Thompson water seal on rough cut lumber

Sharing my experience using Thompson's Water Seal to protect my wood porch with instructions and my honest review.

It’s so important to protect your outdoor surfaces from water damage.  But it is also important to make it cute in the process too!  And I am here to tell you that you can do both at the same time…

Since we moved into the house two summers ago I've wanted to invest a bit into stepping up our curb appeal. And honestly, right now it was get-it-done or end up having to replace the whole porch.

In our little corner of the country, the morning and early afternoon have a soundtrack of the birds chirping and sometimes even the chatter of the neighborhood chickens.  On most days accompanied by a nice subtle breeze.  The evening is filled with the sounds of the frogs and crickets accompanied by the cooling of the day after the disappearance of the sun.

My dream has been to get my front porches to a place where I could sit and sip my morning coffee and enjoys the conversation of the birds.  Or finish the day with an evening wind down alongside the audio of the frogs.

While strolling through Home Depot like I sometimes do, I stumbled upon a sealant and protectant in the clearance section at the end of last year’s summer season.

I purchased it so that I didn’t miss out and could get the deal.  But figured I could return if I find it is not what I needed.  Or the fact that it being on clearance was a result of it not being worth full price.

After researching it a bit, I fully trusted that Thompson’s Water Seal waterproof stain will do what it claims to do.  Protect from water damage and sun exposure. 

This product not only helps bring back some color to my front porches, but it helps keep a layer of protection between my wood porches and the falling rain and beaming sun.

Whether you’re looking for the best water sealer for wood or concrete and other surfaces, Thompson’s Water Seal waterproof stain is a great solution.

Can you Apply Thompson’s Water Seal to Wet Wood?

You can apply some of Thompson’s Water Seal products to damp wood, but some of the other products require the surface to be dry for 48 hours prior to staining.

The key is to read the labels carefully before choosing which Thompson’s Water Seal is right for your water damage protection project.

When choosing the best Thompson’s product for your project, and there are several, there are a few things to consider.

Things to Consider When Picking Your Thompson's Protect & Seal Product:

• Color
• Stain type
• Transparency
• The material you are using it on

Be sure to read the labels and ask questions if you’re shopping at a local store.

This will help you figure out which sealant is best and which option is right for your surface type.

Looking to get protected and make your porch, deck, or other outdoor surfaces beautiful?

Let’s get started.

Now that you’ve figured out which Thompson’s Water Seal you’ll be using, it’s time to start the water damage protection process. Our choice was Thompson's Water Seal Waterproof Stain Solid in maple brown color.

How to Use Thompson’s Water Seal

Start by putting painter’s tape around any area that you won’t want this stain to get onto. One of my best tips is to place painter’s tape right up against the siding of your house.  Particularly if you’re using Thompson’s Water Seal on a deck attached to your home. Cover surfaces that aren’t meant to have this sealant on them are covered with some form of painter’s tape.

Let me be perfectly honest, I skipped this step cause I absolutely hate taping. But we took our time and kept a wet rag nearby for slip-ups. I like to share the right way to do things with you guys.  Sometimes I am not a good example.  Do as I say, not as I do!

Always start with the railings if you have railings on the surface you’re working with. This is due to the fact that you won’t be able to walk on your deck for a little while as The Water Seal needs some time to dry before you can walk on it.

We started by going around the edge outside and inside of the railings, and steps with a paint brush. Then we used the Wagners Deckmaster Pad system and it made this SUPER EASY.  And it allowed us to get between the wooden board with ease as well.

You could also use a paint pad to cover the surface with Thompson’s Water Seal in an even form with fewer streaks if you don't want to get the paint tool.

Is Sanding Required Before Using Thompson’s?

Required, no.  Necessary, maybe.

Even before we got into using the stain, we rented a sander from Home Depot and sanded our porch.  We did this because we didn’t know how long it had been, or even if the wood had been treated at all before.

The wood was looking real unclaimed versus reclaimed. Lol.

But if you don’t need to sand, start with a few panels of your deck, and don’t place the sealant on too thick. You only need one good layer of Thompson’s Water Seal to do the job.

Work in small areas as you move forward.  Keep in mind that you want Thompson’s Water Seal to dry evenly. You can go back to touch up spots that didn’t dry evenly, but following my tip to go slow and do small areas at a time will remove the need to have a tremendous amount of spots to touch up.

Should You Get Between The Boards During Application?

While you may want to get in between the boards of your deck, it’s not absolutely necessary unless there are large gaps between boards. In this case, you can use a small paintbrush to apply Thompson’s Water Seal in between the gaps.

If you look closely you can see imperfection in the wood where a piece chipped. I used a paint brush for spots like this.

I also used a paint brush to get to the areas that had an imperfection that the application tool didn’t get well.

How Long Does It Take It To Fully Dry & Cure After Application

Now that you’ve applied Thompson’s Water Seal following the instructions above, to your entire surface, you can walk away and let it dry for 24 hours. That’s all the time you need to let Thompson’s Water Seal work to protect your outdoor surfaces from water damage.

My Review of Thompsons Water Seal

Thompsons Water Seal Review

When I was younger, I remember my dad spending a whole Saturday in the summer staining the deck on his hands and knees.

I am thankful that with Thompson's and the Wagner Deck Mate my husband and I spent minimal time in comparison. Time saved and results that turned out absolutely amazing.

While it is inevitbale that we will nds and knees. need to replace the wood on the porch at some point, using this has bought as time. And also made it beautiful.

It causes the rain to bead up instead of absorbing into the wood and weakening it.

While at regular price it is a little pricey, I still feel it is worth it.

• Ease of Use

  10

• Cost

  8

9.0 4.5 5

Now you can sit back and relax.  Enjoy the beautiful view of the newly stained deck that’s also ready for those spring and summer rainstorms.

This post is a part of the At Home DIY project.  Where the topic this month is a Make it Pretty Outdoors Challenge.  You can click here to see all the other Make It Pretty Outdoor projects from a host of amazing blogger friends.

Can you use Thompson Water Seal on untreated wood?

How long does Thompson WaterSeal last on wood?

Can you use too much Thompson Water Seal?