This post was updated on January 30, 2023
Rust-Oleum Rock Solid (Deck Restore) Update 2023
Since the article was first originally published, we have had over 2000 comments and 450 Reviews from consumers who have used the Rust-Oleum Deck Restore (now named Rock Solid) and have had a poor experience with peeling and failure. If you have used Rust-Oleum Deck Restore please upload and post pictures of your exterior wood or deck. A short description of your experience would be helpful as well. This can be done in our comment area below. Feel free to also submit a Star Rating on the Rust-Oleum Deck Restore coating.
Note: There has been a ruling on the Class Action Lawsuit as of March 6th, 2017:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9r279S4WUPSRXlrd1E0c0R2Mnc/view
Important Note on Label Change for Deck Restore (Rock Solid)
Even though they have settled this lawsuit, Rust-Oleum Deck Restore is still sold to unsuspecting consumers and has not been pulled from the shelves. Rust-Oleum has changed to a newer, relabeled version of their Rust-Oleum Deck Restore. From what we have seen in the field and heard, the Rust-Oleum Rock Solid is not any better than the Deck Restore and continues to peel and fail.
Rust-Oleum Deck Restore is a water-based, low odor product that is designed to mask the wood not allowing the wood grain to show. It is marketed as a thick paint product for wood decks that is outside of conventional restoration.
Recently there have been investigating claims on behalf of customers who have used Rustoleum Deck Restore on their decks. Rustoleum Restore has been alleged of being prone to premature failure. When it is applied to exterior wood it may be susceptible to bubbling and/or peeling, which can lead to costly repairs and replacements.
Consumers involved in the Rust-oleum class-action lawsuit are claiming to have significant peeling and bubbling within a year to a year and a half of applying the product. The manufacturer claims to have a 10-year warranty on the deck product. In one lawsuit the company allegedly offered an unhappy consumer a check to cover the cost of the product even though the premature failure of the deck restore would cost in excess of several thousand dollars to remove.
Out of the many consumers who purchased Rust-Oleum Deck Restore in 2013, there is a large number of them experiencing utter failure of the product. Even though application instructions were followed to the letter, there is a significant report of bubbling, peeling, cracking, and/or flaking within a year of application. Reportedly, the company refuses to take responsibility for their failing product and is trying to blame the customer instead. They are only offering to reimburse the actual cost of the product and nothing more.
This deck restore product is sold as a DIY product so they are claiming the labor cost is uncompensated. A meager product refund is not nearly enough for most of the decks needing to have the product removed or completely replaced. It is sad that the consumers who bought this product fell victim to false advertising claims and thought they were buying a product as a way to help protect their investment.
Read the full story of Class Action Lawsuit against Rust-Oleum Deck Restore 10x: See Here
The plaintiffs are represented by Daniel C. Levin, Esq. of Levin, Fishbein, Sedran & Berman in Philadelphia.
U.S. District Court for Eastern District of Pennsylvania case 5:14-cv-06156
Rust-oleum Deck Restore Lawsuit Info
-We are not connected with the lawsuit in any way. The only info we have is to contact the counsel who represents the plaintiffs directly if you would like to join. This link may help as it lists the lawyers involved at the bottom:
http://cookcountyrecord.com/stories/510658013-judge-clears-nationwide-lawsuit-to-proceed-vs-rustoleum-over-latent-defects-in-restore-deck-products
Update Spring of 2023
Please read our article on Gulf Synthetics Deck Revive Review 2023 We believe this product has real value if looking for these product types that actually work.
If you have used the Rust-oleum Restore, Please Post a Comment Below!
Rust-Oleum Rock Solid (Deck Restore) Customer Photo Issues
Rust-Oleum Rock Solid (Deck Restore)Video Review
Deck Stain Help & Questions
Stain Reviews & Comparisons
As an article and comment contributor to the site, Scott has been around the pressure washing industry since attending college. In 1993 he started his first company called Oakland Pressure Wash specializing in exterior pressure washing and deck staining. That company evolved into OPW L.L.C. shortly thereafter concentrating more on exterior wood and deck restoration. Scott and his Deck Cleaning Michigan company have restored over 10,000 decks in the Metro Detroit area since the early years. He has become an authority in the deck restoration industry and has contributed to numerous wood restoration forums and informative sites.
All the products he suggests through this site are sold through online sites and in retail stores, allowing the consumer to choose their own means of purchase. Scott’s eCommerce sites do sell many top brands he endorses and if you appreciate any of the help he has offered then feel free to purchase from one of them.
Big mistake using this product. Not even two years and it was flaking off in large pieces. It ruined my deck.
Terrible product. Would never use on any outdoor projects again. Expensive mistake!!!!
Same here – almost identical results.
One of the most horrible product ever used. Recommendations and promises were high but the results were opposite. The wooden flooring of 3 season room got spoilt and the entire money went down the drain. Have some pictures that tells the low quality of the product.
company should compensate each buyer who had spent their hard earned money on this low quality paint.
Total garbage-same as everyone else. If we can get some type of compensation for repairs that would be a bare minimum of an apology. To get off scot-free is totally unacceptable.
I purchased the Rock Solid stain because it was recommended my a worker at Lowes and man and I disappointed! I purchased 6 gallons and it took me a week to complete. And one year later, I have to do it over again. They should not even sell this product it is absolutely terrible.
We used restore on our deck and within one year it started peeling and cracking which allowed water to sit in those areas, in turn rotting out the wood, which was pretreated lumber. Our deck is huge, it’s a disaster!
Here’s a link to the video I created about this waste of money product.
What is best way to remove the Restore and what should I use on my deck to protect wood
https://www.deckstainhelp.com/how-to-remove-rust-oleum-deck-restore/
As to what to use after, it really depends on if you are able to remove it all or not.
Just did mine last year. It’s peeling. Bubbles everywhere. I want my money. And someone to come fix it! Two times iv tried this. Deck over first, then this shit. Thinking it’s better. Nope same problem.
We used Rustoleum Restore several years ago. It indicated this cover would extend our deck by 10 years. We spent $2000. Last summer we tore out a section and replaced the decking. This year we are tearing the remaining entire deck out due to rotting wood. We have wood over the rotten places to prevent us from falling through. Unable to use our deck.. Lumber has become so expensive, while living on a fixed income, we cannot afford to replace the lumber. We plan on putting rock and pavers down a little at a time knowing it will last. We wish we had known about the Class Action lawsuit sooner. Such a disappointment.
I had good luck using Restore brand on concrete deck around pool but after 8 years it needs painted again. What brand would be compatible if I didn’t use their Rock Solid replacement?
We have experience with wood only, not concrete. Sorry.
This worked fantastic for us. We live in snow area and this has lasted 9 years and just now starting to peel. It has last thru heat and snow.
This deck paint is the absolute worst after one yr and is peeling and we done it with the proper steps. Expensive mistake won’t ever use again.
I went to a home and garden show and there I talked with a person who does decks. I explained to him that I had used used the rustoleum restore and how bad it looks. He told me there was a class action lawsuit against the company. I did not know there was. Is it to late to get in on the lawsuit?
Sorry, but it was settled years ago.
This product rotted our deck. Left holes and I not only want a refund, I want some compensation for having to replace my deck the following year! 22,000 just to be able to use our decks is not in the budget.
How can I file a claim? I am convinced that use of the rust-oleum deck restore is responsible for the condition of my deck, which is currently being rebuilt. Besides the peeling and bubbling paint, it seems to hold moisture beneath it which results in rotting lumber. We did not use it to paint our stairs and side porch which were built with the same lumber, and those are fine. Terrible product.
Not sure if you can anymore but best to contact them directly.
This product simply does not work as advertised resulting in rotting treated lumber on the deck and stairs. It started peeling approximately 1 year after application.
year it started peeling and cracking which alowed water to sit in those areas, in turn rotting out the wood, which was pretreated lumber. Our deck disaster! I AM A DECK CONTRACTOR AND USED IT ON MY HOME IT ROTTED THE WHOLE DECK AND PEELED.
In less than two years my deck restore peeled in many places leaving the raw wood exposed to elements. I have been going back-and-forth trying to get some kind of repair for my deck with money from rust oleum. Needless to say that did not happen there are parts of my deck now I have to replace because of their poor product. By the time I’m done I’ll probably have to spend more than five grand to repair because of their poor product.
You really need to be aware of the properties of this paint. If you know what to expect, you won’t be disappointed. I have been using it for years and I have had really, really good results. I seems like these reviews are all by people that don’t really know how to apply it or when and where to apply it. Many people have had bad experiences because they just don’t get what it should be used for. NOT to be used on Driveways, around swimming pools or where direct rain and sunlight hit it head on. That is similar to holding up to pressure washing, get real. I like to use it on basement and garage walls, fences etc. Apply two coats… It may not last forever but it is beautiful when done right. Sorry to those who were expecting a miracle product.
The failure rate of this is extremely high on wood surfaces that are horizontal. Seems to work okay on concrete.
We used The Rust-Oleum deck restore on our new deck approximately four years after it was built. In less than a year it was bubbling up peeling just as mentioned in other comments. We purchased our deck restore from Lowe’s along with the cleaner, rollers and followed instructions to the T. I had several contacts via email & a couple phone calls two then who was a manager but was retiring in a couple of weeks from when we last spoke. He informed me there had been a real issue with this product and that it was no longer being made. I am a senior citizen who is also disabled and on a fixed income, having this issue is stressful when you have no one to turn to for help. I was not aware of the lawsuit until I began searching on how to effectively remove this product from my deck. If anyone can point me in the direction where I can see kelp I would greatly appreciate it, if needed I can take all the pictures for proof If needed as well. I didn’t mention that the lumber we used was treated lumber that’s why we waited the four Years before treating as this is what we were recommended to do.
Unfortunately, the lawsuit has been settled and since you were not part of it, you do not have any recourse going forward.
Did quite a bit of research when looking to repaint my porch (by quite a bit of research I preface this with saying I was a new homeowner and not really a “handy” person). Settled on Rock solid because it was “forgiving” textured and the idea of self leveling or whatever the correct wording is. A year later and it was already peeling and chipping and significantly in the normal walking area which is the steps and part of porch right up to my front door (it looks terrible and makes my home look like it is unkept). I was just going to try to touch it up with some more but I don’t want to be doing this every year.
It is a very poor product and will continue to fail on you. Best to sand it all off and use a proper deck stain.
How do I remove what’s left of Restore? It comes up very easily with a pressure washer in some areas but not in others. Is there a chemical I could use? Scraping isn’t a viable option for me, my deck is very large.
You will have to power sand or scrape. No chemical will work.
What to do if the stain bubbles after rain
Sand it all off and start over as if it did this, it will peel.
Question: Is Rustoleum RockSolid COMPOSITE DECK REFRESH susceptible to the same issues as RockSolid Deck Refresh and / or the products which are the subject of this suit?
My understanding is this suit is about the RockSolid sealer/stain for WOOD decks and not the COMPOSITE DECK product.
It is the same product, just relabeled. We would not suggest usin any of the Rust-Oleum products.
Thx. I find this astonishing for a company that is widely considered reputable. So let me get this straight RockSolid Deck Stain intended for wood decks & RockSolid Composite Deck Refresh intended for composite decks has the same chemical makeup? Wow!
Large companies do this a lot. They just relabel it for different purposes or vendors. For example, PPG/Olympic has 3 different labels of the same stain product. One for each for Home Depot, Lowes, etc.
I used this product on our concrete pool deck in 2015 and a second coat ( had some left over & wanted it out of the garage) in 2017. It never peeled, chipped, or flaked until I hit it with the pressure washer using the wrong nozzle. The only thing it failed to do is fill in the small cracks in the concrete that the salesman said it would do.
This is a wood site and the review is based on wood. The issue is it does not work on wood but seems to be fine on concrete.
We have peeling as well as rot and will require total replacement
I replaced my desk several year back. I let the wood age about two years. I want to make it last as long as possible. I bought six 4 gallon buckets. Watched the how to video and followed the process to the letter. After the first summer it started coming up in sections. Actually pulled it up with a scaper and shop VAC. Replaced the deck restore for a second time. I now have rotting boards and fell through one last week. Removing it again so I can see how many boards must be replaced. Looks to be about half of them.
I applied Restore 10X to replacement deck boards in 2018. We had previously applied it to resurface the original boards about 11 years before that. Yes, some of the boards were rotting, but in no way was that the fault of the coating. The original boards were untreated lumber, and the failures were mostly in areas where rot had attacked the wood from the edge. The earlier recoating has also failed along a few uncoated ends where the wood is gradually deteriorating from age. The replacement coating, on treated replacement deck boards, is still doing great, and I will continue using the Rust-Oleum product on additional replacement boards, under whatever name they’re selling it.
My experience with Rust-oleum Deck Restore mirrors others in this comment section. I had to demolish and rebuild my deck because I used this product back in 2010 on my new deck because I believed their hype. Attached is an image of the pile of rotten wood covered with Deck Restore, the remains of my old deck, and a photo of the new deck I just had built to replace it.
Did our dock in 2014 noticed 2 years later it started to peel crack and bubble now most of the decking is rotting , wasted a lot of time and money.
This paint is terrible and was not what was guaranteed. Within a year was peeling and we put it in 3 large decks!! Now you can’t get it off and they look horrible. Peels chips don’t know how to get it all off. Wasted money and now a lot of money to replace or fix.
This paint is the worst crap ever used. It has ruined my deck. Peels chips don’t know how to get it all off. Over thousand square feet tons of money lost.
Ive used this product on atleast 10 jobs… Here is the cold hard truth I dont expect anyone to admit
If your coating failed 1 or more of the following is why…
The surface was not properly cleaned, most important step and the most ignored by “professional” painters and DIYers.
The surface was not properly cured, the concrete wasn’t at least 30 days old or the decking wasn’t at least 365 day installed.
DIYers are inpatient and “professionals” will be long gone when it fails.
The surface had not fully dried if it was cleaned… Same reason as above.
Follow instructions, sometimes on some products they are actually important.
Ok, now go ahead and say mean things to me, we both know the truth. 🙂
You are correct on your points but you are missing a few things about this product’s history. It has a seriously high failure rate even when all is done correctly, especially in a cold-weather climate. In addition, if the failures were just prep and application-related, then why the class action lawsuit and settlement? They know they have issues and that is why they settled the lawsuit.
We bought everything to do this right. You are pathetic in your comment. There’s a class action law suit. So your the only one who’s paint didn’t peel?
We used restore 10X for an interior stucco effect to cover up old ugly paneling. Applied with mesh roller, waited until it almost dried (maybe have dinner!), and “knocked down” the peaks with a steel pool trowel. Sorry to hear about the failures for which this product was designed, but our walls are bullet-proof to our customers and look fantastic! Just as I would do on any project, do a small scale mock-up and refine your technique first.
This product does not work well on horizontal decking and that is where all the failures are.
Failed miserably after 3 years. Cedar wood under the 10X became constantly damp resulting in the 10X peeling as the wood rotted away. Had to replace every deck board at my own time and expense with Trex. See pix of all boards being torn up and the condition of the boards.
HATE RUSTOLEUM RESTORE ! ! !! !
I have used this product successfully on old decks and patios. It has lasted for many years. The product will not perform well on driveways, where hot tires will cause it to fail, as stated in the product directions. The surface where it is to be used must be clean and free from oils, silicone, sun block, tanning lotion, or other substances that will prevent adhesion. It ist an excellent way to cover an old deck and make it LOOK new again. If you want a new deck, pay someone several thousand dollars to install one for you.
does anyone know the status of the lawsuit?
I had heard that there was a refund for this rust-oleum deck paint is there any truth to this? Just like previous upset customers I also had the same problems. Then to remove this product took grinding, sanding and finally power washing to remove and replace several deck boards. I still have two 5 gallon buckets left over. I was wondering if anything has been said.
You would have to ask them as we do not use their products due to many issues and failures.
We bought a 5 gal. can of 6x Rustoleum Rock Solid because we trusted the Rustoleum brand. Had it mixed to Winchester tint. They completely shook the can. Cleaned and primed the deck. Started painting in the morning after thoroughly stirring can. When we got towards the bottom of the can, we noticed the red pigment was all at the bottom. Stirred it again. The color from the very same can was a different color. Menards refunded our purchase price,but now we have to repaint the deck again. And now that we know about the product, we fear it will just be a matter of time before it starts to bubble and peel.
I used rust oleum rock solid on my deck. Painted on a Monday and it rained on a Thursday and paint is bubbling up on Friday. Did it not have ample time to dry!
It is a bad product, that is why it is bubbling. It had plenty of time to dry.
Ok thank you. I thought because it was rust oleum it would be a good paint. I was wrong.
The first summer the deck looked beaitiful. The second summer it began to blister. 3rd summer peeling started. This summer 2021, I’m out there with a trash bag and pulling every piece off in strips. Took 4 gallons, big waste of money and time spent applying it. Never again!
I purchased and used this product on my deck during summer of 2016. It started peeling within 2 years and finally ruined the wood causing to crack and break. I finally gave up and getting a repair job done, replacing all the wood boards and applying new stain and paint. I had no idea about this lawsuit until i started searching for the shelf life of the product. As I still have 1 4gal bucket of this stuff left. Urgh!!!!!!
Have we not faced enough with this pandemic? It took me ages to find someone to do the deck project in a decent price. So frustrating! Every single person that have used this product should be compensated!!!
I used it on my wood deck and it turned out to be a nightmare 2 years later. Bubbled and peeled. Could not get it off with paint remover, acetone, or laquer thinner in a lot of areas. I had prepped the deck as recommended and we hadn’t had any rain for 2 weeks so the wood was dry. Also tried removing it with belt sander and power washer. Rustoleum has totally lied about it’s product and ripped off thousands of people. I replaced the deck with Trex.
Terrible product did everything to remove this pealing product , scraping – sanding , stripping- multiple years in tow , product kept bubbling up under sanded primed newly stained board- ended up tearing up replacing the boards over 1000 spare feet . Years and years of agony just to rip out .
I used it on a cedar deck, did not last, bubbled,came up in sheets.About 2 years.
Restore Destroyed our deck. Wood rotted after two years. This is not only a waste of money and time it is also destructive and dangerous.
I finally found a product to remove this awful stuff! Jasco paint remover works on synthetic products! It still takes a ton of elbow grease, product, and power washer, but here is my success story!!!
I just ripped the deck out, so no photos, but it bubbled and peeled. Also the wood rotted out under the stuff that stayed. Garbage product.
Used restore 10x on our deck applied 2yrs ago
Had to replace the material rotted and had to replace part of the deck. What a mess! 🤨
Pretty sure any product other than a stain will peel when applying over a product treated with oil as treated lumber even paint will peel. This is why contractors stain treated lumber and paint non treated lumber.
I bought the 10 X for my deck and porch. It peeled. What a mess.
Covers well at first but does peel off after some time.
Bubbles every where..had I of known about this would never have bought!! The site I was on had wonderful views..wonder who sponsored that! The bubbles are horrible and started 2 days after application
The Rustleoum products are garbage and peel as well. Just read all the reviews in the comments.
I love the product.
I followed the instructions that were indicated on the product. Cleaning and sanding before applying make the difference. We live in Canada, qc where our winters are very cold and summers are very humid. The product is still in perfect condition after 5 yrs.
I used the 4x restore and It’s been a living nightmare trying to repair my 1000 Sq ft deck. How can partake in the class action suit?
Sorry but too late. They already settled it.
Is there another class action lawsuit active?
We do not think so.
Actually, there are some class action suits currently going on about this. I responded to another thread and was contacted by an attorney building a case. He’s a little overwhelmed by the number of responses. http://www.emersonfirm.com/
We used Restore and now can’t figure out how to get rid of it. 5 years old and looks horrible. It was supposed to make things easier and last longer. We don’t know what to do with it. Can’t afford to rebuild just because of paint. Been looking at the peeling for 3 years. Did not last. So disappointed.
It is garbage. You will have to sand it off or replace the wood.