Ready Seal 545 Exterior Stain and Sealer for Wood, 5-Gallon, Burnt Hickory

I will never buy any other stain and sealant for my exterior wood surfaces as long as I live.I bought NATURAL (light oak). This stuff FAR exceeded my expectations. Our deck had never been stained, washed, sealed, nothing had been done to it in 7-10 years. It was extremely weathered and gray. This stain completely brought it back to life. We also washed/scrubbed and sanded. Not sure exactly but our deck is around 250 sq ft. I started with 5 gallons thinking it would do two coats. My mistake - it was SO dry I ended up going back for another 5 gal. In total I used 10 gallons which did 2 coats. It still would have drank in a 3rd coat but I didn't do it bc of time.I eventually ended up using a yard sprayer to save time along with brushing, rolling, and a deck pad. I used quite a bit more when spraying bc 1)you waste some and 2)it soaks more in. I even sprayed over on my metal dowels and the stain cleaned up beautifully.I was afraid when spraying it would leave noticable lines, same with the over splash leaving spotting but it blended in BEAUTIFULLY. It's seriously magical!I saw some ppl complaining about the can being dented upon arrival - seriously who cares as long as its not punctured. Both of mine were dented but were a-ok. I LOVED the 5 gallon tin bc it had a pull-out rubber pour spout that made opening it and pouring super easy along with a screw on cap so when I rolled and shook the can in between uses it stayed sealed nice and tight.It's nice too bc there is only a 2 hour wait time before it can be exposed to rain which happened to us and it didn't affect the stain whatsoever.I love that it's got a sealant in it ...without giving the plastic look. I'm basically in love with this stain. It also repels water nicely.I've told every single person I know about Ready Seal now. I'm in no way affiliated/paid with the company (although my husband questions how excited I get over it ha). I actually stumbled on this while searching for Behr stain on Home Depot website. So glad I did! I ordered on Amazon bc you it was cheaper and way quicker shipping through Amazon.I posted several pictures - no filters used. It changes color a bit as the light changes throughout the day. Hope someone finds this helpful.

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.

The media could not be loaded.  Used (2) 1-gallon cans on a 12x20' cedar deck with wall. Chose the redwood over the cedar color because I was afraid the cedar color would fade too quickly. I'm very happy with how the color came out.

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.

I'm a contractor and I have to say all my clients love this product so it makes me look good when they fall in love with there new wood look. Easy to apply and what ever color you choose you will be happy. Make sure to shake very well and then shake again.The pics I'll add are of a very old ceder deck that I refurbished. The color is Redwood.

I know I wanted more actual pictures when I was looking at deck stain so I added some.The is a wrap around pressure treated deck. About 3/4 of the wood was never treated previously and the other 1/4 had been stripped of a previous water based stain.Prior to application the parts needing it had been chemically stripped then neutralIzed where appropriate. I then used Scott’s outdoor cleaner with oxi clean ( follow directions on bottle). This is different than ready seal recommendation of bleach as I have too many tender plants around the deck to take that risk.I did not sand the deck. Allowed minimum 72 hour dry time after cleaning. Deck is full sun. Deck is ptp aged 1 yearProduct was easy to use. Left no lap or drip marks. Compared to water base products ease of use it was far far easier. Stained deck by hand with brush and doing this there was plenty of product (5 gallons) to put two coats on very large wraparound deck, stairs and liver level 16x10 deck.So far highly rated. I’ll update in the spring after it experiences a ns winter 😬Post Canadian winter update: still happy. All ‘protected’ surfaces under eaves or not full sun still look like new. The full sun full exposure parts are slightly faded but still look quite good. I will probably reapply a single coat to these areas to brighten the color but likely not necessary. Would def buy again.Two years: still happy. Came back as I’m about to buy more. Just touching up some full sun areas this year. Just wash deck and apply. No stripping. So. Much. Easier. Many areas out of the sun still look brand new.

After a full winter and summer on a bridge with pretty steady traffic this sealer did quite well. Some areas were worn and that was to be expected. We reapplied one coat of sealer on the top of the bridge and end cuts in the fall (20) and it looked like new going into its second winter. I have upgraded my rating to reflect the product and move away from the bad original delivery experience. The bridge ties are hemlock and we will have a direct comparison over time of how well this stain protects this type of wood. Our previous untreated bridge deck lasted about 10 years and was rotten in many spots, so time will tell just how effective this stain will be. I will provide further updates as the bridge ages, which will be the real measure of the quality of this product.My rating is based on the overall Amazon experience and not just the product. If I were writing a product rating only, it would be 4 or 5. We used Ready Seal to treat a 120 ft bridge top that is made of raw Hemlock. The stain was ordered well in advance of the job. We treated each beam on all sides, as well as the ends. We only had time to treat the bottom and sides once during installation as Amazon failed to get us the stain on time for the job - so we had to ration. It became a scramble. The total square ft of coverage was 4,406. We used 5 full 5 gal pails, so we got about 881 sq. ft per pail. We will apply a coat to the tops and beam ends now that Amazon managed to get us what we ordered. The product itself is very easy to work with and probably the best stain we have ever used in terms of ease of application. We used rollers to apply the stain to ensure we got the best possible coverage and penetration since we only have one shot at the bottom and sides. Since the colour was not that important to us and we needed a lot, we used Redwood as it was on sale for $183.52 per pail. However, when we applied the stain we were thrilled with the colour - extremely nice. Now, a quick comment about Amazon. As mentioned I ordered the stain well in advance of the job which required a crew of 8 guys and two tractors. This job could not be re-scheduled. Only 4 of 7 pails arrived on time. One was apparently damaged in transit and another completely lost and instead of immediately re-shipping Amazon just let it ride. When I contacted Amazon, I received lost of apologies and platitudes (which gets really tiresome when you want action) but little in the way of actual help. I won't go in to details, but this was a complete cluster on Amazon's part. Great intentions do not equal great results and Amazon failed us with this order. I must conclude however, in saying that our initial impressions of the sealer are very good and I hope it lasts through some trough Quebec winters. We will re-apply a top coat and on the beam ends in the spring and I will update this review with how it weathered.

Easy to apply, good coverage, used 3/4 can heavy coat for 200sq ft on a 15 year old deck that was not taken care of by previous owner.Product came out looking more orange than anticipated but after a few months in the sun the colour has faded slightly and less orange looking. We are very happy with the colour now.Better to go oil based that water based in Canada that’s why we chose this product. Time will tell how long it will last.Deck was pressure washed with deck cleaner and brightner, left to dry for 2 days before application.

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.

I really wanted to write a fab review for this product. There were a couple of things that added nuisance value unfortunately. We ordered 6 drums. (1) the drums arrived at different times. Some were damaged, one so badly damaged that it sprang a leak with the delivery company and they returned it. A replacement was automatically ordered by Amazon, but after three weeks we still hadn't received it. (2) the stain is transparent. If you have any mould, blemish or discolouration it will show through the stain. In our case this meant that we had to go with sandblasting in order to stay with the stain (cabin staining job). (3) The stain is watery, not viscous like paint. Because it is runny it runs right down the brush or roller that you may have over your nitrile gloves and down your arm when you're doing any kind of overhead work. I imagine that if one has a paint sprayer this issue wouldn't crop up. However the stuff is messy and can't be doing your bare skin any good at all. Also, because viscosity is something one doesn't normally note till the drum is open this is something that you may want to be aware of.