Olympic Maximum Opinions Wanted

We have reviewed Olympic Maximum and will be posting results soon. It received a 7.5 score. Good for a stain bought at a big box store but note even close to the good stains.

We like the way it applied, had good coverage, and was cost effective. Biggest disappointment was the UV resistance. Lost 50% of it's color in one year. Had a decent amount of mold growth as well

TWP makes excllent stains and has for many years.

BTW, nothing lasts 5 years on a deck and if you read the fine print of the warranty you will see words like "limited", "resists", etc.

When looking at a deck stain you want good penetration, excellent UV and mold resistance, and (most importantly) ease of reapplication.

I've used the Olympic Max on a few decks. It's easy to apply and very user friendly. You have to try real hard to see any lap marks, it blends together very nicely which is good for the do it yourselfer.

However, it did not last as long as I would have hoped. The deck was half gray from the sun in about a year's time. Eventually the stain just faded away and the gray took over again. Next time I'll be looking for another deck stain that will hopefully last longer but is still easy to use.

We have a 12 year old 1600 square foot cedar deck that surrounds our pool, outdoor seating, and eating area with ramps and rails. most of the decking is exposed to the Long Island New York sun and we are also located in the Pine Barrens about 5 miles from the ocean so we do get some mildew. It has been treated in the past (with a transparent oil based product) but it now just grey and flaking. Our contractor is suggesting power washing, using a brightener and light sanding if needed. He has used Olympic with good results. We like the original natural cedar color and would like to come as close to that color as possible. Do you have any suggestions for a good stain?

For a low VOC state like New York, I would look at the TWP 1500 Series or the Armstrong Clark Stain.