Deck Sealing & Waterproofing in Nashville, TN

Sealer and Stain Are Different Jobs

A clear water repellent does one thing well: it keeps rain from soaking into the wood. That matters in a city that averages around 50 inches of rain a year, because wood that stays wet is wood that checks, cracks and eventually decays. What a clear finish does not do is block sun. Without pigment, UV still greys and roughens the surface, which is why the USDA Forest Products Laboratory rates a clear water repellent on a deck at only about one to two years.

When Sealing Is the Right Call

Sealing makes most sense on a shaded deck, on wood you want to look natural, or as maintenance between stain coats on a finish that is still sound. A toner - a sealer with a little pigment - buys some sun protection without hiding the grain. On a deck in full sun, we will usually steer you toward a semi-transparent stain instead, and explain why.

The test we use before and after is simple: water on the boards. If it soaks straight in, the wood is unprotected; if it beads and sits, the finish is working. We apply after cleaning, once the boards are properly dry, and treat board ends and edges where water gets in first.

Where It Fits

Shaded lots in Green Hills and Bellevue, lake-area decks around Old Hickory where boards stay damp, and newer decks in The Nations and Brentwood that are still in good shape. It pairs naturally with the fence and pergola for one consistent look, and with the rest of Nashville on request.

How long does it take? Typically a day of application once the wood is clean and dry.