This post was updated on January 30, 2023
Olympic Rescue It Reviewed 2023
Since the article was first originally published, we have had numerous comments from consumers who have used the Olympic® RESCUE IT! Max Resurfacer® and have had a poor experience with peeling and failure. If you have used the Olympic® RESCUE IT! Max Resurfacer® please upload and post pictures of your exterior wood or deck with the Olympic Max Resurfacer® RESCUE IT!® on it. 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 Olympic® RESCUE IT!® coating.
Update: There has been a Class Action Lawsuit filed against the Olympic® RESCUE IT!® There has also been a label change. The product is now called Olympic RESCUE IT Max Resurfacer.
https://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-settlements/lawsuit-news/345686-olympic-rescue-it-class-action-says-sealant-defective/
Olympic RESCUE IT! MAX Deck Resurfacer + Primer + Sealant is ideal for worn or weathered wood and concrete. This 100% acrylic, high-performance deck resurfaced, and concrete sealer coating fills cracks up to ¼”, locks down splinters, and provides a safe, extremely durable surface that resists fading and creates a mildew and algae resistant coating. Don’t replace it. RESCUE IT! Use this concrete sealer and deck resurfacer on your next project
Olympic Rescue It Stain Scores (1-10)
Appearance After Initial Stain Application: 6
– The Olympic Rescue It version of “deck restore type” products is no different in that it still looks like a thick paint was applied. Overall though it did have a nice uniform appearance.
Preventing UV Graying at 2 Year Mark: 10
– No graying of the deck as this product does not allow the stain to change the appearance.
Wear/Tear and Peeling: 5
– The Olympic Rescue-It performed better than the Behr Deckover and the Rust-Oleum versions but not nearly as good as the Gulf Synthetics brand that we have tested. After the first Winter, about 1/2 of the deck had some issues.
Cost Per Square Foot: 3
– The coverage was about the suggested 50 sq. per gallon for the two coats. We used 12 gallons for the deck at a total cost of about $400 for 600 sq. feet.
Preventing Mold/Mildew/Algae: 8
– There was some mold on the deck. Very little and could be related to a large tree nearby. Nothing to worry about and the Olympic Rescue It did a pretty good job with this category.
Ease of Application: 3
– Applies like a thick paste. We had to dip into the tray with the roller every few sq. feet. Dries and sets fairly fast as well in direct sunlight
Color Shifting (darkening) after 2 Years: 9
– The Olympic Rescue It did not darken in color in any way.
The Difficulty of Reapplication: 3
– You would have to sand off the Olympic Rescue It for full removal before reapplying the same or a different brand of deck stain.
Overall Score Olympic Rescue It at 2 Year Period: 6
– The Olympic Rescue It scored better than any other of the big box versions of the “Deck Resurface” type stains. If you are in a warm-weather state, you probably would get better results than our testing. These products seem to peel anywhere you get a freeze/thaw cycle.
Olympic Deck Rescue-It Peeling Photos
Product Information:
Where To Buy: Lowes, Home Depot, and Select Stores
Cost: $45 per Gallon
Stain Type: Acrylic Solid Stain Resurfacer Coating – Water Based
Available Colors: 142 Custom colors
Application Temperature: 45-95 F
Coats Required: 2 Coats.
Coverage Per Gallon: Covers up to 50 sq. ft. in 2 coats per gallon
Application Tools: Brush, Roller
Dry Time: 8-24 Hours
Cleanup: Water
VOC Compliant: 250 Compliant in all States
Manufacturer: Olympic
Test Deck Stats:
Deck Wood Type: Cedar Deck
Deck Square Footage: 600 Square feet
UV Exposure: Full sun
How Many Years Tested: 1 Year
Stain Color Used: Russet
*All products tested and results are from our experience. We offer no guarantee of similar results. Take into consideration that results may differ due to different wood types, exposure to UV radiation, and natural weathering.
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.
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.
I used Rescue about 3 years ago.. this spring I noticed some bubbling and much peeling. Some was coming off in sheets, and other I had to scrape off. Some of it is stuck on there like concrete. Because some boards had much mildew underneath I want to remove all of it. How do I remove the part that is on there like concrete ?? Sand blasting it will only destroy the wood. Any suggestions?
Power sanding is the only way.
I applied Rescue it 4 years ago and many of my boards have rotted. It traps moisture and the ends of the boards rot. I don’t want to redo the entire deck. Is it possible to patch the peeled spots? I’ve replaced the rotted boards and they need to be painted. Could I use a different sealer?
No, you cannot patch the peeled areas or seal over the Rescue It.
I went to blow off my deck yesterday. It came off in sheets. I feel sick. Spent so much time and energy on this. What a joke.
I have a painted deck and wood rails that need to be redone. There is some peeling, but not as bad as many of the pictures that I see on your site. I looked at the Deck Revive product (Gulf Synthetics) that is recommended but to cover approximately 750 square feet (including rails) the materials cost alone is going to be about $1,500. That would include the Perma Bond they recommend, as well as the gallons of acrylic outdoor latex paint. I would power wash it first, of course. Is there any cheaper alternative that would do reasonably well, or is the Gulf Synthetics really the only way to go if I don’t want to have to redo this every 2 years?
The Gulf Deck Revive is the best option that we have seen for a deck resurfacer. You could make it less expensive and easier by only using the Deck Revive on the horizontals and then using a matching solid stain or deck paint for the verticals.
We used Olympic Rescue It 7 years ago on a CONCRETE DECK. We’re happy with its performance on CONCRETE. Would like to use it again but can’t find a way to get a few color samples to try first
I also have a concrete deck that I have this one and love it. I want to redo an area only to change color from shipmate to creamy dill. The only issue I have is living in NV the shipmate blue gets to hot to walk on and the creamy dill all on pool deck stays cooler. I would love to find it instead of having to redo it all.
Can you apply rescue it over deck with rescue it on it? How do you prep?
Not sure, best o check with Olympic.
What is the difference or comparison between both Olympic Rescue It and the Rescue It Max?
Both are poor products. Calling it “max” just means you are paying more for a bad product that has many many failures.
Fairly easy to apply. Looked great the first summer season. ( last year) this spring after snow melted looks like I didn’t resurface the deck . Much of the products is gone and did not adhere to the wood.
Note: did follow instructions and use their deck cleaner also and scrubbed the wood with hard bristle broom
I first used this about 5 years ago. I was very pleased with the appearance and the performance of the product and continued to repurchase it at Lowes. Yesterday, I went to Lowes to make another purchase for my “new” house as I recently relocated …. only to find they no longer carry it. I was sorely disappointed. I will attempt to find it elsewhere even though I have to drive about 60 miles to get it. It is good stuff !!
Terrible product. Didn’t last one year before it started to come up. Made my deck look horrible. I would never recommend this product.
What a mess! We wrongly assumed that Olympic would be a good quality product, but the Olympic Rescue It is horrible. It has not even been one year and the paint is peeling off. There is no way to remove this stuff to properly stain the deck. So disappointed in PPG and Lowe’s for selling this &*(#. Any ideas? I’ve written a letter to the company, but have no high hopes of a resolution…
You will need to sand this off fully to prep for a better stain.
I used the Olympic 10x 2 yrsrs ago yk change thr color and look diffetent
Now i was getting ready for maintence tjis year and my wood where the sun shines is broken open and rotted in places. It is to hot yo even walk in before noon. I will have yo replace my whole deck and i am unemployed and my husband on disability. I am disgusted yo say the least. Here are pictures if my once beautiful deck.
Horrible product, didn’t survive the first winter : ((
Olympic Rescue It was used on deck approx. 6 wks ago. Coverage appears to be great and fills some of the cracks in wood. However a tree (Red Maple) has lost it ‘s leaves and has turned the deck to multi-color instead of original color. My deck appears as if leaves were painted on surface and water does not remove the
images. Horrible looking and multi-colored was not the finish I was looking for when I purchased this product. What is the remedy and the cost. I live on a limited income and expect full reparation from Lowe’s or Olympic. I have used
Olympic products before and was satisfied with results but Rescue It has not been one of them. The stain left by the fallen leaves is very unattractive and must be remedied. I expect to receive an answer to this e-mail and complete satisfaction as soon as possible.
Thank you for your consideration and timely resolution.
Hattie, best to contact Olympic directly with your issues as this is a review site for all deck stain products and not related to Olympic in any way.
Used Olympic Rescue It on deck. Good surface where covered but peeling badly where open. Lasted one winter. Purchased at Lowe’s and they will not offer any refund or rebate. Put in car trailer and did not last one year. Completely gone. Spent almost $500 on 3 five gallon buckets.. for nothing.
Send pictures to the company with an email…Though they did send us a voucher of the full refund for buying more of the same product. We are hoping for it to lasr 3 years as the first application did…Then we are getting composite wood. NEVER to stain again
How can this product remain on the market with all of the complaints against it. Olympia CEO needs to put this on his deck for a first hand look at what garbage it is.
This the worst product I have ever used. Applied in spring 2015 and by the next summer 2016, it peeled off in sheets. Here we are June 2017 and we can’t get the reminance off. We could bomb it and it wouldn’t come off in spots. Yes we did prime it and it was sanded. Never again.
Contact the company there was a class action suit on the Olympic Rescue It wood and Concrete resurfacer. Not sure if you can still get in on it.
Overall the product has performed as expected. BUT, THERE SHOULD BE A WARNING ON THE CONTAINER THAT IT GETS VERY, VERY HOT IN DIRECT SUNSHINE!!!!!! The container says it is :BAREFOOT FRIENDLY”. IT IS NOT!! IT WILL ABSOLUTELY BURN THE BOTTOM OF YOUR BARE FEET. I have to put rug runners on my deck and you can feel the heat coming thru them. I would not have bought this product except it said it was barefoot friendly. I want to know if there is something I can paint over it to stop the heat, PLEASE, ANYBODY, email me if there is. I will not buy another product like this from lowes or anywhere else. I think I’ll join the lawsuit.
Has anybody had problems with Olympic Restore It rotting your deck boards?
My entire deck peeled , when I contacted the company about the problem, they just me paper work to get more of the stain and to follow the instructions just as I did beore. The one thing going I was not told was how to get the old off, had to power wash deck then use a surface cleaner let dry for 48 hours then restain, in less then 6 months same problem has occurred wood is splitting and warping now due to stain not sticking to surface. Worse product I have ever used.
Same problem paint bubbled up and peeled after one season…. more work to remove it , its almost worth it to replace the deck boards.
What a consumer fraud. Followed directions and even bought the Olympic brand deck cleaner to prep. Just replaced all the decking and rails to the tune of $18k just to get rid.if the unsightly appearance. Do not waste your money
Further, I was in Lowe’s the other day and they still have this crap on the shelf. Why there is not class action grievances filed against the manufacturer and distributer is beyond me
This product is no better than the others. It peels off within a year.
As a chemical process engineer for years, I have prepared surfaces for aerospace hardware. I know what it takes to coat substrates. I can certainly appreciate following instructions, but this was to no avail. To repair my deck, this time I am going to prime the surfaces and hope that it sticks. Oh the joy of peeing the rest off just to try and get it to stick. I have pictures of the piles of sheets of the coating – it crosslinks to itself just fine but has no adhesive. properties.
Don't waste your time and money
Looked good the first year. Second year it is bubbling and peeling off in sheets!!! Followed directions to the T!! Went through 3 gallons and purchased another gallon to do the rails this year. if anyone wants to purchase it, it's unopened in my garage. I can't find my receipt so I guess I'm screwed. Wasted alot of my time and having fibromyalgia didn't help. Now I have to figure out how to remove this crap and start over with some stain!!!!!
I agree with most complaints here. After 2 years my deck looks like crap. Tried to pressure wash to remove, good luck with that. now I'm stuck between what to do next. Putting my house up for sale soon, I guess I have to repaint and let the next owner deal with the problem.
We used restore it 1 year ago. It looked great going down. But now it has become a eye sore. I've not had the peeling issue but it looks awful. There's nothing I have found that cleans it. No matter how much you scrub or power wash it just looks dirty. Mind you I have a complete wrap around porch. So angry with this product and with company's for selling this to people.
it is awful. Put down by a professional and he can't believe how awful it is. And it doesn't come off consistently. SO we have some that is staying especially on the railings and some parts of the floor.. It is JUST simply the worst thing we could have done to our deck. What can we use to get the stuff off the deck? Our deck is HUGE and to sand it would be crazy…
Sand and scrape is the only way.
it is awful. Put down by a professional and he can't believe how awful it is. And it doesn't come off consistently. SO we have some that is staying especially on the railings and some parts of the floor.. It is JUST simply the worst thing we could have done to our deck. What can we use to get the stuff off the deck? Our deck is HUGE and to sand it would be crazy…
This stuff should be taken off the market.
After major prep, put this product on last summer after a hot, dry summer. Totally peeling now. Bad news for a big deck. A waste of time, money, and hard work.
After one year, with careful attention to prep and application directions, the product is peeling off of about half of the deck boards which are pressure treated fir. It seems to be sensitive to the various grain surfaces. I am in a wet climate region and the peeling began in the beginning of the summer season in the year following application. I have used many Olympic products in the past with success, but I would not recommend the use of Rescue It in the Pacific NW.
I am not pleased with this products performance. I am a contractor with over 30 years of experience and this product was recommended by one of my vendors, I followed all the manufactures instructions and the used the products the vendor told me to use for cleaning and prepping the surface. We used a surface cleaner and cleaned the deck and let it dry for two weeks before applying the product. Now two years later the product is starting to peel. We applied two coats as recommended. My customer is not pleased! I would suggest using a Sherwin Williams or Benjamin Moore product as opposed to Olympic, Rustoleum, or Behr!
Worst product ever. Looked great when we applied it. We followed the directions exactly as far as prep. 6 months later it started to peel. Niw 18 months later we were able to remove 98% with a garden hose.
To make it even worse, the last 2 % sticks like crazy glue and we have to use a sander to get it off.
Olympic help desk was useless.
After 2 years my deck look terrible the whole deck is peeling in large chunks……So much money and time prepping to specifiications…..and cost of the product …..was very happy with the finished look…..Last year started to peel this year no choice but to remove and redo deck….Do not recommend Olympic Recue It…this product did not hold up at all……
I am shocked by the negative reviews on this product. I have applied it to the front deck two summers ago and it is still in excellent shape. I have one back deck that I completed last summer and will do the final and very large deck this spring/summer. I am in the process of recommending it to a friend who is a landscaper. I came to this website to double check on the name "Rescue it". I hope it lasts a long time since it sounds like a nightmare to remove, which I do not plan to do before replacing the whole deck many years from now. I live in the foothills area of California; no snow and hot summers which may be a better climate for the product.
I was also shocked by these negative comments. Did they apply it properly? I am a big fan of this product.
After one winter, the deck looks terrible – much worse than it did 2-years after an application of the stain.
Did not last even one year.Installed in the summer ,after the winter snow melted I noticed some loose pieces
that I could peel off by hand.i took my leaf blower and went over the deck and found several areas that I
could blow small strips off. As the spring progressed the peeling got worst .would not recommend it.
It did look great when first done,but that's about all.now I am left with a mess real garbage….
P S they did refund purchase price,,big deal.. Ralph
This was the worst product!! We are now into I don't know how many hours of scrapping and sanding our two decks because of the bubbling of the paint. We were told we were only one of many that had this problem. In fact the local paint expert later told us the paint was far too thick to be used on a horizontal surface. We should never have used it on our deck which was interesting since it was publicized as a "Deck Resurfacer." I am disguested!
We used this rescue it on two yrs ago now we have rotten boards, and the stuff is peeling. Do not recommend this stuff
Do you have any product recommendations for removing Rescue It and what to replace it with. I got my money back from PPG but one winter in Iowa and the deck is trashed.
You will have to sand or replace the wood. Strippers will not remove the Rescue It fully. Once removed, go with a semi-transparent penetrating stain that can be easily reapplied as needed every 2-3 years.
Like others who have commented, the Olympic Rescue It has been a huge disappointment for me. A lot of hard work to apply to my deck and didn't even last one season before starting to peel. I followed instructions.
Just hit 2 yr mark in central Ohio. Product has not peeled or weathered at all. My deck was 1 yr old. I power washed and cleaned then waited for 4-5 dry sunny days in a row to make sure wood wasn't wet before application. Looks great 25 months later. Applied Oct. 2013 now it's Nov. 2015. I'm so glad I don't have all the problems I've been reading here
I bought deck rescue by Olympia and it is two years and coming up. I have to try and scrape the deck and the deck is wet in places. Where water seeped in. These were new boards two years ago. This wasn't old wood but I like a maintain ezce free product.
ALL OF THE STATEMENTS BELOW ARE TRUE! We used Rescue-It and followed the directions completely. We had applied the product the end of Summer 2013. Early spring 2014 it was peeling. By the end of summer 2014 our deck looked awful & we didn't know what to do. The stain was literally coming up when we were sitting in a chair & ran our feet over it! Running a light stream from the garden hose would even peel it! We let it go until spring 2015 because we knew we had a lot of work to do. After hours & weekend of scraping, power washing, sanding it still looks bad, but, now we are going to try something else. We contacted Rescue-It company and they requested pictures & paint samples of what had peeled off. We were able to get a refund with a "little" extra to cover the hours of preparation (which could actually never be repaid because we still had work to do to try get it off). The only drawback from that is the requirement of signing a "General Release" that we'd never pursue legal action! Now……I wonder why a company would make a consumer sign something like that–unless they knew it is a lousy product! We wish we had researched this product more!
I used the Olympic "Rescue It" on my 15+ year old deck last summer. The deck was initially maintained with a variety of different stains/protectors through the years, and none held up to the harsh winters of mountainous northeast PA. Despite the use of these other products, the wood began splitting/cracking in areas. So, I decided to use the Olympic product because it received slightly better reviews than the comparable Rustoleum product. After another harsh winter, I was disappointed to see some peeling, mostly where ice formed on the decking itself. For the most part the railings held up well. So, I did some scraping and repainted the affected areas. Overall, I think the product performed as well as can be expected, given the environmental conditions of my area. I also used on my cement foundation and had no issues of peeling or cracking whatsoever.
do not use this product!! Peeled after one year! Lots of hard work for nothing…now more hard work getting it off!!!!! Nightmare
Kohn, Swift & Graf, a Philadelphia-based law firm which handles class action cases nationwide, is investigating claims for a class action law suit against Olympic for its Rescue-it deck paint, which peels and flakes prematurely resulting in costly removal after it starts peeling. Power washing alone won’t get everything, and some people have been forced to actually purchase new boards for their deck. We are gathering information about peoples’ experiences. If you purchased Olympic Rescue-It and had issues with the product, please send your complaints to info@kohnswift.com. All initial consultations are free of charge.
We used Rescue It last fall on our front steps. During the winter it started to peel and is looking worse as time goes by. I called customer service 800.441.9695, and was told we could get a refund with a store receipt. He said to power wash the steps then use paint stripper. I can only imagine the total mess we would have if we poured paint stripper on that thick stuff, whatever it is. Please NEVER use Rescue It on anything!!!
Olympic Rescue began to peel after the winter. Called company sent me a check to cover the cost of paint after I sent them my pictures. Told me to power wash the deck to get the peeled paint off. Power washed for several hours then rented a large industrial sander. This did not work only took off the paint where it was partially peeling which is about 50% of the deck. I am a total loss. Have not cashed the check. I need all of the boards replaced. What a terrible product. Help!!!
I used Rescue it last summer and my deck this year has peeled so bad it is a mess.I sent photos to Olympic June 8,2015 and have not gotten a reply.I was going to post the pictures on social media if I didn't hear anything but I guess after seeing this site they wouldn't care .What a waste of time and money.
I would suggest emailing them. I emailed my initial complaint and photos and was contacted within 1 day
Agree that you shouldn't waste your money or your time. Looked awesome after applying. Then Spring came and it all bubbled up and is still peeling off. Most of it is gone.
Do not waste your money on this product. Painted my deck last summeras instructed on can and it started coming off that same winter.
Don't do it. This has to be the worst deck product ever. Ours lasted all of 7 months, now even more work ensues because of using it. It's peeled everywhere, we drag strips of this junk through our house on our shoes. Wish we had never heard of it, please don't fall for this product.
My deck is a disaster …. Put the Olympia Rescue product on last spring, looked great for the summer and now I can peel it off with my foot! I will never use an Olympia product again . . .
Olympic rescue it is awful- peeled the winter after, but not completely, I have 40 hrs in pressure washing and my wedding cake stairs look like crap- they offer a 150.00 no question asked, no receipt, nothing-except they want us to sign a contract saying we will not sue them- I know their is a lawsuit against Behr, anybody know if there is one against Oylmpic??
Olympic Rescue It did not work. Applied spring of last year and majority already lifted and peeled off by April this year. Now deck looks like trash.
Now we must find another way and after spending so much money, we feel we should receive some sort of compensation.