stains or Armstrong Clark Stains.
I have applied Behr Premium Transparent and Semi-transparent chocolate color stain to my log-sided house on two applications, 1st in 2008 & 2nd in 2014. I am thrilled with the results. It allows the grain to show through with a satin sheen that is beautiful. There was no tackiness, peeling or other issues. I use the transparent on areas that don’t receive much direct sunlight to maximize the grain visibility and semi-transparent on areas with more exposure. They blend together very well and achieve the same color and sheen. It has been 5 years since the last application and I estimate another couple years before the most weather exposed areas will require another coat. The more protected areas look nearly as good as 5 years ago and are years away from needing work. I am getting more life out of the second treatment. I have achieved similar results on a pt deck railing using their natural finish. I don’t have experience with wood deck flooring as I applied a 60 mil exterior vinyl flooring realizing the never ending maintenance wood flooring requires. The vinyl deck surface is 15 years old and only requires occasional hosings and annual scrubbing.
This stuff is junk! We have a deck that we wanted to change the color of, never stained it before. Went to Home Depot and asked what to get. Told him our deck was 7 years old, cleaned the deck every year and looked great, just wanted to change the color and protect it. Got the semi transparent stain and protector and got the wash suggested by Behr. Washed the deck and waited a good week or two before staining it. Went in good, looked great UNTIL… this spring, the boards got spongey .. and someone put their foot right through it. It is rotting my boards from underneath.. had to replace the whole deck floor… but the floor joists were perfect, just the floor.. and Home Depot had no answer for me, said they had never heard of this happening. Junk …
More likely junk wood. Most lumber has become much lower quality(knots, wide/loose grain, flat grain) primarily due to using species of inferior characteristics and fast growth rate. Could also be affected by poor ventilation, your micro climate, too close to the ground, insufficient board spacing, etc. Fungus rots wood (with sufficient moisture content MC>19%), Not coatings!
Maybe your deck should have been left unsealed. Or an oil based sealer would have been a better choice for YOU to make. Nearly every manufacturer makes an oil based option.
I used several Gallons of this on vertical and horizontal surfaces. I haven’t noticed the issue with tackiness or flaking that other people are mentioning here. As a matter of fact, the wood seems to “drink” the stain really quickly and dries WAY faster than the label indicated. The first fence I used it on was redwood and I didn’t even bother to sand it first. That was six months ago, and it still looks like day 1. I will note that on second coat it was dark enough that it almost looks like paint, despite being semi transparent.
I will not that my fiance helped me with one side of a staircase and she was a little careless in her application (not wiping off excess), and it is splotchy and you see lap marks everywhere.
Also note that it seems to go on really well with a brush versus a roller.
CONSUMER REPORTS FINDS BHER STAINS EXCELLENT- I find your findings definitely biased and suspicious. Have lived in Michigan for 54 years and stained my deck on over 12 occasions in 3 homes i have owned- Bher has been excellent as well as DEFY – not sure how much TWP IS paying you. I have used it and its mediocre.
TWP does not pay us anything and we are not paid by anyone to rn this site. Behr has horrible reviews from homeowners here as well, just read the comments. In addition, read the comments/reviews from homeowners below the Consumers Reports review. Terrible. We rate Defy very well. It is a great stain.
Glad you have good results but the majority do not have good results with Behr.
I’m reading the older comments re: slow curing, tacky finish. I must admit to our fault in the situation, but I’m still confused by the continued problem. We are in Northeast Ohio. Waited for new PT deck to settle from 9 months being installed. Did all the prep correctly. Watched neighbor’s blooming tree for pollen. Took dog to daycare. Watched weather report constantly to check local hourly and radar. Thought we were finally ready. Seemed to go on as stated.
Apparently the weather forecast changed sometime during our work. Less than 2 hours after second coat, the rain came. I was sick to my stomach not wanting to look. There was some beading but also areas of pooling. In the days and now 3 weeks out, the tackiness was noticeable and ongoing. Despite there being a nice sunny day on day 2 and many after. Not being able to keep our dogs from using deck to backyard forever, they went out but still no prolonged play. Regardless, the beautiful deep brown I dreamed of is marred by every single paw print no matter if it’s wet or dry. We’ve spent hours trying different methods to clean the prints off only to have the same and more return. It’s like trying to get white cat fur off black wool. I’m hoping to try the baby powder method because one more try won’t hurt. I’m a big review reader but somehow missed this post. I’m mad at myself. Now I’m afraid what will happen after a winter or two. Any hope to offer?
We have a cedar fence previously stained with semi transparent Thompson stain from Home Depot. In less then 3 yrs it faded a lot -some places down to bare wood.
We now have a gallon of Behr tranperent stain. I looked online and we should have semi transperent stain.
We picked a darker colour -are we on the right track?
Behr is known for not making very good stains. Return it and get a better brand that is semi-transparent: https://www.deckstainhelp.com/the-5-best-deck-stain-reviews-and-ratings/
same issues!! Do not buy
This Behr product ruined my whole project. I spent months on this project and it was a great success–until the last step of applying the Behr waterproofing finish. It should be taken off the market.
We used Behr Natural Seal Plus No.80, White Cedar Waterproofing on White Pine Board & Baton siding. The wood was from a sawmill nearby and it was cut, stacked & covered for over 2 years before use. Within 3 years after staining, most of it turned dark brown to almost black in areas, it only looked good for the first year. I was given all sorts of excuses/explanations as to why that happened; from linseed oil in the stain to sunlight to moisture. Needless to say “DO NOT USE ANY BEHR PRODUCT!” You will pay for it by having to look at it everyday for years.
Followed Behr procedures, used their All-In-One wood cleaner, applied in two thin coats after allowing the wood to dry. Noticed some areas not looking good after a year, so reapplied deck cleaner and then two more thin coats of stain. 3 years later all exposed area of deck were peeling and the wood on some boards was beginning to rot. Almost like the stain was trapping water in the wood. Unstained wood on a retaining wall built at the same time looks weathered but no rotting! I would have been better to do nothing to the deck.
Looks identical to my deck after 2 years. What junk.
Same issues
Too bad there is no score for stickiness after application, would be getting about a minus 10
saw the above post…sounds like me, only mine was worse. Bought the Behr textured deck paint. Followed directions exactly. Applied late summer, and when the next spring rolled around I could literally peal it like a sunburn, unfortunately not everywhere so it was a disaster. Flipped my boards over last fall. Just this past week, power washed, let dry and applied Behr semi-transparent stain….it has been on for 3 days and it is still sticky!!! i have wasted more money on Behr products, only to have my deck ruined and spent a fortune on all the stain. Behr didn’t even reply to me about the full coverage paint….obviously can’t return my empty cans to Home Depot!!!!! Lost receipt for this last purchase! I AM DONE WITH BEHR AND WILL BE PASSING THE WORD ALONG!!!!
I agree. Same exact problem, same exact issue. Still sticky and tacky and I’ve only put on one coat. After two weeks it is still not dry. Lousy product and lousy support. The last time all they were willing to do for me was to give me new product. In November? Like that would help me out. Now, five years later, I unfortunately forgot the troubles I had. Guess what? Here we go again…
Applied Behr Transparent Waterproofing Stain and Sealer a month ago on a screened porch. Followed directions. Everything is slightly tacky. Behr recommended using dish soap and washing the porch since this is a water based product. Did this twice and it had little to no effect. Frustrating. I can live with the walls and ledges being slightly tacky, but not the floor. Don’t want to strip the deck only to have to reapply Behr. Hoping that eventually the tackiness will disappear. But since this is a covered porch, it does not get sun light. Very disappointing.
This a follow-up to my use of Behr Transparent Waterproofing Stain. Called Behr again and was told to strip the porch. They would pay for stripper and wood conditioner and stain. They emphasized that the re-staining should be done with humidity below 50%. It took me three uses of the stripper plus some sanding to remove the stain. Waited three days to make sure wood was totally dry. I applied the stain on a day that was 28% humidity. Behr told me to apply 3/4 gallon on my 14 x 16 deck first coat and 1/2 gallon second. I went with an even lighter application: 1/2 gallon first coat and 1/3 gallon second. Waited 3 hours when deck was dry and applied second coat. Next three days I ran overhead fan 24 hours. At end of third day, the deck was even stickier than prior to stripping and staining! So after all of this effort and consultation with Behr, I have an even stickier screened porch. I wonder whether people struggling with this defective product should consider a class action suit. I have complained again to Behr and am waiting to hear from their claims department. I want them to pay someone to remove this from my porch.
Please keep me in mind if a class action lawsuit begins. I am also in agreement that they should pay someone to strip up the existing mess. Why should I do it when their product is defective?
We applied Behr Premium Semi-Transparent wood stain to our deck 2 weeks ago Looks great but it is still sticky/tacky when we walk across. Will this ever dry or go away?
It should dry.
When? Three years from now? This is ridiculous.
We used the Behr semi -transparent stain and sealer and after one year (barely) it is starting to peel and there is black mold or something appearing in the stain. What is the best way to remove this product? Is there a stripping product that will work or is sanding the only way? My husband is leery of power washing, but would that work? Wish we had read these reviews on this great site first!
Use a stain stripper and pressure wash to remove. Sand after to remove the rest.
I used the redwood color a few years ago on a redwood deck. Made sense at the time. I sanded it off with a palm sander as best as I could. I do think some of the alkyd crystals are still in the wood. Is it impossible for me now to switch to an oil based stain. I would rather not strip the deck. Thanks!
It has to be removed completely. Post a picture to determine if it ready or not.
After reading the reviews on Home Depot I decided to try the Behr Semi-transparent deck stain tint base. I chose the chocolate color. I used the stain on a 400 sq ft NEW deck and a 600 sq ft previously stained playset/climbing structure. I allowed the new wood to season for 10 months. Both structures were properly prepared according to the instructions on the back of the can and I used all the recommended Behr products. I stained both structures in the fall of 2015 according to the directions on the back of the can. After staining it took 3 weeks for the product to “cure.” For 3 weeks my children could not use the playset/climbing structure and my family could not use the deck. During these 3 weeks the stain was tacky and would leave visible marks if touched. After the product finally cured it repelled water and worked. This fall of 2016 (only 11 months after application) the stain was bubbling, peeling, flaking, and visible mold was showing. The product only lasted 11 months; 1 of those moths was the “curing/hardening” months. This product did NOT last 6-8 years as advertised.
Wood must be completely dry. Temperature cannot fall below 50° (that’s based on a 24hr day) for about 4 or 5 days. Prior to drying wood use the Behr deck cleaner, this cleans the wood safely and opens the wood fibers. Do not use a chemical cleaner (such as 30 second) the chemicals, like bleach, close the wood fibers blocking the stain. Moisture in the wood and below 50° temps at night in conjunction with high temps during the day create moisture and contribute to: bubbling, flaking and the inability to cure properly. I live in the Pacific Northwest and have had wonderful experience with the weather proofer by Behr.
Bleach doesn’t “close” the wood fibers. But you are correct it should not be used on wood as it can break down the woods structure. Bleach breaks down the complex organic polymers (or lignin) that hold the wood together, causing excessive damage.
The corrosive effects of chlorine bleach on wood decks are cumulative. This damage can definitely effect the life of your deck boards and impact performance of any coatings you put on it.
In 2012 I power washed a 9 year old deck, cleaned it with deck cleaning solution, and bleached the wood. I followed directions. The deck cleaned up nicely. I used Behrs solid stain, premium. It was a barn red color. We liked it but as everyone said, it took three weeks to dry until not tacky. After two years, it looked liked it was just starting to peel a bit here and there. We held off two more years and the deck definitely looked bad; the stain has peeled and the bottom line is maybe we got two good years out of it. This spring we power washed and stained it. For whatever reason, the "newer" Behr stain went down fast…so fast, it dried in like ten minutes. I had never seen stain dry so fast in 80 degree weather. It looks good and we will see how it winters over. But wait. There is the small matter of the pool deck. Read on.
The points: If Behr says coverage is 300-600 sq feet, it really is going to be the lower number and if that. The wood seems to drink up the newer stuff. The newer stuff dries too damn fast. However, last year i did our two year old pool deck, 15 x 10. Again the stain dried super fast, so fast my eyes popped out. On that pool deck, the pressure treated wood looked great after two years so i did not prep the wood at all. The stain went on fast, dried faster and looked great for the season. It wintered over, and this summer the pool deck looked super again. So I dunno about the Behr. Maybe they changed the formula? Old Behr: work to put on, super slow to dry, no durability at all. New Behr: work to put on, super fast to dry, and two years of excellent durability. Both decks face south and get lots of hot sun beating on it. I felt I was married to Behr because unless i was going to strip it all down, I had to try it again. Different experience. If the pool deck holds up, great. More foot traffic on the 600 sq foot deck. We used six cans for the big decking. For the recoat, 1.5 cans. For the smaller pool deck, 1.5 cans. I'll know more in the spring. Decks are four feet off the ground.
I'm not quite sure what the complainers are talking about.
Installed a new PT deck in June and just stained it with the Behr Premium Semi T stain. I PW'ed it with brightner and two days later applied the stain. The wood soaked up the stain. I applied evenly with a small roller then brush on the railings and benches and a airless sprayer and then brush. Even wonderful, rich appearance. No tack. I live north of Boston.
I'll see how it hold up but have no reason to believe it won't perform as advertised, aside from what appear to be ratings on this site posted to sell other products. Also believe me that I have never defended anything at Home Depot before I just believe in giving credit when credit is due.
Hello, please post results after 6-12 months. Posting a review right after application does not indicate performance down the road. The poor results start to happen within the 6-12 months typically. The is a reason there are 100s of consumer comments on how bad this product can be. It is not related to just this site either. Consumers Reports has reviews from consumers as well. Over 50 have posted their opinion and they have had the same poor results as consumers for this site.
My deck looked great the first season too — I've stained 3 times using this stuff and each time it failed over the first winter. Two years tops. Fresh wood does better than old wood — I had some verticals last 3-4 years.
I also liked this product. It was tacky for about 2 weeks after application but when it finally dried it looked great. It’s been 2 years now and still looks great. Repels water very well and has retained it’s rich look. Very happy with this product.