Boat Dock Sealer

Hi, I'm Tim Carter, AskTheBuilder.com, and I'm outside my own home and right behind me is a

panel made out of cedar from my boat dock. I live on a large lake here in central New Hampshire

really beautiful, and it needs to be resealed as you can tell. So a couple of things I just

want to tell you very quickly. Number one, the cleaner that I used was oxygen bleach

It's called Stain Solver, and you can get it at StainSolver.com. And it's much, much better than using a pressure washer

Pressure washers ruin wood. Just trust me if they dig out the softer spring wood

But here's what you need to know. This particular dock panel was sealed with a film-forming sealant probably five years ago

And I hate those type of sealants. They're just like paint. they sit on the surface they don't really soak in and when they fail they peel off and I now have to

sand part of this panel I'll probably have to sand all of them because there's 10 panels

total for this dock and it a nightmare in the old days the deck sealants that you could buy were penetrating sealants They soaked into the wood they protected the wood fibers deep down inside

and they were just better. And you never had to sand the panels, you know, when you went to

refinish it. It's just crazy. But these particular newer sealants, if you're having the same problem

that's why. They're like paint. And I actually think, this is the cynic in me, I think that the

manufacturers are doing this on purpose so that your deck looks worse faster. I know that sounds

crazy, but once they start to peel, then your deck or your dock really looks horrible. And then

you're forced to have to buy more sealer. So all I can tell you is try to find a penetrating wood

sealer if you can get it. They're harder and harder to find every day. I'm Tim Carter

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