Let's Talk Hardwoods

Sun Frog got this inquiry today:

Hello,

I’ve got a IPE wood deck. What is your recommendation for a sealer?

Thank You,

Larry

Here's how we responded:

Larry-

Because the wood cells in Hardwood (IPE and others) don’t have the hollow centers that softwoods like Cedar and Redwood do, they are less penetrable to Sealers. Accordingly, the visual benefit from Sealers wears off sooner, requiring more frequent re-do to maintain visual benefit. The good news is that hardwoods are easier to re-seal than softwoods and less sealer is needed, too!

Bottom Line?

Softer, Oil based sealers like Sun Frog’s are easy to apply and they beautify Hardwoods greatly, even though because less gets into the wood, they deplete much faster than on soft woods and need re-doing more often to keep the wood looking AS great is possible. In the absence of doing anything, if your wood stays naked it grays as UV damage and surface wood mold effect its surface visuality.

To avoid the graying, sealing Hardwoods with biocide fortified penetrating sealers is easy has great visual results. When the sealer depletes from sun, water and wear, re-coats can be easily applied- just roll or pad another application on , then rag off after 30 minutes so build up of dried sealer excess doesn’t happen. With this approach, “Voilà”, your deck is beautiful again. (Caveat: Every two years or so before just re-applying and wiping down, I still recommend first using our Deck Cleaner followed by our Brightener Born Again. This will optimally assure that no “varnish like” buildup of sealer occurs and your hardwood extra investment will always look GREAT!

Dave MacAusland

Owner, Sun Frog Products’s, Inc.

503-699-1162