Saw my own logs - Build my own deck off the house

[Beavertooth]

According to the folks at Sherwin Williams Paints anytime you use a stain for an outdoor project the water base is better. They say the water based stays where it dries and protects the wood beneath it. Whereas the oil base never quits penetrating the wood and as it penetrates it leaves the wood behind it exposed to the elements.  They say that is what they have found in all there testing that they do. 

[Daburner87]

According to the folks at Sherwin Williams Paints anytime you use a stain for an outdoor project the water base is better. They say the water based stays where it dries and protects the wood beneath it. Whereas the oil base never quits penetrating the wood and as it penetrates it leaves the wood behind it exposed to the elements.  They say that is what they have found in all there testing that they do.

Oil and Water based stains each have their own pro's and cons, but once a water based stain starts to peel and flake it looks absolutely horrible, and the entire deck will need a lot of labor from sanding to power washing just to get it prepped for new stain/sealer....  An oil based stain won't do that to you at all.  If you get some fungi or mold build up you can simply power wash the affected area and apply bleach or another chemical to kill the bacteria, and stain over again once dry.  Much easier maintenance in my opinion, but to each his own!   Ready Seal is a top rated deck stain/sealer and has thousands of positive reviews.  Any stain/sealer will need to be reapplied over time and oil based looks more consistent over the years.   

[Magicman]

A water base stain soaks into the wood and there is no buildup nor peeling.  That is all that I have ever used beginning in 1995 on my original cabin build.  It is seen here in 2010 Cabin Addition when it was 15 years old and still looks the same now.  The stain on the addition matched the original without having to re-stain the original.  The original has never had a second coat or anything in 27 years.

[ToplineMike]

A water base stain soaks into the wood and there is no buildup nor peeling.  That is all that I have ever used beginning in 1995 on my original cabin build.  It is seen here in 2010 Cabin Addition when it was 15 years old and still looks the same now.  The stain on the addition matched the original without having to re-stain the original.  The original has never had a second coat or anything in 27 years.

What is the stain you are using, Magicman?  

[Don P]

Hmm, that sounds like a salesman. Whenever I've cut a stick that had any finish, it looks like the penetrating oil based might have gone in 2 cells deep. I thought stain was another name for coal tar creosote until I was about 15, that was part of my weekend and summer duty. It didn't go deep.

The "roofed deck" is how grandpa kept the floor from rotting. Grandpa didn't build decks, he built porches. We will be replacing the porches on the current job. They were and will be white oak under a roof.

[Magicman]

What is the stain you are using, Magicman?

Benjamin Moore, Solid Stain, the color code is #1608.

[kantuckid]

A guy in the FB WM Group posted his newly built deck this week. He sawed it out of Black Locust and it's a beauty. 
My cabin project will get a White Oak porch and WO porch posts. I've got my eye on a beauty that tipped over from spring rains.
If and how any finish decides to build up or not is about the pigment aspect not the solvent? Water has become a common carrier solvent due to EPA regs and other factors. Vehicle mfg.'s use water based paints now days, not limited to a porch or deck. 
We need Dr Gene W. to tell us what goes into wood the futher'est? ;D