When I bought this house, there was a full, unopened can of Sikkens Cetol DEK in the garage, and I think that was what had been used on the patio in the past (12' x 22' with a 12' x 2' step at each end). At that time (Fall, 2005) I found a place that sold it for $50 a gallon. And I used that gallon to re-finish the patio. Now I thought that was really some good stuff. But when I wanted more of it, I couldn't find it. A place that I called said they had it, but it turned out to be the Sikkens SRD that they had. I applied some of it before reading all the fine print. It might be OK for unfinished wood, but applying it over the older finish took several days to dry enough to not be "tacky". The place did refund my money.
So then I tried Sherwin Williams Deckscape. Wow, what a difference. It's water based so much easier and quicker to clean up when finished, it lasts at least as long or longer than the oil based Sikkens, and it cost about $30 a gallon. It's also so much easier to apply. I've tried it with brush, roller, and on a fence with a paint spray gun.
Now I don't own any stock in Sherwin Williams, and am not trying to sell it, but I suspect it's all I'll use in the future. There may be something better, but if so, I don't know what it is.
Incidentally, I learned that Thompson's Water Seal is a Sherwin Williams company. The Sherwin Williams stores don't stock it, but can order it. I've used the old oil based Thompson's Water Seal with fair results. But then a neighbor and I used the new water based "Advanced" honey gold Thompson's on the fence between our places. That shown in the below photo is just over 2 years old and was applied with a rented paint spray rig. When I bought the little trailer in May of this year with the mesh floor, I bought a sheet of quarter inch plywood and applied some the old left over Thompson's Advanced Honey Gold to each side with a brush the day before I bolted it down in the trailer.
