SW DeckScapes Review
Sherwin Williams DeckScapes Advanced Waterborne Transparent Stain offers 3 way UV protection for wood by absorbing, blocking and stabilizing the wood fibers. DeskScapes enhances the natural wood grain while preventing mold and mildew.
Note: We used SW’s DeckScapes in their water-based toner formula for our test and review.
Sherwin Williams DeckScapes Stain Scores (1-10)
Appearance After Initial Stain Application: 5
– Sherwin Williams DeckScapes is a water based acrylic formula that created a film on top of the wood after drying. The overall appearance of the redwood color was poor and the stain dried unevenly even though it was applied properly.
Preventing UV Graying at 2 Year Mark: 6
– After 2 years the Sherwin Williams DeckScapes lost about 60% of its original color.
Wear/Tear and Peeling: 4
– The Sherwin Williams DeckScapes did not hold up well on our full sun test deck. After the second winter about 60% of the stain had peeled from the floor. This did not happen in just the high traffic areas but throughout the entire deck.
Cost Per Square Foot: 7
– We used 4 gallons of stain for our 400 foot test deck. 2 Coats of the Sherwin Williams DeckScapes was applied. The cost to stain was around $.35 a foot.
Preventing Mold/Mildew/Algae: 9
– The DeckScapes tested very well on preventing mold and mildew. No mold was growing in or on top of the stain. Very small amounts of mold were visible in the wood where the stain had peeled.
Ease of Application: 3
– This stain is not easy to apply. We found that the Deckscapes dried incredibly fast. This made it very difficult to apply the stain as we worried about overlaps. We used a brush and roller with the application and found that the stain did not apply anywhere near the manufacturer coverage rates. We found that the Sherwin Williams DeckScapes closer to 150 feet per gallon.
Color Shifting (darkening) after 2 Years: 8
– Sherwin Williams DeckScapes does not darken in color but fades and peels.
Ease of Reapplication: 4
– Reapplication of the DeckScapes would not be easy. Since the stain had peeled badly you would need to use a heavy stain stripper followed by sanding to remove the stain from the rest of the deck. A light cleaning and re-coat would not work.
Overall Score Defy Extreme Stain at 2 Year Period: 5.75
– We were very disappointed in the Sherwin Williams DeckScapes. Having used SW paints in the past with excellent results, we expected better for their exterior decking stain. The Deckscapes does not apply very well, has a poor appearance when finished and peels.
Buyer Beware!
Product Information:
Where To Buy: Sherwin Williams
Cost: $32.99 per Gallon, $160.99 per 5 Gallon Pail
Stain Type: Transparent – Water Based
Available Colors: Natural, Redwood, Cedar
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: 24-48 Hours
Cleanup: Soap and Water
VOC Compliant: 250 Compliant in all States
More Info: Product Data
Manufacturer: Sherwin Williams
Test Deck Stats:
When Tested: May 2008
Deck Wood Type: Pressure Treated Pine
Deck Square Footage: 400 Square Feet
UV Exposure: Full Sun, Western Exposure
How Many Years Tested: 2 Years
Stain Color Used: Redwood
*All products tested and results are from our hands-on experience. We offer no guarantee of similar results. Take inconsideration that results may differ widely due to different wood types, exposure to UV radiation, and natural weathering.
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154 Comments on "Sherwin Williams DeckScapes Stain Review"
The SW product tested here is was a waterborne, mostly transparent stain. The testers acknowledged that they applied the stain to the deck floor via brush and roller which is a 100% rookie/amateur way of application. This product, and all other deck stains should be applied in the shade, the old-fashioned way by 4 inch brush, taking 2-3 (MAX) boards at once, evenly without puddling, all the way across to the end of each board, working backwards out of each corner. When applied this method, it really doesn’t take much more time and will provide a professional appearance that will resist the fading and mildewing which occur quite rapidly with oil-based stains.
Terrible product. I would NEVER recommend this product to my worst enemy. From start to finish. We have a $1000 , 2 year old deck that looks 10 years old and we have no idea what to do with it . Stain is pealing everywhere, railing, deck surface…everywhere, not just traffic areas. This is the second summer. We are sick. Short ic tearing it down and down and starting over, we are clueless about his to fix this mess.
Use Benjamim Moore oil .
I’m surprised at all the stories of peeling, bubbling, etc. All of these issues occur with wood that has retained too much moisture prior to staining.
I live in Michigan with harsh winters and the stain did not start to wear down until 3 years. I had exposed wood in a few areas and faded color…but no peeling. After 3 years I think this is normal wear and tear, not a product defect.
I literally just finished my deck with Sherwin Williams stain and ran into all the same issues. Had a nice wood deck and now I have a brown painted deck. Very unhappy with the product, wish I had found this review prior to using it. It looked horrible after one coat and had to use two on everything I did! Waste of money, time and effort. Cannot wait until it starts peeling in 1 year!
Pealed after 1 yearof application had to use almost twice as much to cover my deck, and this is not a stain, It’s a deck paint……Now I am stuck with a painted deck, don’t waste your money
Go with Simi transparent for a stain not deep base or solid
Dont go near this stuff. Scuffing and peeling off after 6 months. I did everything as instructed, including deck wash before staining. Does not penetrate the wood at all.
I have a large deck (approx 1,000 square feet) that has been stained with multiple coats of Sherwin Williams Deckscapes solid waterborne stain. The horizontal surfaces are stained gray and are bubbling and peeling. Sherwin Williams has discontinued their Deckscapes product and replaced it with the Superdeck product.
What is the best way to remove the layers of old stain so I can put a fresh coat of stain on the wood?
Do you recommend the Superdeck product? (I expect that I will need to stay with a solid stain in a dark color.)
Thank you.
The only way to remove multiple layers of a solid stain is to sand it all off. If going with another solid stain, there is no reason to sand it all off. Just pressure wash to remove any “loose” stain, leaving the stain that is intact. Apply the new coating over top of this.
So you recommend sanding off the loose stain then pressure washing to remove any loose remnants?
For a pressure treated deck with 5 1/2″ wide boards, do you recommend a floor drum sander or a random orbital floor sander?
Thank you!
Just pressure wash is needed.
I have already pressure washed and I keep finding more sections that lift off. Please see the attached photos. They are all of the same area with a little bit of lifting of loose stain. Power washing just seems to drive more water under the stain causing it to bubble up further.
…not wanting to make this a life-long endeavor…
I appreciate your experienced insights.
MCS
I feel for you. I would be extremely upset. There is peeling, but these are sheets. Good luck. I personally do not line three deskscapes products.coverage sucks on them and not any longevity with this product.
Unfortunately, you have an issue. All that solid stain is not attached to the wood and it needs to come off. Sanding as you mentioned will be required. Use a drum sander for the floors and a belt or orbital for the verticals.
How about updating your research give me a break 2008
Hmm. No reason to be rude. This product label is discontinued and relabeled under the SW Super Deck name. Which by the way, has been updated. Thanks!
OH yeah …when you are out there trying to fix your ruined deck…and you get no help from idiot on the phone the next thing you better do get signed up for a classaction law suit….I don’t care if I never see a dime and it all goes to the lawyer…at least they will have to pay someone.
We used this product on a new deck that we let weather for one year. One year after applying the stain, the full sun floor had 10% peeling. Now after 2 years almost 50% peeled. Don’t know what to do. Will be a lot of work to sand or remove unpeeled stain.
We also used this product last year on our deck. This Spring almost all the stain has come off the stairs. The rails which should look like new, have also started to chip. We are trying to find a product that will do what it says it will do. Does anyone know of such a product?
You will need to remove the SW before swiching brands. See here for our suggestions on the stain:
I’m looking for feedback on Sherwin Williams reformulated SuperDeck Waterborne Semi-Transparent Stain. The 3/2017 deckstainhelp review for SuperDeck states “The current Sherwin Labels Super Deck that is water based, would be comparable to our review of the Sherwin Williams Deckscapes.” But it is not clear if any of these reviews reflect the new 2016 product reformulation for the SuperDeck Waterborne Semi-Transparent Stain.
Does not say what the so called “enhancements” actually are in the article. Meaning what did they do or add to make it better? They just talk about improving it.
HELP !!!! The Sherwin Williams DeckScape treated deck began to peal almost immediately after the University Painters (Sara Williams of Fairfax VA manager) completed the job. I reported this to them and their manager Sara Williams came and saw all the pealing. I have asked repeatedly for this to be fixed. All my friends and neighbors are shocked at how bad the deck looks. The deck looked way better BEFORE your product was applied. How can my deck be restored to its former beautiful self? Thanks.
I used SW deck scapes and it peeled after 2 years. Before that I used the Olympic stains, that product lasted 7 up years, I should have stayed with Olympic stains. In my opinion Olympic stains are a better product
Buyer beware!!! After a few years our deck is peeling!! Not supposed to peel. It is now needing to be stripped and will require a great amount of time and hard work to get it looking good again.
We put this on our pool deck and stairs and shed platform last year. We used Hawthorne Semi-Solid. With the cost and following ALL prep instructions and application instructions, I am so very disappointed. The deck is spotted and already chipping and peeling. It also has a white haze on all surfaces painted. I would never recommend this product to anyone to use. I read reviews and asked questions before choosing it…today I realize I made a huge expensive mistake. I questioned the need to seal it after application and was told I didn't need to. Something sure went wrong.
This stain did not even last to the next year, I had to wait due ti expense until two years. Had to have someone out again to prepare wood for stain but due to cost stained it myself. Would not recomend this product.
I painted 2 coats originally over older stain on deck approximately 10 years old in 2011 exactly as required. First year paint was bubbling up in spots. Scraped the bubbles and went right down to bare wood. Each year keep scraping bubbles and paint just peels off it appears to be wet underneath. Shoveled the snow off in winter with plastic shovel thought this could help. Now there are spots that are starting to rot the wood where chairs are attached to deck. Will have to replace the deck as it is peeling worse as time goes on. I have sanded the areas and painted each year. Pressure washing is a night mare as lifts up some but not all. Not a good product. Sorry I ever used it thought I could get the very best product at Sherwin Williams but not so.
I'm a finish carpenter. I mostly do casework, cabinetry, and furniture but still take on rough and outdoor jobs at times. I tested and used each of the versions (transparent, semi-transparent, and solid) of this stain in two different colors recently. Applied with a brush, the transparent and semi-transparent appeared very light – like a colored wash. On aged wood, the color was all but lost. Rolled on, both versions looked horrible. Spraying produced the most even coverage but the transparency of the product was lost. The solid version applied with a brush was noticeably better but still had an inconsistent appearance when dry. A second coat also yielded sub-par results in both application and appearance. My best results came by spraying on the solid color. However, the finished product looked painted rather than stained. This may be okay for a pine deck, but if the deck was of something more exotic, I'd go back to an un-tinted transparent sealant rather than taking a chance with this stuff. The only time it impressed me was how easily it cleaned up. As for peeling, it is almost always preventable by properly preparing the surface before applying. I've preferred SW paints for over 20 years but will go back to Cabot or Sikkens for my future outdoor staining projects.
Hi I have a composite deck "CorrectDeck". It's made out of 60% wood fiber and 40% polypropylene. Would you let me know what Cabot or Sikkens product you liked best? Thanks!
After applying this product in 2001, it started peeling. Put another coat on the following year, it again peeled. Now, 2016,
it hasn't completely peeled off, however, I'm now researching different ways to resolve this problem. One, chemically remove remaining Deckscape finish and cover with something compatible, or flip the deck boards and start over again. Flipping the decking seems easiest. Next, I'll have to research the market to learn what is a worthy finish for my deck. Any suggestions?
You have to remove it all if you do not flip. Flipping is harder than you think and sometimes shows water stains where the joists touched the wood and they may not come out. After you flip or remove, use a penetrating semi-trans stain like TWP.
Continuously peels off in spots – I must scrape & re-paint EVERY year!!! There must be something better than this out there.
Terrible stain, peels, cracks. I now will have to have deck professionally sanded and start over. Of course with a different product. No more Sherwin Williams!!!
It's only been about 6 months and my redwood deck is already looking bleached out. I have to resand it and find another product. Very disappointed in this product
Will never use again does not hold up 60% of deck peeling after 6 months
After less than 1 year entire deck was peeling! Stain was applied by a professional.
Hoping that there is some sort of refund on this product…
Horrible horrible wear so sorry we used it. Sherman Williams says it its wonderful buy them after they will say it's won't last
Stain is peeling down to the bare wood even in low traffic areas. Peeling started at the end of year one. I too thought I could rely on a Sherwin Williams product. Not so.
Absolute rubbish..sherwin is a good product, been using it now for 10 yrs..if it peels it may not have been applied properly, the temperature plays a big part in the finish..harsh winter conditions can wear down the horizontal surfaces obviously..I know this im a professional deck restorer..great solid and semi stains.great pigment. ..not all colours are so great..but the ones I tecomend are 2nd to none..a bad tradesman blames his tools, if you know wat your doing there should rarely be a problem.
Terrible product. Does not last. Only one year old and needs to be redone. When I used Olympic stain, lasted 7 years in the hot Texas sun. Do north use this product unless you only want it to last a year. What a waste of time and money.
Which Olympic stain did you use?
i applied this product to a deck sept 2014 it looks like it did when i started it did not last but a year
Review of Sherwin Williams Deckscape is exactly as my results were with professional application…very disappointing.
I have a front porch that we built with composite decking. It is approximately 8 years old. It is very faded and warped. I would like to paint or stain it but after reading all of the horrible reviews for the Sherwin Williams and Behr deck stains I am hesitant to use any of these or similar products. How do you think a regular porch paint would work? Or do you think it's the nature of the composite material?
Not sure on this. Never painted a composite before. We have stain a composite many years ago a few times. That was with the Messmers Composite stain. It looked pretty good.
I used Sherman Williams deck stain on a project it was the water based I have had nothing but a headache my customer noticed it was staining were ever water Sat on it also it was still soft to the touch two days after application Sherman Williams said that it was particular leaching and it would be okay in a few days that was a week ago it's not looking okay
With Deckscapes being Sherwin Williams new, improved product for exterior use, I had high hopes for improvement. Applied at the start of summer and in the areas where the deck has the most amount of sun exposure, paint/stain started bubbling up. By August, the issue was so widespread and noticeable, I once again started scraping the boards (which were dry underneath) and found that removing this product was so simply – it came up in sheets. Some pieces of the peeled paint were 12" long. And when I say this product came up in sheets, all it took was scraping one end and I could pull off the rest with little or no effort. It's like having a winter coat and unzipping to remove. So VERY disappointed in the wearability, durability, and cost of this product. SW needs to go back to their original product and leave this one by the wayside.
This stuff wasn't cheap cost wise but it ruined our deck after a year pealing. Can't clean it to reapply. Garbage. Sherwin Williams should make this right somehow !
I hate this new product. Sherwin williams short changed their deck customers when they completely changed the product and the colors with no cross reference as to what to buy for your pervious applications. I used cedar for 20 years and my deck always looked brand new when I redid it. I was sold a redwood when I took in a sample of what I had been using. They insisted it would match because I only wanted to do the deck floor. Well it is way too red and when it drys one the deck it is many different colors depending on how much sun it got over the years. Under the awing it is not covering the cedar and it looks bad. All those hours of labor and expense for what looks like a really bad job. I am 76 and still do my own painting of the deck and this is the first time I have been totally unhappy with the results. Would not recommend this product to anyone. wish I would have gone to Lowes or somewhere else to buy a product that would have been worth all of my labor. Never thought to look at comments before i tried it. Just spend another two hours trying to do a second coat and I sitll will have about 4 different shades on my deck Who in the $%^& at Sherwin Williams decided this was to be a better product than the one I was totally happy with for 20 years. Gee, would Sherwin Williams send someone over to redo it for me. I just am too tired to even finish it right now.
This product went on fairly easy and dried extremely fast. Once dried, color was streaky and uneven (we followed all instructions). After the first winter, over 60% of the finish was gone, even on the vertical surfaces. Would not recommend to anyone.
Cleaned fence property of mold and mildew with power wash. Spayed on dry fence, however, live in South Florida and now reading that this should not be applied in Sun. Thought Sherwin Williams would have told us that. Second coat uneven, inconsistent shading. Allot of dripping that unfortunately the painter missed as well. Nightmare after two coats and $500.
The stain started peeling before it was even 1 year old. If you spray off the deck, it just peels off. The painters had to restain it with a different product.
Horrible product. We will never use this company's paint or stain again. (Our painters recommended it.)
What a mistake and waste of a lot of money.
The key is in prepping the surface. Once you have removed all loose prior stain it lasts a few years. Mine is starting to show wear after 5 years
I stained my house using this stain and in two years it was covered with mold on the north and east sides. Prior to that it had Olympic stain for over twenty years with no mold
As a Professional painter,I personally use the Deckscapes oil based natural toner.I operate on the east coast beach.All of the results are on how you prep..I power wash all wood to the original new condition. After you achieve that.Apply the oil generously. At least 5 years..
Sorry buddy but we power washed our new deck and did everything we were suppose to last year and it looks like crap this year. Will never use Deckscapes again.
This by far is the worst deck stain I have ever used. if you are looking at this product put it down and run from it as fast as you can
I have put it on twice in one year and looks horrible after a few months. Going to try something else, for sure!!
UGH! This is why I have waited 8 years to stain / paint the deck. Nothing is consistent. We pressure washed it last weekend, I have been painting the railings and was getting ready to paint the floor with the deckscapes semi-transparent in Chestnut. The Duration white I have been using on the railings was okay, but the damn "green" whatever it is algae? in the wood keeps seeping through the paint. I even used a coat of kilz on it all before hand… OY! Home ownership is OVERRATED!
We bought the Deck scapes toner in Natural 3 years ago. I go in in last week buy another 5 gallon on the natural toner, thinking nothing of it. I take it home, open it , and it doesn't look like the same color. Take it back in , and they proceed to tell me that since Ive bought it they have reformulated it due to government regulations. Proceed to tell me that this toner named "Natural" is the closest replacement color. My question is, why would they keep the same name…..when its not the same color?? Very misleading. We are now having a hard time matching another color to what we have already restaind(we had some old left over that we used : ( , which now has been reformulated) Any suggestions?
Strip off the current stain and switch to a different brand that is oil based with a similar color.
Some of the comments on here are really off base. I am a manager at a Sherwin Williams store. The rule of thumb with any semi-transparent stain is that it will last 2 years tops due to sunlight. Solid stains will last 5 years. If you want the grain to show through then you need to re-stain every 2 years. As far as chipping and peeling goes. Prep work is vital. Make sure you strip any existing stain, powerwash, and ensure the surface is clean, dry, and dull prior to staining.
Dennis
I just bought solid stain to cover my deck. Power washed all of it floor came out great . spindles still are holding some of the remainder of the flood stain I used last year. Please tell me I don't have to put remover on it and power wash all my spindles !
You do not have to remove all previous stain when applying a new coat of a solid stain. Make sure that you remove all that is loose.
Used and wont purchase again. It doesnt hold up!!! Have you actually used it?!
I had Olympic stain for twenty years and it still looked good.
dennis you are right on. i am not a professional, but i have done many of my own decks, no matter what transparent you use and i have used the supposed best, the sun will destroy them and you have to redo every 2 yrs.
i have been using the sherwin williams deckscape solid water bourn the best i have ever used and will not use any other. i am going on my third yr, no peeling no mold some color fading, but great.
i think some of the people who have comment, whether a professional or not, have not prepped properly or as one mentioned, they applied in direct sunlight or high temps. the skin of the stain drys too fast, not allowing for the vehicle to bleed off and properly dry. BY THE WAY, I LIVE IN NW MICHIGAN, DECK FACES DIRECTLY SOUTH, LOT OF SUN AND ABOUT 4' OF SNOW ON IT LAST YEAR WITH 30 BELOW ZERO. ANY ONE IN MY AREA IS WELCOME TO COME AND SEE. ED
Peeled and blistered in less than a year on all flat surfaces and I have the same weather conditions as ED B
Would not let the people who guaranteed the job reapply the same product.
have you tried wood rx ultra? if so, wha'd you think?
We have used this product several times as we are a professional painting company & it works great if the surface is properly prepped.
Typical reasons why paint is peeling etc
-Your newly installed deck/fence is pressure treated and must be left to dry out/weather for 1 year.
-You have recently had a new deck/fence installed & its not pressure treated so you go ahead & paint it but new lumber needs to weather for approxmately 3 months…we prefer to let it weather for 6 months.
-Your deck/fence that has been weathering for years and you decide its time to seal it with stain but you didnt do the following, treat it with deckwash then pressure wash to remove all the dirt, dust & grease that has accumulated over the past few years.
-You decided to use a high grit palm sander to open up the woodgrain on your new deck so you could stain now instead of waiting for it to weather but after sanding you didnt give it an extremely good rinse to remove the dust.
-Wood was to damp.
-You applied in direct sun, high heat…stain wont properly bond to the surface if it dries instantly…
Ottawa
If you have any questions or concerns about your project please let us know as we are more than happy to offer our advice.
Hello Clayton,
We have just finished sanding and scraping 10X which I spent a month 2 years ago prepping and applying to our 25 year old red cedar deck following the instructions to the letter. Other than over the joist the wood was fine. I put nailers in and replaced the rotten or soft areas.
I want to be sure we don't make another mistake. Whatever we put. On next has to last. We are both seniors and it is no small project for me to do projects like this.
I am totally confused about what to use that will cover the pieces and stay on the surface.
What do you suggest? I have found the names of SW Arborcoat solid body acrylic stain, solid Hide Deckscape, and Gulf Synthetics Deck Revive by Gemini Coatings.
I would so appreciate any input you might have. I need to get this done before our guests start arriving.
Thank you for your attention
Irene
—–
Gulf Deck Revive, but you must use their Permabond.
I aplied SW Deckscapes stain on a newly installed treated wood deck. First coat looked ok, but after a week or so It started to show sploches. So 3 week later I applied a heavy second coat and after 3 weeks, the stain has not thourly dried. There are area that can be peeled off with a putty knife. What can I do to fix this?
I do not think you can fix this. Most likely you will need to remove it all and start over. Probably will need to sand it off as a stripper will not work. Sorry..
hi, i live in MI constructed a new deck the floors are composite , its 5 feet above the ground, called someone to stain it she primed the rods bout not the railings and put 1 coat using SW deckscape water based and the painter disappeared. i have an enclosed area which i wanted screened ..now with all the reviews i dont know if i should go ahead and paint it or just let it be for 1yr.. will the area that is painted peel off by next yr or do i need to strip it now itself.. pl advice .Thanks.
I'm a painting contractor with 35 years in the business – and I have used Sherwin Williams products for many of those years. I will stand by most of their products, and still do. However, three years ago I had 17 deck jobs lined up in early summer, and given Michigan's frequently rainy weather, having 2-3 dry days to wait for applying oil stains was a scheduling challenge so I used the waterbased DeckScapes for most of them.
The following year, I had to completely strip and redo (at my cost because I will stand behind my work) several decks that had utterly failed. Luckily, my sales rep comped me quite a lot of Sherwin Williams deck stain remover which works quite well (leave it on for longer than recommended) but I was still not a happy camper. I went back to TWP, which my Sherwin Williams store now orders for me.
) I have never had a call back or complaint about TWP.
I have previously used the oil-based SW DeckScapes with no problems. It seems that the main issue is poor penetration/adhesion with the waterbased stain, especially when applied on a low-to-the-ground deck with no moisture barrier underneath.
hi beth can you pl reply to my query. thanks
Very disappointed – Last October I stained my deck – the wood was old as it had been built several years ago but the staff at Sherwin Williams told me it would be fine. It was a lot of back breaking work as I am a senior but I was happy with the way it looked until this spring. As soon as the snow melted, I noticed that it was peeling everywhere. Some areas are bare and others are peeling – mostly down the centre of each board. I was advised at the store to just brush the loose flakes off and apply a new (even more expensive) product over top. I was going to try that but it is like a rubbery coating and will not brush off – it just pulls back in strips so I think I will have to try a stripper – as was suggested by a competitive store. What a waste of time and money!