Mariann asked 2 years ago
Hello, I need to stain a new porch and log siding. It is yellow pine. I am reading so many different opinions about sealer or no sealer. Stain with a sealer seems to be reviewed as locking in moisture and causes rot or pealing. Just a stain allows water to pass through but it’s weather resistant. I am in Arkansas. We have extreme weather changes from 100 degrees in summer with high humidity to single digit winters. What would you advice?
William Stewart Staff answered 2 years ago
Hi, Mariann.
Yello pine is durable, yet it certainly needs protection from both moisture and UV. I suggest you go for a combined stain sealer. Some modern stain sealers use a mix of silane and siloxane as the active waterproofing ingredient. These products all have relatively small molecular structures capable of penetrating a porous surface’s gaps and capillaries and fully or partially blocking them. This partial blocking prevents the relatively large water molecules from entering yet allows smaller water vapor molecules within the timber to evaporate. The marketers call this a ‘breathable membrane.’
Take a look at this product – I like it as it combines the nano-technology pore blocking, a larger surface sealer, and a stain. It’s a great product, with a range of colors, and I recommend it.