Ready Seal Exterior Wood Stain | Semi-Transparent Oil-Based Formula | Professional Grade Stain and Sealer in One | Ideal for Decks, Fences, Pergolas, Wood Siding & More | 5 Gallon | Natural Cedar

P.S. We paid for our product-- this isn't a paid endorsement! Our deck was 3-yrs. old, never stained, grey, weathered so badly [first 2-photos]-- some of the steps were deteriorating into a "checkered" pattern, i.e., disintegrating. Blasting hot Southern sun, monsoons, wind. More sun. More grey. Rapid aging. Never stained it because product review were so BAD! Until... Tripped onto Ready Seal on Amazon after reading dozens, hundreds of reviews of so many different products. Skip the 5-Star-- just read the 1-Star Reviews. Loads of research over these 3-years, but nothing popped. Until Ready Seal came on the horizon. Minimal 1-Stars. Started watching every video I could find on RS. YouTube, Amazon, Ready Seal's proprietary videos. Reading data sheets on RS's website. Tons more research. Months pass. Convinced. Buy two 5-gal. totes of Natural Cedar. I wanted the "most orange" color RS offered. I call this "Backwards Prep." Order the supply before I'm ready to do the work. This gives me the incentive to "go all in. Not back out. Forge ahead. Wait for the monsoons to stop. Research a little more. Learn how to turn this amateur gig into professional. Techniques. Tools. Materials needed. Temperature range required. Moisture! Ready Seal has GREAT Customer Service. Phoned twice. Second time, a super-hot-shot very UP on his game figured out I was using the WRONG Moisture Meter (for interior, drywall-- wrong). Off to Lowe's for a Kobalt Pin Type Moisture Meter #SC-MM150 Digital #4882343 Model #SC-MM150. See, that is great Customer Service when the Rep. listens so intently-- they can figure out what you're doing wrong (getting wonky readings) and help correct the problem. Staining a requires PATIENCE, kiddoes. Especially if you're goofy enough to stain your deck during monsoon season. Dry as a bone in the a.m. Start to stain-- finally! STARTS POURING DOWN RAIN halfway through. This prompts a call to RS: usually 12% or less moisture is required for staining-- but since you live in Monsoonville, you can go 15% on the first application. This gives the green light-- this deck wood will NEVER be 12% this wet summer. Moisture meter checks every day. Finally a narrow window opens up-- dry for just a few days, long enough for a staining Marathon. Ready Seal is everything we needed it to be. Easy to open. Easy to stir. Easy to apply (I started by using a beautiful brush. Ended up using a sponge as it made it SO easy to stain in-between boards and was easier on the wrist. Deck is 8x12-ft. Took 20-hrs. TOTAL for everything-- was able to squeeze-in 2-coats during the few days of sun. Stained everything: topsides, railings, in-between the boards, UNDERNEATH the decking, underneath the steps, 4x4 uprights, sides of boards-- every square inch of that deck. Twice. NOTE 1: if your deck is badly weathered, you'll need MORE than you think. Ran through an entire 5-gal. can doing two coats, plus maybe a Qt. from 2nd 5-gal. tote. That's two coats on an 8x12 deck. Our wood, especially the steps, were so badly "chapped" that all the wood soaked up the thin stain like nobody's bidnezz. The stain is "thin," not gloppy. If you didn't know better, you'd think it was water base. Use gloves! Old clothes. We laid down a layer of cardboard under the deck to 1/ Catch drippings 2/ for a clean, slick surface to slide around on to reach all those nooks and crannies. To me it didn't make sense to just stain topsides and leave unstained wood underneath our deck. Obviously if your deck is just a few inches off the ground, you won't be staining underneath! NOTE 2: Great addition to 1/ Protecting the steps from SUN and WIND and 2/ Safety was the addition of the STAIR TREADS [Rubber-Cal "Diamond-Plate Non-Slip Rubber Tread Stair Mats (6 Pack), Black $35.64 for six]. They really set off the Natural Cedar and really make the Ready Seal POP! I wanted some way to protect the stair treads from the brutal sun, to stop the "checking" damage. NOTE 3: ANOTHER great addition to our deck, that also keeps the SUN off and will add more years to our deck is that I erected Deck Sails [SUNNY GUARD Sun Shade Sail 10'x10'x10' Triangle Grey White Tripe UV Block Sunshade for Backyard Yard Deck Patio Garden Outdoor Activities and Facility] using 1-in. Galvanized Electrical conduit as "masts" attached to the 4x4 uprights. No cement needed. The sails keep the deck COOL, and minimize UV rays from ruining our beautiful Ready Seal. [Photos.] Sunny Guard has various sizes and shapes. We've since put up 5-Sails on this 8x12 deck, to keep our kitchen COOLER in summer. Makes a HUGE difference. The deck stays cools even though it's on the roasting WEST side of the house. Use "J-Hooks" on the 1-in. metal poles and bungee-cord to the Sails, then you can easily take them down for an approaching bad windstorm. No shortcuts. But every DAY I thank God we took the time to research this project and to do it right (waited until deck wood was <15% moisture). And got in two coats. The treads. The sails. Looks like a completely different deck, and now is a really gorgeous outdoor space-- that somehow even seems a bit bigger now, too. THANK YOU READY SEAL. You will NOT be sorry.

I have used several different stain/sealers over the years, and this is the best I've used so far. My comparison is to Sherwin-Williams SuperDeck and Thompson's stain - both are much more expensive. Ready Seal went on easily and dried very evenly with no runs, heavy or thin spots to show. Now, granted, a lot of that has to do with application, but I used a cheap airless sprayer from Harbor Freight (also a great product for the money) and it did great. I would think a cheap garden sprayer would do just as well, although it would take longer and you'd have to carry the tank around. I HIGHLY recommend using a airless sprayer with a long hose. This stain is just a little thicker than water, so you'll want to use a small spray tip; I used a 0.15 and it worked fine, although there was some aerosolization. I recommend an old ball cap, a dust mask, nitrile gloves and some safety glasses - but that's just good protection for any home painting job. It was dry to the touch within 2 hours and lightened up just a little the next day. I've read other reviews that say it gets darker, but maybe that's related to the stain tone; the Natural Cedar does look very natural and really just adds a slight color tone to the natural wood. I applied this to my 6 year old cedar fence that had greyed. I pressure washed the fence, using only water, one Saturday and painted the next Saturday. It took me about 3 hours to stain 240 feet of 6' high fence, and that included setup and clean up. Regarding coverage, I used about 7 gallons to cover just over 1500 square feet, so about 200 feet per gallon, which is a little better than the 125' estimate. If you're fence is older, it will likely be drier and take more product. The stain cleaned up fairly easily, although you do need mineral spirits (or just about any other paint thinner) to clean your equipment well when done. I will definitely use this again in a few years (says 3-5 years for fences, so we'll see) and highly recommend it if your in the market for a stain.

I have over 1,000 feet of rough cut cedar post and rail fence. It was installed 2 years ago, so it had a decent amount of weathering (i.e., grey coloring) on it. I followed Ready Seal's instructions and washed it with bleach/water mixture. Then used an oxalic acid mixture to clear the black staining (from the wood's reaction to the metal hardware). Lastly, I put two coats of stain on. I thought I was going to get away with a single coat, but the stain soaked in so deep that it was quite noticeable. The wood started to have almost a sickly look to it (not sure how else to explain it). Good news is that I know the stain soaked in really deep. :)The result is absolutely beautiful. I love this stain because it really soaks in. I actually stained a smaller portion of the fence that I build myself several years ago. While there was still the gray/weathering on it, it was noticeably different to clean/stain. It seemed like there was still a subsurface layer of sealant protecting the wood. Pretty cool. That being said, if I had just stained it when I first had it put in, I wouldn't have had to do the bleach or acid wash - which is a huge pain. I didn't do it originally because the price of a 5-gallon bucket of this stain went from $75 to $200. It was simply too much after spending $20K on the fence itself. I ended up purchasing 16 of them this summer for $174 each (yes, over $2700). Not much of a savings but a LOT more work. I had to get a bleach spray and an acid sprayer. I should have just stained it 2 years ago. I used a drill attachment to mix the stain and blend buckets, which made that part go much faster. Ready Seal recommended a pump sprayer for applying it, so I purchased one and used it. Once I learned how use it correctly, I think I was able to put the stain on with less waste then using a brush; however, given the sheer amount of fence I have, my left arm (pumping arm) was pretty wore out. I will look into to other solutions in the future. In the end I like the idea of not having to scrape/chip/strip paint off of my fence and just lightly wash and add another coat of stain next time. I highly recommend this product.

I really like this stain. I used it on my new fence and it went on so well! Looks great! It is everything it says it is: "no back brushing and will never leave runs, laps, or streaks. Requires no wet-line application, the product will blend itself and can be applied in any temperature range for proper application". I applied this in the absolute hottest days of the summer trying to beat an upcoming thunderstorm and it was so effortless to work with. I highly recommend this product.

Okay, so....after reading online reviews about deck stains for a little over 2mos, I finally decided on Ready Seal and opted for "Natural Cedar." Pros: - definitely goof proof (dripped, dropped, sagged, and ran...none of it shows!) - doesn't stain hands (or legs, or forearms, or toes, or clothes, or hair) - dries very quickly in coastal/humid NC, 80° sunny weather (just ask my Husky and Chocolate Lab who "christened" it 3hrs after it was stained) Only con: - color dries differently on aged wood than on new wood (see photos....decks are 10mos old, steps are 2mos old) Worth noting- I bought a 7" deck stain brush that allowed me to "swab the deck." Mopped it on! It made application super easy and even got between the cracks. Overall, fabulous product! Easy to get, easy to apply, amazing results, worth every penny! (Coming from someone who's used other brands before)

Good stuff ! Easy to apply and covers well Using on cedar rail fencing…approximately 800’ So I’ll need two 5 gallon buckets total 🤷🏻‍♂️

I had a dock built at my house about six months ago. It was pressure treated lumber, but had never been stained or anything. I gave it six months to weather and dry. In doing research for what kind of stain to apply, this was highly recommended. The fact that it also seals the wood is a big plus. I've never painted or stained anything before, but it could not have been easier. I used a brush in the tight spots up against the cleats, but aside from that, I used a roller with an extended handle and used that to quickly apply it. It really is idiot proof (good for me!). It goes on very quick, and really soaks in. The wood I was applying it to was very thirsty - it was a little under 200 square feet, but it still took about 2.5 gallons. That was only one coat, but that's all that was needed. I imagine if you're staining wood that has been previously stained, it wouldn't require as much. I actually wasn't paying attention, and I got it wet about 9 hours after I applied it. I was worried it would leave a mark and I'd have to redo that area, but it had no affect at all and still looked great. I've attached before and after pictures. Note that I didn't stain the walkway, just the dock itself.

This product is perfect. It goes in easily and blends itself making it easy to stop and restart applications. Our fence is just a little over a year old, so this is the first time we’ve applied sealant. It’s taking a lot of product for the first application, which we knew it would, but I really underestimated how much I would need. I’m so thankful that this seller provided fairly quick shipping.

Have stained a lot of decks over the years but this is the best. Cleaned and brightened a huge pressure treated deck (took 22 gals) and applied trying deck brush, roller, pad and sprayer. All worked great but preferred brush at end of broom handle for flat floor surfaces and privacy fencing. Used sprayer for latticing and for cedar shim roofing on gazebo. Two coats within an hour, gorgeous colour (not too dark but stained to look like redwood cedar), no splotches or inconsistency. Went on like mineral oil (very light and easily absorbed by wood rather than sitting on surface) Very easy to clean with mineral spirits or paint thinner. Large 5 gal container was easy to handle with pouring spout. Metal can can be recycled or re-used as ash cleanout container for fireplace. Will absolutely buy again. Photo shows before and after brightened wood (before brightening wood was the familiar dark grey from sun bleaching). A month and a half later, deck Looks line stain was just applied. Lots of compliments.

First off, pretty good shipping time. Not bad value compared to other brands. I like that it is oiled based, it was very easy to apply with a brush and a roller, the natural cedar colour is exactly what I was looking for. It did lighten up after a few weeks. It is applied on red cedar wood deck. The water seems to be beading off, I give it a 5 star for now. With 4 star longevity as I do not know how long it will last. Hopefully I can touch up in a year from now.

The stain covered the decks well. It was easy to apply and dried fairly quickly. On the down side, it was very expensive and had a very strong smell. The smell gave us both very bad headaches and stayed in our nose for a week.

This product is amazing. I highly recommend the product. I initially did not know what to expect with the product. Heck putting up fence boards was suddenly a requirement so I had a huge learning curve. First the wood and then the stain. Regular fence boards? Cedar fence boards? Tongue and groove fence boards? (What, that’s a thing for fences?!). Then the spacing and allowance for expansion and shrinkages. What colour stain? Oil base? Water base? So much information and my head spun a bit. Once I selected the wood things just fell in place. And the wood specialists recommended the oil stain for its better protection so I came to Amazon to search for stains and this one came up. It was perfect and just what I needed both in colour and quantity as I needed a lot as I was staining 185 fence boards. From the first to the last board the stain was perfect. The container is great and I really liked the opening which was so easy to open and pour out the quantities I need. The stain goes on very nicely and coats well. I don’t know it’s longevity yet but so far the product is amazing.

My deck is cedar and I chose Natural Cedar for the colour. This product went on like a dream, it’s stunning with absolutely no lap marks etc. I stained my 550sq ft. deck, railings and two sets of stairs with one 5 gallon. You can tell it beautifully soaks into the wood. I will update next year after the Canadian winter and see how it holds up, but I can already tell it’s completely different than the previous stain we used. Shipping took a long time, over a month to get here, but it was worth the wait. I couldn’t be happier. :) UPDATE:: Added a picture of the deck post winter, it has faded some but absolutely no peeling which is most important.. Still looks beautiful. And held up to our two rambunctious dogs nails! We have stained this deck yearly with other garbage stain and by spring it was always peeling and hideous. This is a dream.