Sealing on hot days

[Pete Marentay]

Here is a tip: during these 96-degree days, the wood (particularly a horizontal deck board) gets VERY hot. Applying a sealer without cooling the boards first can lead to flash drying on the surface. Cool the wood by throwing a light-colored tarp over it for 20 minutes while you are getting set up. The wood will cool as much as 20-degrees, enabling you to start sealing without problems.

 

[Shaun Gross]

Never had a problem with Ready Seal. Do you think its necessary with RS?

 

[Pete Marentay]

Yes, it can flash dry. When it does, the sealer dries on the surface without sinking down deep in. You would recognize it right away. This is the kind of problem you run into when a deck is in full afternoon sunlight for hours, which obviously has not happened to you, Shaun. I just got into the habit of touching the wood to see how hot it was. If it burned to the touch, I cooled the deck down.

 

[Sonlight]

Thanks for the tip, we are relatively new at this and doing a deck seal this week in the heat. I appreciate the info greatly!