# Paint the deck with an acrylic paint? Good or bad?



## SeanATL (Apr 6, 2007)

I have a customer that wants their deck stained. I have a crew that says they need an acrylic paint job on the deck, not a stain.

Customer is in Georgia, where it gets hot and humid.

This deck has several stains on it already and it has some new wood where a hot tub was removed.

Would an acrylic paint job be good or no?


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## ProWallGuy (Oct 17, 2003)

Why is the crew asking for an acrylic?


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## painterofeveryt (Apr 8, 2005)

My Vote is ,no an Acrylic paint would not be good...let's wait and see what the deck guys say .


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## SeanATL (Apr 6, 2007)

ProWallGuy said:


> Why is the crew asking for an acrylic?


My foreman on this crew is just saying there are so many stain already on the deck, blah, blah, blah, that an acrylic paint would look much better.


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## ProWallGuy (Oct 17, 2003)

Yeah, it might look better, but I'm doubtful to how long it would last.
That's only my 2 cents. I don't know much about exteriors let alone decks.


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## daArch (Jun 8, 2007)

First question, what kind of stain? Oil? Latex? Transparent? Semi-Transparent? Semi-Solid? Solid?. 

What is on there now?

When I was managing a small Mom&Pop in the early 90's I made a comment to our Calif. rep, Dave Thompson, that stains are just thinned down paint. He acknowledged, agreed, and explained the benefits of stains over paint. Stains while being a thinner emulsion (less solids) allow the surface to breath. Having the same type of resins and binders, stains do not penetrate nor adhere any better (or worse) than paints. What stains bring to the table (or siding) is that they do not have the same build-up, therefore preparation is less - minimal removal of built-up layers. HOWEVER, stains need re-coating every 3 to 5 years whereas paint need re-coating 5 to 8 years. 

Many people do not like stains on decks because they wear so quickly, on the other hand, some feel they would rather give a quick coat with minimal prep every other year than hassle with scraping paint every third or fourth year. (Nothing lasts very long on a deck - use Trex and never paint/stain again)


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## BMAN (Aug 21, 2006)

daArch said:


> First question, what kind of stain? Oil? Latex? Transparent? Semi-Transparent? Semi-Solid? Solid?.
> 
> What is on there now?
> 
> ...



Maybe what they are talking about is a acrylic solid color stain???
Stain is not "thinned down paint" Stains are designed to wear off rather then peel off so they can be touched up without sanding and flaking off the old layers. 
A godd two coat acrylic solid stain will last 5-8 years with occasional touch up in heavy traffic areas and where deck furniture scrapes on it. 

No paint will hold up in direct baking of the sun on a that kind of horizontal surface.


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## PressurePros (Jul 3, 2006)

The evil-doer in using paint is moisture. DaArch's post was very informative. Solid stains are made to breath. Without this vapor transmission charateristic, paint on a deck floor is doomed. No way will it last 5 years without bubbling. That will probably happen in a year or so. The homeowner will not notice it until the bubbles begin to burst. This will set off a chain reaction and your finish integrity is shot. Water will now get into those bubles and expand them. The sun will dry it out. Its a very rapid slope of decline and when the customer figures out what is going on you have a peeling, flaking deck that is a mess. Trust me, you don't want to get that call. It cannot be undone without extensive scraping and sanding or without the use of very expensive and messy strippers. 

Even solid stains are subject to this type of damage just not as quickly. The worst part is, the wood will trap moisture bewteen it and the solid stain or paint and cause the wood to rot. Solid stains unfortunately do not just wear off. They blister and peel as well. I avoid them at all costs unless the deck already has one on it and the homeowner is not wiling to pay for removal. 

A solid stain, when applied correctly and maintained can be made to last but its ugly. I don't know why anyone in their right mind would use a solid but then again, I love wood. I'm not into covering it up. 

Sean, if the stains that are on there are of the semi trans variety (you can see the wood grain) then your best bet is to use a pro grade stripper to emulsify the finish, pressure wash at 800 psi pr so, pH balance the deck with an acidic wash and let it dry. The wood will look brand new. At that point apply a high quality penetrating semi transparent oil based stain. You can return every two years for maintenace (sell them a maintenance contract)

If you have a solid on there now, apply an alkyd based primer followed by a topcoat of latex/acrylic solid stain.


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## slickshift (Jun 14, 2005)

SeanATL said:


> My foreman on this crew is just saying there are so many stain already on the deck, blah, blah, blah, that an acrylic paint would look much better.


Ha ha...yeah a paint might look better
Might even last until the check clears


If there is that much on there, it's due for a strip, not a _paint_


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## Tmrrptr (Mar 22, 2007)

no product is going to last on that deck.
It needs to be re-surfaced.
and,
IMO, product info from the 90's is most likely no longer applicable.
r


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## mjay (Feb 2, 2006)

Recently stripped a deck that had been painted here in NorthEast, what a p.i.t.a. Shoot (with a piant ball gun) anybody that tries to apply paint or solid stain to a deck that receives direct sunlight.
Semi solid stain for adding color, otherwise a transparent {sp?}.

Also I would like to hear thoughts on placing a moisture barrier beneath deck (6 mil plastic), to prevent the transfer of moisture from ground to the underside of decking.
Just a thought.


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