# Forum Home Renovation Decking  Clear/natural or tinted decking oil?

## simopimo

My deck is going to be built this week, yay. Spotted gum boards. I'm either going with Wattyl Forest wood, Cabot's Aqua deck or Floods Spa 'n Deck. Due to the different tints and the multiple combinations of tints and timbers,  it's hard to know what to go with. 
I figure that the Wattyl and Floods are the best two, but I would have thought that a tinted water based oil would have the best lwelcomed compared to a "natural" tint as they call it.  But what would I know? The boss wants a brownish finish to the spotted gum so I figured that a jarrah or merbau tint would be best, but does the tint really help the longevity? I definitely don't want a yellowish/orange finish though. 
Anyone out there with experience with spotted gum and decking oil tints? 
Also, the crew at Masters advised me to wait about 3 months before treatment or it would peel.  What are the opinions on this? The deck will be under a pergola although it does face west so half of it gets sun regardless.  However, weathering might not happen evenly as it doesn't all get full sun. 
Opinions and advice welcomed!

----------


## FletcherP

The more pigment, the longer lasting it will be. Paint will last longer than a stain. A stain will last longer than a tinted oil. 
The flip side is that the more pigment, the more the natural attributes of the timber are impacted. 
Of the brands you mentioned, Spa & Deck is more heavily pigmented and closer to a stain than decking oil, Forestwood depends on if you are talking about the stain or decking oil, and Aquadeck is a pigmented decking oil. 
It comes down to how often you want to maintain the deck versus how natural you want it to look. Stains change the colour of the timber, oils enhance the colour of the timber. 
The difference between a 'natural' tint and 'jarrah' or 'merbau' tints for a decking oil (stains don't usually have natural) can be pretty subtle. Natural is not a clear coating, it is brown. Jarrah will give more red tones, and Merbau will give more brown. 
Spotted gum is an oily timber, and can cause issues with some coatings if not left to weather - there are products that have be formulated in Australia to handle this attribute. 
Hope this helps.

----------


## simopimo

Thanks fletcherp. The Wattyl Forestwood I was looking at was the water based decking oil. About 8 hours after posting this, I found utemad and jimj's threads and got to reading. 
I think I'll go with Spa 'n Deck with a Jarrah or Merbau tint, provided i can find it - Bunnings and Mitre 10 don't seem to stock it in my area - as I don't know enough about the Forestwood and people here seem to rave about the Spa 'n Deck.  
My only other point was regarding changing the tint down the track. That is, going from a jarrah tint to Merbau and vice-versa. Just in case. I guess a light sand cures all... Got bitten by the Aquadeck Merbau on outdoor teak furniture and it's now a little orangey.

----------


## jimj

Not exactly sure but have heard Flood are going to offer small sample pots of Spa&Deck to try out . Merbau tint is more orange that Jarrah with Walnut brown being the darkest. 10 people can look at the same timber and stain and either like it,hateit or be indifferent to it.
I totally agree that appearance plays a major factor but then so does longevity in the sun ( time in between  needed recoating) ease of application,drying time, how long to wait before you can traffic on it. 
You can blend any of the tints of Spa&Deck to create the final colour that suits you. Overall all of the S&D tints are based on a red-brown-yellow tint. 
On some lighter timbers ie. pine,yellow balau can result in a more orange colour. Jarrah tint on merbau will be fairly red-brown. Not everyone will like this either. 
best of luck 
jimj   restore a deck

----------


## Bloss

:What he said:  but a warning - if you start mixing and matching to come up with our own do it with some precision ie: use a measure of some sort so you know what are the exact ratio you used to get to the colour you like. Otherwise you will run into strife if you have misjudged the amount or when you go to re-coat later - and be sure to record it somewhere safe and accessible too as well as use permanent marker to write it on the lids and sides of the containers. It doesn't much matter what the measure is, it is the ratio that's important eg: Jarrah 5: Merbau 2 OR Natural 1: Walnut 1 (ie: 50/50) OR Merbau 4 Cedar 3 and so on.

----------


## simopimo

Thanks guys.  I'll stay away from the mixing and go with a straight colour.  I think Jarrah will be the go.  Opinions on allowing spotted gum to weather before coating???

----------


## jimj

Thanks Bloss for the added information,suggestion and as always from you sound advice! Personally, although it  S&D can be mixed to any ratio the owner wants I really don't think buying 2 different cans of product and say blending both 50/50 justifies the extra expense if only 1 can is required to do the job. 
If say you are going to need 20 litres in total ,you could then blend them 5 litres to 5 litres and have a total of 2x10 litres of blended. Is it worth the effort. That is basically a personal choice! I just buy heaps of Jarrah only as it seems to make most folks fairly happy. I often get a call from past clents asking what colour I used ,even though I leave an 10 litre can with a litre or so in the can at each house completed.
The answer is always the same" Jarrah" 
jimj

----------


## jimj

You can let it weather if you want to and most manufacturers will state 3 weeks to 6 months depending on who wrote the blurb. I understand that I am flying in the face of this blurb but I replaced some 27 year old super deck spotted gum  140x32 on my own home decks and never let them weather. AS soon as I can after building I sand off with 80 grit and coat with S&D. 
I might be lucky but have never had any of the so called tanin leach come up under my S&D coating causing any discoloration. The timber was still fairly green and not kiln dried. I layed each board snuggly against the next. Over the next 6 months ,as I was told by the supplier ,the timber will shrink. It did and I now have approx 4- 5mm gapping.
I am not saying that you need to do the same, it is  just what I do. No doubt others will disagree! That is what is so good about this forum! 
jimj    restoreadeck
PS also used SS countersunk Spax -D screws

----------


## johnstonfencing

If interested this is a picture of walnut (sedona) spa and deck on spotted gum decking, thought i'd throw it up for comparison.

----------


## johnstonfencing

For info Floods are now supplying Spa and Deck sample pots.  I have seen them down here at paint spot moorabbin, this store is in the same street as Floods HQ so could be trialling them but they are out there! 
Cheers

----------


## simopimo

Thanks for the pic johnstonfencing. 
As luck would have it, SWMBO made a trip down to Merilux at Five Dock this afternoon and was able to buy some sample pots. Sedona, Merbau and Jarrah.  All good!

----------


## Bloss

Sample pots make mix & matching easier too - use a teaspoon and count how many of each tint to get your ratios - start with 50/50 ie 1:1. That allows you to try small areas, but enough to see what the result is. Allow dry time before deciding too - it will soak in and look different. Note also the second or third coat will go a deeper shade whatever the tint.

----------


## simopimo

After skipping yesterday due to the 40 degree heat in Sydney... Here 'tis. 
1 treatment of Powerlift... 1 treatment of Woodclean... 3 coats of Floods Spa 'n Deck in Walnut.   
Very happy with the result.  Other than the footprints that appeared after both of my kids and my wife walked on it 3 hours after the final coat... Maybe a light scrub and a fourth coat for the footprinted areas next weekend... maybe... Depending on motivation and the "Do I care enough?" factor... 
Very expensive at about $190 for 10 litres, but it looks terrific.

----------


## jimj

Well done,looks great and no doubt you must be happy to have it coated. With the dirt & grass surrounding the deck you will always have some dirt being brought onto the deck. This is totally unavoidable and just what life is.
I have seen a number of deck coatings stuffed up from over zealous scrubbing when being cleaned. I have found the best way to clean spa& deck is use a very soft  bristle broom & maybe 25 grams of napisan to 1-2 litres of warm water. Make sure the powder is dissolved. Slop on the deck when it is cool. let it sit for several minutes then lightly scrub & rinse off with water . Micro fiber cloths also are pretty effective. the stiff deck scrubbing brush sold at Bunnings for $15 will do more damage than help. It is the detergent that breaks up the dirt. 
Add the spilt beer,bbq sauce,redwine,melted icecream,bird droppings,muddy puppy prints and your new deck will look lived on 
enjoy it! 
jimj

----------

