[RPetry]

Chris,

This is my third year of using Ready Seal, and will not use any other stain on any species of wood. There are some other brands of paraffinic oil stains such as Baker's Gray Away and some series of TWP stains, and I would assume they all have the same properties as Ready Seal.

First the downside. The wood must be prepped correctly and very dry before application. Any and all previous stains must be completely removed. Moisture content of the wood must be at 12% or less.

On pressure treated wood, especially older, poorly maintained wood, an initial application of Ready Seal will take a lot of stain. 100 sq. ft. to the gallon is typical coverage the first time RS is applied. It is in your best interest as a contractor and best for the customer to get as much oil into the wood as possible.

Now the upside. Paraffinic oil is a non drying oil. It penetrates very deep into the substate of the wood and actually conditions the wood by filling the voids with oil. I don't consider RS as a "sealer" per se, as there is no film on the wood keeping out moisture. It is more like a moisture repellant. Water cannot get into the wood due to the oil.

The iron oxide pigments are top shelf quality. They are so finely ground, the pigment stays in suspension in the stain. Aside from a quick shake of a 5'er, or turning them over prior to using, no stirring is needed.

It is a very thin consistancy so spraying using an HVLP pump at very low pressure is easy. I typically run my Pump Tec at 35-40 psi. Unless there is puddling on cupped boards, back brushing is truly not necessary. RS applies fast and does not lap, due to its penetrating properties.

The true benefit of the product is maintenance. As with most stains at least here in the Northeast, every two years is typical. A 2 or 3% bleach wash with very low dump tip type pressure is all that is needed. As there is oil still present in the wood, the wood dries very fast. It is not unusual to wash a maintenance job, take lunch, and the wood is ready for staining. Stain quantity on maintenance is 50 - 60% of the initial application.

The stain will never have to be stripped. There's nothing to strip. The stain is in the wood, not on the wood. The more I work on exterior wood, the less I like to use sodium hydroxide strippers. In my opinion they damage the substrate of the wood.

Clean up is soap and water. Brushes can be left for days with stain on as the oil is truly non drying. Ready Seal is VOC compliant and they did not have to change their original formulation to meet the new regulations. The company has been producing the stain since I think 1992.

Bottom line, it is a stain that is actually good for the wood.