I remember being stationed in Korea, and a wooden deck area where a lot of diesel got sloshed never seemed to be affected by rain or snow.
Does anyone have any experiences with diesel or another petro product that doesn't cost an arm and a leg ?
I don't care about color, oder or volatility ... the job is not a danger to me or others ... I just want to seal it.
The water based Thompson's is crap, imo
I used something on a very weathered deck that made it look almost new again.
Flood CWF-UV Wood Finish.
I used the clear, but they have other stain colors.
Thompson’s is crap. It is basically just paraffin.
Diesel works fine for me and I use it on trailer decking all the time. It does not seal so much but it does protect. ATF is a wonder fluid for me so if I want to jazz up the diesel I put some of that in the mix!
Used ATF is one of the best tool rust inhibitors ever.
We should have a weekly thread similar to the weekly gardening thread where DIYers can ask for advice and suggestions, tool tips, product reviews, etc.
You using hard or soft wood?
Back in the day you could buy coal tar creosote by the 50 gallon drum. Worked great. Then along came the EPA and banned the commercial sale.
I have used tar sealer, like you put on a driveway and it works pretty good.
If you have time to soak the posts or boards diesel anti gonna hurt it. Might do the trick.
Try mixing Gorilla Glue (the brown polyurethane glue) with a solvent such as Xylene, MEK, or Acetone (depending on how quickly you want it to dry). About 10% Gorilla Glue and 90% solvent by weight.
When thinned with a solvent like this, it won’t foam up and it will make a nice coating.
Trex deck. Just sayin’. 😊🙌
Also do not use alcohol to thin Gorilla Glue, it won’t cure.
You want to soak something attached to your home in diesel fuel? I am not sure your insurance guy would approve.
I have seen it used on detached wood (retaining walls and the like.). But the deck on your home? Pay the extra for a good sealer and be done with it.
The best I have used is called “Australian Tree Oil” and found at home improvement places. This stuff is great, it seals and gives a nice stain, even on new pressure treated lumber. No other stain/preservative that I know of will do this. It comes in several shades.
I go back over the deck once a year with a roller. Not essential but keeps it looking good.
If you’ve got a worn deck, there are products that fill in cracks and splits and goes on like a ceramic coating. You can squeeze out a few more years with it.
i’ve been researching about making pressure treated lumber...
diesel fuel mixed with used engine oil is recommended...
there are youtube videos about the subject...
Thompson water seal is crap. I stripped deck railing and used Cabot semi solid. That stuff looks and protects fabulous.
I’ve been thinking of spraying the underside of my car with diesel fuel. Will that work to slow down rust formation?
“I want to use an oil based sealer and the price(s) are very high.”
It seems as though OSHA or EPA is slowly doing away with oil based paints/stains. I used Olympic solid colored stain for years on the same deck, over $40 a gallon. Olympic says it lasts for 15 years guaranteed. It does not even last one year. Every year I had to pressure wash the loose stuff off and recoat with the deck with the same color. I wish it would last longer but it didn’t. I was not going to use a petroleum based product next to the house.
Here in FL, in my previous home I had a 450 foot long dock and at first used Thompson’s. It was horrible and I will never use one of their products again.
Since then, I used the Olympic oil-based deck protector. It works as advertised. Be sure to do a thorough pressure washing.
Fill in voids with roofing mastic or bondo. Mastic resists rot better but it shrinks. Refinish with quality house paint. If you prefer brown then use brown. Stain and sealer don’t cut it.
I am no expert, but I would recommend TWP. Oil based protectant. It’s not cheap. I have a 16 yo log pine house. Contractor used some kind of diesel mix when built. I loved the natural color but felt I needed more protection after 16 years. I went with TWP “cedar” as the color a year ago. Time will tell. I did look at houses that had been treated over 20 years ago as references, including the dealer’s. Came highly recommended. Appears to have held up nicely. My steps & handrails still beading up nicely so far, but do get green. Which cleans off easily. All my porches are under roof, but nice beading as well with blowing rain or hurricane puke. I’m in Louisiana, high humidity). Hope this helps. https://www.twpstain.com/