If you want to protect your home’s new outdoor deck, you can do it with a clear sealer or give it a stain. Whichever you use, be certain it contains a preservative. Some cheaper, lower-qualit… ...

Protect wood from rot, mildew, and UV rays with the best deck sealer. We tested top picks to see how they would stand up to the elements.

Consumer Reports' experts break down how to use clear or semi-transparent wood stains for your decking projects. Achieve the look you want for your deck with our advice.

At the bottom of the ratings for clear sealers, the Thompson’s WaterSeal Clear Wood Sealer and Sherwin-Williams SuperDeck Clear Sealer both receive disappointing ratings of 6 and 7, respectively ...

Worst Wood Stains From CR's Tests As a category, transparent wood stains, or clear sealers, don’t fare well in our tests.

Some pricier clear sealers have additives to give UV protection, but these finishes usually have the shortest life of any deck finish, sometimes only a year or two, although some manufactures ...

Q:Our 160-square-foot, 15-year-old redwood deck and stairs never had any coating or sealing applied to it. Two months ago, we hired a handyman to put a clear waterproof sealer on it. He applied ...