Hi,

Currently in the process of cleaning and sealing my cedar deck.
Used Behr clear last year and I disliked it because of the darking in areas that
had a small build up of the sealer.
Need recommendation to clean (I have a power washer)bleach or Defy?
What is the best sealer (stain of clear) to bring out the natual cedar tone?
I was looking at cedar decks(on this forum)coated with the TWP cedar tone and they look
great.
Recommendations welcomed.

Thanks for joining our forum

You can not just clean Behr and recoat with a different brand of stain. You must remove the behr finish with a deck stripper. The problem is that Behr is a water based film-forming finish that is extremely hard to remove. Of all the deck strippers that we suggest, the HD80 is the most effective product for removing the Behr. I honestly believe that the Behr products are the worst on the market. They look terrible when done, apply unevenly, peel since they do not absorb, and are extremely hard to remove when they fail.

There is alot of high quality deck stains but not one that is substanially better then the others. The TWP Cedartone is a great product and our best selling deck stain. It will enhance the natural tones and prevent graying for 2-3 years.

Thanks for the advice-I got my work cut out.

I'm sure it will work out for you.

I have another Wolmanized deck which is grey-I would like to clean it and stain it.
Not sure to use a dark redwood stain or a lighter stain-any suggestions or pic's

The Defy Wood Cleaner would work for the cleaning.

Colors are really dependent on your tastes. Most people go with the lighter tones such as the honeys or cedar colors. I am not a big fan of the Redwoods since certain brands such as TWP Redwood 102 are very red. In the TWP, I would suggest the Rustic 116 since it is a better red color.

2 years ago I used Behr premium semi-stainon cedar deck. Looked terrible after 1 year, and thinking I mishandled application, I sanded down to bare wood and resurfaced again with Behr (2nd mistake) semi-transparent deck stain/sealer. Stain held up better but looked dull. As recommeded by Behr consultant, I used Behr's #63 deck cleaner/brightener. Now more BARE wood appears along much of the high grain of the wood, and it's still dull. I do not wish to start from scratch AGAIN...please tell me I can put somthing on top that will seal this deck for at least a year or so! (To their credit, Behr has agreed to refund for all product used. My
time and labour? That is a lesson learned!)

Behr as you have learned is a poor product for deck stains. It applies terribly, looks blotchy, peels, and is very difficult to remove in the future. To answer your question you will need to remove the Behr and start over. Being the Behr is an acrylic water base product, nothing will adhere or penetrate into it very well. You do not need to sand though. Just get a high quality deck stripper and remove 90% or more. This should create a wood surface that will accept a penetrating deck stain properly.