DEFY Extreme 5 Gallon Semi-Transparent Exterior Wood Stain, Driftwood Gray

I stained a new, pressure treated (2x6 material) pine deck last year... I was not happy with the results (poor adherence, peeling and flaking), but to be fair to Defy, I don't think I waited long enough for the ACQ to dry from the wood. I stained after 3 months, when I should have waited longer. Also, tried to stain in sections, instead of the recommended complete length of board, and ended up with distinct, visible areas of overlap (stopping and starting). Don't do this! Complete a length of board(s) before you stop. This is a penetrating stain; if you don't follow the instructions to a T, you will have poor results.This year I rented a random, orbit floor sander and using 36 grit paper, stripped the entire deck (500 square feet). Last year I used the recommended large brush to apply but found that to be very messy, although pretty quick and easy. This year I donned my knee pads and used a 3 1/2 inch staining paint brush. Much slower but I felt I had really good control of the application. Because I had such poor results last year, this year I only put on one coat, in hopes of minimizing any chances of flaking, plus I felt like trying to get the second coat down in a timely manner was going to be too difficult since I have such a large deck - if you put it down after the first coat dries, you won't be happy. This year I observed the stain penetrating nicely into the wood, and my application was much more uniform. I could also basically apply a "second coat" by simply back-brushing, as I progressed onto untreated surfaces. I believe the recommended wait of 20 minutes before applying a second coat, could be too long depending on your climate. Where I live should be "within 20 minutes."This year the staining turned out really well, and the color is awesome (light walnut). My plan is to apply a second coat in late fall/early winter before a threat of freezing. After consulting Defy, I learned that applying additional coats is dependent on the "water test." If you put drops of water on the deck, and they absorb right into the wood, then you can apply another coat. If the water doesn't absorb, then an additional coat will not penetrate and you'll have poor results (flaking, poor adherence). This water test should be done on several areas of the deck; not just one spot. If my test results with the water not absorbing right away, then I will wait till next year to apply the second coat (I guess I did a good job of staining, if that happens). My intent of applying a second coat, is to have the deck in a condition, where I won't have to stain it for a couple of years.My color turned out great this year, so I have trouble understanding some of the reviews that speak of poor color. Last year, I ordered some sample stains from Defy's web site, and stained scrap wood, in order to choose the best color. This is a good method to use, if you are unsure about how your type of wood will look with stain. Another good hint is to be careful of the sun. This stain will dry too fast if you apply it in direct sunlight; you want it to penetrate into the wood, not dry on top of it. I have two boards that I'm worried about, because the clouds went away as I was staining, and it seemed they dried a little too fast. Not much I could have done; once you start don't stop until you complete the entire length of board.The only thing that remains to be seen, is how durable and long it will last before I have to re-stain.

After using oil-based stains on our +30 year old redwood deck for several years with poor results, typically only seeing about six months of protection, I decided to try something different this time and after much research ordered water-based DEFY Extreme. Once the deck was power washed, sanded, and brightened the DEFY was brushed on using the two-coat, wet on wet method described on the can. Because it happened to be a hot sunny day I installed a large tarp above to shade the area and found the product fairly easy to apply, it's water thin and really penetrates the wood.Rain water beads up like no other product I've seen, time will tell if it outlast the other products I've used but so far I've been impressed.UPDATE: After 6 MonthsOur deck receives direct sunlight from sunrise to late afternoon and is exposed to coastal fog throughout the year, often coated with a thin layer of moisture most mornings. In addition to these harsh environmental conditions the deck receives a fair amount of chlorinated water from our hot tub. The Defy stain held up better than any other product we've tried to date but after six months the areas exposed to direct sunlight most of the day no longer beaded water and required an additional "maintenance-coat" which went on easily and quickly with no prep outside of a quick wash.The product did not peal and fading was minimal, areas that only received a few hours of direct sunlight still beaded water after six months.

I followed the recommended steps of wash and brighten first. This deck is new, without prior treatment, but it's been 'drying' for a year and a half. So, the wood SOAKED up this stain. The consistency is like that of water and a 15x20' deck with a set of 6 steps approx 3' wide has taken 4 gallons.Ok, now directions clarify that you cannot stop midway on a board while staining. Makes sense. But you are also supposed to put a second coat on before the first completely dries (within 20 min).this was a bit of a challenge as my deck boards are one piece. Had to do just 3 boards at a time. Which slowed things down. Additionally, there was no time to get the stain down between the boards, on the edges. So I am planning on doing that once it's all dried and I can take the time.The photos show the coverage for 2 gallons

I am a retired home builder with extensive experience in building and staining decks. I carefully researched deck stain. I wanted a SEMI-transparent gray stain and it looked like Defy fit the bill. Most reviews were good with just a few bad ones. As you can see, I carefully stripped my decks. Washed them and prepared them. Allowed to dry totally. Then I started staining. Five gallons of stain, two coats. Over six hours of careful work. What did I get? An uneven, muddy virtually invisible mess! There is no SEMI-transparent about it! This junk is TOTALLY-tranparent! Now I have to strip this off and start all over again with something that actually delivers what it advertises. That was many days and $250 down the drain. Apparently the engineers at Defy have never seen a piece of driftwood.

I used a big box major name brand last year on my new cedar deck. Less than a year later it looked absolutely awful. I used a stripper/brightener that was fairly easy too. I read tons of reviews of stains/sealers as this is not what I want to do every year! Defy Extreme was rated high in many sites. The cedar color matched the other brand I had on the spindles, (which I had no intension of redoing). It is very watery but I used a brush and it was extremely easy to apply. I taped off the siding, but forgot about the white vinyl fence. Took longer to clean that off than to stain the deck. My recommendation is to make sure you get it even because you cannot go back & touch up. It does repel against itself when dry. And to make sure you protect any other surface because with the consistency. It will splatter. I will follow up next year if it doesn't hold up.

A nice penetrating stain. Will give it a winter and a summer to give a more accurate review.