This post was updated on January 30, 2023
Note for 2023: Rust-Oleum bought Synta Deck Restore in 2012. It is now called Rust-Oleum Deck Restore or Rust-Oleum Rock Solid.
Deck Restore™ is the smart alternative to deck replacement. It revives and protects wood surfaces such as wood and composite decking, stairs, docks and more.
Deck Restore™ is water-based, low odor and fills up to 1/4” cracks.
Synta’s Deck Restore is designed to “mask” the wood. It will not show the wood grain. Promoted as a product for wood that is beyond conventional restoration.
Note: Class Action Lawsuit has been filed against Rust-Oleum Restore 10x: See Here
Synta Rust-Oleum Restore Stain Scores (1-10)Appearance After Initial Stain Application: 5
– Synta Restore is basically a very thick paint that is designed to mask the wood and fill any large cracks and voids. To us, it looked very fake on the pressure-treated deck. We also noticed that the finish (after full drying) is very hot to the touch when exposed to direct sunlight. To the point that you would not be able to walk on the surface with bare feet.
Preventing UV Graying at 2 Year Mark: 10
– Being a solid non-translucent product, the (Rust-Oleum) Restore does not show any signs of UV fading. This is normal for solid stains and paints.
Wear/Tear and Peeling: 7
– Synta (Rust-Oleum) Restore showed some wearing in the high traffic areas and between the decking boards. It seems that the (Rust-Oleum) Restore did not adhere to the boards as the finish curled up here.
Cost Per Square Foot: 1
– Horrible. We needed 10 of the (Rust-Oleum) Restore 2 gallon kits. That is $600 for a 600 sq. foot deck or $1 per foot.
Preventing Mold/Mildew/Algae: 10
– Synta (Rust-Oleum) Restore should zero mold or algae on deck.
Ease of Application: 2
– Very difficult to apply. We used the supplied roller and a heavy-duty brush for back wiping and to get between the floorboards. We followed all the supplied directions. The entire project for the two required coats took 12 hours to perform with 2 people. We had issues getting the stain to apply evenly and between the deck boards. Full curing for the Synta Restore can take up to 3 weeks.
Color Shifting (darkening) after 2 Years: 10
– It did not darken or attract dirt.
Difficulty of Reapplication: 5
– Heavy scraping to remove the peeling stain would be required prior to applying another coat. Conversations with the manufacturer on product failure were difficult. Basically, they blamed the peeling on poor prepping of the wood even though we followed their online instructions.
Overall Score Rust-Oleum Restore Solid Acrylic Stain at 2 Year Period: 6.25
– We are not a fan of this product. Basically, a “thick” paint that performs about the same as any other solid color deck stain. Doing some research online and you will find there are more unhappy customers out there than satisfied customers. Appearance is poor, the application is difficult, and the cost per foot is horrible. To be fair, the Synta Restore did score extremely well in UV fading and preventing mold.
Rust-Oleum Rock Solid (Deck Restore) Customer Photo Issues
Product Information:
Where To Buy: Big Box Stores, Home Depot, Menards, Lowes, etc
Cost: $59.99 per 2 Gallon Kit
Stain Type: Acrylic Solid Stain – Water Based
Available Colors: 20 different colors
Application Temperature: 45-95 F
Coats Required: 2 Coats.
Coverage Per Gallon: 100 sq. ft per 2-gallon kit for 1 coat. Need 2 coats for best performance.
Application Tools: Brush, Roller
Dry Time: 8-24 Hours
Cleanup: Water
VOC Compliant: 250 Compliant in all States
Manufacturer: Rust-Oleum
Test Deck Stats:
Deck Wood Type: Pressure Treated Pine Dock
Deck Square Footage: 600 Square feet
UV Exposure: Southern exposure. Full sun
How Many Years Tested: 2 Years
Stain Color Used: Cedar
Update Spring of 2023
Please read our article on Gulf Synthetics Deck Revive Review We believe this product has real value if looking for these product types that actually work.
*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.
Rust-Oleum Rock Solid (Deck Restore)Video Review
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.
It worked for me— but
I do not know if Rustoleum changed the formulation of this product. The original product did not have all the confusing 2x, 6x, 9x, etc. They simply had textured and matching untextured (for railings an such). We used the original Deck Restore product on our two decks. Both looked great. When we sold that house 10 years later, they still looked great. No cracking, no peeling. I don’t know if the formula has changed or if people aren’t doing the prep correctly or what. (from some of the pictures it appears that they didn’t clean the wood first). Maybe they are applying it to relatively new wood. Our deck was already over fifteen years old and very weathered (which is exactly what Deck Restore was designed for). All I can say is that is worked for me and I’d give it a 10-star review. I’d buy some more (of the old stuff) if it were available.
It was decent until Rust-Oleum bought the product then they screwed it up by changing formulas.
My deck is destroyed by this Restore product! I followed all instructions on how to apply and my deck started bubbling and peeling. It retained moisture and rotted the wood underneath. I need to replace my entire deck!!! this will be an expense beyond my means as I am on a fixed income.. Any help would be appreciated !
I seldom do this but here goes: I think you may have misjudged this product. I have rentals and several tenants who are older and can fall and slip–easily. We paid the big buck and bought DECK RESTORE (Synta) from home depo. Our maintenance guy did decks, stairs and paths/anywhere someone could get hurt. We live in N. Calif in the redwoods and get lots of rain, mold and mildew here. 7 years later the color has faded a bit. There has been very little pealing and the non-slip feature is still as good as when it finished drying. There has been NO mold or mildew that has EVER grown on this stuff. It may be expensive but you take a fall and break a hip at 75 years or fall head first onto a rock. THIS IS A NON SLIP PRODUCT and we have used and tested it for 7 years. As in any job it’s always about the preparation. We like this product and recommend it.
What you used is not the same product sold now. Rust-oleum bought it from Synta and then reformulated it. It is garbage now and peels horribly.
I installed the Synta branded Deck Restore in 2011. I am just now having to re-coat some chipping spots, etc. and one deck board has rotted but, my overall deck was in very bad shape before I applied the Deck Restore. The splinters from the rough surface were unbearable and it was either try the Deck Restore or replace all the deck boards. I chose this option and so far, I am in my 9th year and it is working as intended. Yes, it is a little difficult to apply and it takes some time to dry. Again, my review if for the SYNTA brand deck restore and not the Rustoleum branded version. I have heard that Rustoleum changed the formulation slightly and that may have lead to problems. One small negative, since it has sand embedded within the product, it is hot under foot in the summer, no matter how light of a color you choose. We picked Sandstone and it still burns our feet on 85+ degree, sunny days.
I applied around 8 years ago to 13 year old deck: I rented a belt floor sander to get a nice rough surface ( get screws or nails a bit below surface. Have done nothing since and only have a few board cracks that I need to hit with a brush. I do have dark spots that may be dirt that’s not easy to clean up. Any ideas on this?
Applied Restore in 2012 or 13, purchased it because of the warranty and marketing. . It is now flaking up and peeling leaving large areas of exposed wood. I made the purchase at Home Depot in 5 gallon buckets, (3) to cover the deck twice.
How do I collect my warranty, how do you recommend removing it
KEVIN ARMFIELD
Power sand it off. Check with them for warranty.
Before I sand it off? Who is them I thought this was them….
Check with the manufacturer. We are an independent review site.
I’ve taken pictures, can forward if you would like
Why is our Restore cedar a much lighter color than the product we used 6 years ago? Instead of patching and doing a light coat, now we have to completely recoat the whole thin
That is because they changed the formula.
I purchased this crap ( not knowing it was crap) in 9/30/2012. Cost $143.71 which included everything I needed. After the first year I noticed peeling and it was not comfortable to walk on with your bare feet. The years went by and I was so happy I didn’t put this crap on my entire deck (675 sq ft). I had spent hours removing this junk with a sharpened flat shovel, a very expensive $165.00 angle grinder, approximately eight 7” wire wheels (which would ware down to nothing), ten plus 7” and 4” sanding disks, a 7”and 4” diamond grinding wheel (used for concrete and paint coating removal), plus hour after hour for weeks on my knees. Total cost in materials and including my time figure $1800.00 or more. If I had a contractor complete the same it would have cost $3000. The funny thing is the deck is very close to the house and trees or I would have used about five gallons of gasoline and it would taken less time and material. I will say only one more thing about this crap. DON’T USE IT EVER!!!! The people that came up with it should be forced to pay to have it removed from your deck.
I used this product (from Synta) in 2012 before they were purchased by Rustoleum. I have never used a better or longer lasting product ever. It wears like iron and looks great 6 years later. It makes me wonder if Rustoleum altered the original formula. Wish I could get another gallon of the Synta produce for touch ups.
I am currently in the process of completely stripping off the Restore product after having it on the deck for four years. Each year more and more of the product would peel off during power washing and I essentially had to patch and over paint more of the deck each year. This year sheets of the product peeled like a Post It note and I decided to remove it completely. Unfortunately, some of the product did adhere as it was supposed to and I am literally having to chip those areas off with a chisel. So far it has taken me four days and I am still not done. Unfortunately there is also some damage to the decking because of the chiseling and I will be forced to completely sand the entire deck down to try and recover it. Horrible product.
We bought Restore to do our large deck in 2012. It was supposed to protect our wood deck and last for years. It has been a nightmare! It looks terrible and is totally coming off. My husband spent hours preparing the deck before applying Restore. Added a second coat like recommended. We are just sick about how our deck looks. Now we are faced repairing it and spending money we don’t have. My husbands health has failed and he can not do all the work it is going to take to restore it. This is unacceptable. Is this company going to stand by their claim that it lasts for years?
Horrible!! Peeling off my deck! Should be pulled off the shelf! Refunds need plus time and lobos it’s going to take to get this off my deck
I am in the process of removing this crap from my deck. It lasted maybe a year and then started peeling and flaking off. Very disappointed.
I totally regret putting this on my deck. It is peeling in sections and has adversely impacted water drainage between the boards. The worst part is I can't find anyone who will remove the product. I've had several different contractors/deck companies come out and look at the deck, and all of them just shake their heads and tell me that they've seen so many other decks like mine and that the product is one of the worst things that you can put on a deck.
i am so disgusted with your product. it absolutely DID NOT do the job I was led to believe it would. applying it was difficult enough but to have to patch it up every year is absolutely ridiculous. right now it is peeling off in big chunks. absolutely worthless and paid probably $700.00 or more to do my decks. this may not seem like much to you but you are probably not on a limited income and as old as I am. I thought I was using something that would make things easier at my age but that certainly wasn't the case. I wouldn't recommend this product to anyone. shame on you for putting such a product on the market and misleading the customers and taking their money without a second glance.
I put on front deck 5 or 6 years ago and only did a coat and then touch up. Looked great. Held up 2 years looking like it did when I put on. After about 4 years started to look a little chipped on edges. But not bad. Recoated this year using deck start which is easy on then reapplied with lighter color. Looks great. Just finished back decks. First time was massive project for my 16 year old deck. Filling cracks and now 3 coats but solid and looks awesome.
The only reason I gave it one star is because that was the lowest it would go. They need to take this mess off the market!
This product looked good at first followed directions and applied after first year started to notice cracks in the product on the deck boards. Second year I now have the product peeling off the boards in strips. My deck is 52’x32″ spent a small fortune and a lot of hard work prepping the surface and applying the product. Like I stated above. It looked great the first year now starting to have problems. Not sure on what to do but not satisfied with what product had promised to do.
We used the 10x on our deck last summer. Prepped and followed all instructions to a t. This summer it is peeling off in thick strips right down to the bare wood. So disappointed and it's sickening to think of the money we spent. Did the slats and handrails in the 4x. Same results. Stay away from this product. Not worth the money or time.
This stuff ruined our whole deck ??????
Placed this crap on my deck 2 years ago spent 8 hrs one day power washing off what had not already peeled off. Followed instructions as well with original application. Some boards where I placed on ends have rot. I will now try to scrape or sand the rest off. Please do not use this product on your deck
HAS ANYONE TRIED TO REMOVE THIS CRAP? My deck after 3 months looks like hell.Can you tell me how to remove? sanding?
Sanding but make sure you wear a mask.
Overall I am happy with the product. It does get a bit hotter than we expected with the relatively light color "Beach." it was a good alternative to reboarding. We have had it on for 5 years and have re-coated damage areas twice. The left over paint is still viable after years in storage. It is not perfect, but has exceeded my expectations. It is much better than the deteriorated porch/floor paint that was on the deck when we bought the house.
My experience as well still looks good just a peel here and there what did you use to touch up those spots .
Product applied three years ago. It is not easy to apply. Unhappy with look of product after application. We applied color "BEACH". Stains horribly. It a very porous, making it impossible as far as cleaning GA red mud stains. CONTACTED SYNTA and they agreed to send stain of another color. They sent 4 gallons. Which covered 1/3 of surface we had applied originally. The darker stained area faded quickly, anyway. The following summer we began to signs of bubbling and peeling of the product. What a mess. This year we have 6 boards that are rotten almost all the way through. We applied to brand new decking. 1400 sq feet of new decking. This product is not at all suitable for restoring or protecting a deck from any type of weather, serves as no protection from elements or moisture. Unhappy since day one and feel the product is responsible for rotten boards we have. Decking on its on will last longer than 3 years. DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS PRODUCT.
My husband applied this to our deck several years ago (I believe 5 or 6 years ago) and we are so in love with this product. There are a few places that might need some touching up but we use our deck so much I consider it just wear and tear. It was work to apply it but even now I am so impressed with this product. Maybe those who are complaining just didn't apply it correctly!!! SO IN LOVE WITH RESTORE!!!!!
We have also used this product. Used it 2 years ago. Paint is chipping and peeling off our large deck as well. Lifetime warranty? Where do I go to apply for compensation?
I contacted rust oleum directly with pics and all. They of course are saying we didn't prep properly but they are full of it! We did and we had to use more of it then suggested! I had no receipts so they sent me more stuff that is supposed to be better we shall see. We are in the horror of trying to get it all off now. Good luck to you! There is a class action suit but not one in Ohio as of yet.
This product is misrepresented. We applied it as directed. After a few months the pressure treated decking that had been on there began to have rotten spots. The paint developed cracks and areas of dark dis colored areas. I am afraid we are going to have to replace the deck boards.
7 cans later and three years, my deck has mold and mildew and cracks.I want to be compensated for a grand waste of my money and time.
This product is very costly it is hard to apply after one year it had peeled off and I had to reapply the 2nd year it looks horrible my deck is 2800 sq ft so you can only amgine what it cost me to use this product. I am so dissatisfied. I would not recommend this product to anyone.
We applied it 1 1/2 years ago and it is peeling off terrible. It looks worse then before we did it. We applied just as they said by power washing our deck, letting it dry for several days then rolling on the restore. It was difficult to use but am most disappointed by how it hasn't lasted. We should have just restrained our deck.
I had this professionally applied 4 years ago. My decking was cracked and splintered and is in direct sun all day. It was burried under ice and snow all winter.With the exception of the top of the deck rail, which was the stain, the decking looks as good as new. No splinters or fading. The contractor said it was difficult to apply, but the reults are great
We applied this product last fall as directed. This product did not make it 6 months before it started peeling. Our deck looks horrible and have spent the last 6 hours trying to remove this product so we can apply a regular stain. We have tried two different strippers, pressure washer and sanding. Difficult to apply, difficult to look at and difficult to remove. Would not recommend this product to anyone.
We bought your product at lowes ,$140.00 for 6 gallons put it on the deck late sept 2014 after prepping bought the plastic roller for application spent 2 days putting it on its all falling off the deck already,didn't make it 6mths this product is junk , I have a video of how horrible it is I'd like to know what I can do about this …this is a horrible product restore 10x…
This product is difficult to apply, but when you think it will last 10 years it is worth the effort. Then soon after applying, it begin to peel and crack and I will be lucky if it lasts three years. Not worth the expense and time – Buy something else.
I used the restore and am I sorry. After one winter I am blowing strips of this product of the deck with my blower and broom. I followed the instructions very carefully to apply using the roller Home Depot recommended. DO NOT USE THIS PRODUCT!
Here's the link to submit your name for the class action lawsuit: http://class-action-blog.com/rustoleum-restore-de…
Here's the link to submit your name for the class action lawsuit: http://class-action-blog.com/rustoleum-restore-de…
Here's the link to the class action lawsuit:
http://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-settlements/la…
This is the biggest nightmare of my life! I painted deck 2 years ago. Last summer I had to repaint as it was peeling. Home Depot told me to not use a snow shovel or salt on the deck floor. I didn't have to. It peeled before winter. Now I'm trying to remove it. This is a joke – and not a funny one for the price!
Of couse its not gonna last on stain..i hope the other people that had problems know this. It needs to sanded and powerwashed off. If not the stain will act as a barrier of moisture and over time it will come up..
We applied two coats of Rust-Oleum Restore 10X to our wood deck. It started bubbling and peeling after 1 month. We followed the directions very carefully. Now we have to strip the remaining product off our deck and reapply it. As far as we are concerned this is a faulty product and it should be pulled from the market. We complained to Rust-Oleum (Synta) and Rust-Oleum gave us a product replacement, but we are worried if we reapply the product it will bubble and peel off again. Has anyone reapplied the product after having it fail the first time and what has your experience been with the reapplication?
It will just fail again.
Horrible product! We applied again after the company sent us new product. Our deck is all rotted now with holes in it, and spongy in other places. We now have to replace our 900 sq. ft. deck because of this product….We called and they did refund our money, however, we now have to replace our whole deck. Not happy! They have a Class Action suit against them.
http://pennrecord.com/news/14994-class-action-say…
I have been trying to contact the company and cannot seem to get a response.
Yes and it failed much quicker second time and we followed instructions completely!! Started bubbling in less than 48 hrs and that was with primer and correct prep work!
Complete garbage from rust-oleum. I used this product four years ago on my front deck when it was new to the market from Synta and that has held up great through these past north Ohio winters. Tried it again this last sumer on my back deck and after one winter I have giant patches peeling off! Can't figure out the difference other than rust-oleum found a way to screw up the formula and still sold it to unsuspecting customers! How do you screw up a great product? Eight buckets of this crap at $85 plus the cleaner and man hours cleaning and applying completely gone to waste!
DON'T BUY THIS CRAP!
H O R R I B L E
I cleaned and power washes deck let dry applied restore solid acrylic stain let dry about 2 days applied another coat in april of 2013. after winter it started to peel up after this winter it almost all came off. Is there any thing you can do for me. Thanks Hank Lind
You will have to sand to remove or replace the wood as a stripper will not work and you cannot fix it by applying another stain on top.
don't waste your time or money by using this product…it didn't even last one season…and we did follow the instructions and the Restore products…what a waste 🙁
prepared deck, didn't cover well with roller , my handy man painted it by hand double coated, over winter, most of it had come off:( spent a lot of money on labor and product …
Disappointed in failure of stain after one year. Now will require additional work to remove peeling and blistered areas before reapplication.
We have a deck that goes around 3/4 of the house here in the mid west and over looks a lovely ravine. The deck was old and looking in a bit ratty last summer. After long thought about what could be done to get it looking good prior to selling the house we saw a commercial for X10. I thought I did enough due diligence in research on the product but I guess I didn't. After following the directions on prep to the letter of their conditions prior to laying down the product, we proceeded with applying X10. I had never went though a more exhausting prep for applying any type of material than I did with this product and I am no spring chicken nor is this my first dance with paint or using cleaning products. We have about 650 feet of deck and did the math and bought enough of the product to allow us to apply 2 coats of the X10 and make sure that there was a proper color match between the pails. We used the recommended rollers for the product. Also we made sure by checking the weather that we had a full three days with no rain in the forecast to apply the product. Also, we had to wait a week prior to applying it due to a bit of a heat wave here and waited till the temperatures (air and temperature of the deck ) were with in the guidelines that were specified on the product label. After we finished the application, we sat back (not on the deck!) and looked at was was very pleased at the effect and finish of the X10. After a week we moved the deck chairs and other items back to the deck and never gave it a second thought. Two months later winter sat in such as it will her in norther Illinois. The cold weather and snow came and we didn't give the deck a second thought. Three weeks ago after returning from Florida I thought it was time to sweep the leaves from the deck, get the grill out and get the deck staged for the sale of the house. With the first push of the broom I swept up a strip of the X10 that was 6" by 2' long. I did a double take! I then looked long and hard at more of that area and found that most of the product was bubbled up and cracking. With a few more sweeps I had about one pails worth of that stuff already brushed off of that area of the deck! I got out the phone and started taking pictures of the area and then took close pictures of the bubbling and cracking in other areas as well. It now seems that all three decks have the same issues happening as well as the railing of the deck. As listing time approaches, we are at a loss for just how to proceed. We've… Read more »
Robert, sorry but you will have to sand it off for removal 🙁
We purchased Restore in 2011 and it worked well, although it was very hot in the summer time. We purchased more in 2014; it was horrible. We've lost money and time. DO NOT PURCHASE RESTORE.
Product deteriorates quickly, peels like a snake shedding its skin, is extremely hot in direct sun, cannot walk on it barefoot. Product is GARBAGE…….
I too am having the same probelm as the guy in the video, I took all summer of 2013 to sand my deck down to clean wood, and my I say it looked new for being 15 years old, spent over a hundred hours to accomplice this, aplied the product as directed now one year later its peeling off….I AM PISSED…they sent me more product to reapply but I think that would not solve the probelm….The products probelm is that it does not expand and contract in Minnesota weather. I refinish wood furniture for a living I know what I am talking about….I want to join in any class action suit to get reimbursed
for my labor and a way of removing whats left on the deck…I know the deck floor is worth saving , unless they will replace it…