Thompson'sWater Seal TH.041811-16 Transparent Stain, Gold

It was very easy to apply (I hired it done)!Beautiful color on our new deck.Water beads up perfectly.The "gold" color is beautiful.

Good stuff, easy to apply. I used it to winter proof a cedar playground module. I cannot review the longevity of the product yet, but it says on the bottle that the coat protection should last 3 years.

Easy and dried fast..

I purchased this product for maintenance on our Cedar Summit Play Structure. We've had the structure for only one year but best practice dictates to apply a water seal/stain after the first year. This stain is called transparent but if you look at the diagram there is some color to it. The color is great because it revitalizes the faded color on the original Structure and is a close match. When first applied, the color is a bit reddish but dries a nice brown. The "transparency" comes into play once it dries you can still see the wood grain even though it carries a color, so you won't lose the natural wood look. Once on, it repels water as advertised. I used the Linzer 4" Stain Waterproofing Brush to apply the stain which worked very well. Prior to application, I sanded any parts that were peeling and soap washed the Structure. It is disappointing to see some of the negative reviews on here regarding quality because in most pictures it looks like the stain was applied sloppily and area wasn't well prepped (not washed and not sanded down). As it indicates on the container, if you don't prep the area then it will peel and not apply evenly. I will revisit this review after a few months to update the quality and how it holds up against the elements. So far, it looks awesome!UPDATE: Two years later and time to reapply so will be ordering more. Product worked great! Hopefully same quality two years later.

I used this for the first time over the weekend. Pressure washed the deck Friday and let it dry then Saturday applied this with a brush. It looks good, really darkened the wood, and Sunday I splashed water on it and it beaded up like it was supposed to instead of soaking into the wood. My deck was horrible bc I had not done anything to it in 7 years, and with the pressure washing and this it looks brand new! I wanted to use a sprayer for the bottom of the deck and brush the rails, but my sprayer wouldn't work so I did the whole thing with a wide brush. Will update if I notice it wears quickly. Better price than Lowes. Color actually looked kind of like a red-tinted wood on my deck. Not a problem for me but might be for someone who really just wants a brown. It dried very quickly. You can see a few drips where the rails dripped onto the bottom, but that's my fault and not something I'm overly concerned about. First photo is before the pressure washing, 2nd is the difference after pressure washing, 3rd is the stain applied to half, and the last is a finished picture.