I just re-did a huge back deck that is covered but the edges copped more weather than the centre. Because we were having house cleaners clean the outside of the house, we also got them to clean the deck with whatever they used on the house.
We went to Bunnings to see what was available. We wanted to use some type of oil, but chap reckoned we would have to re-do it every six months
. He recommended Flood product which should last 3 to 5 years.
We bought what he suggested - Flood Spa-N-Deck 100% Acrylic Wood Finish. According to the container it will outlast oils 3 to 5 times. We chose "natural" but it came in other shades. (According to the container "ideal for use on all exterior wood, including - pressure treated pine, cedar, jarrah and other hardwoods".)
It says on the back -"most important - most deck coating failures are due to lack of proper surface preparation...... All wood, both new and old, must first be treated with Spa-N-Deck Prep Solution."
We had tenants moving in next day, so because we had just had the deck cleaned I skipped this..... hope it doesn't sabotage my efforts.
Anyway, really important to have the decking soaking wet before applying the initial coat, so I had a bucket and broom with me and made sure the area I was about to do was really wet. I also made sure that I cleaned the weatherboards where it spashed as soon as the deck was dry enough to walk on.
Our deck is about 10 x 3 metres and we bought a 10 litre bucket of this stuff, and after three coats (very quick to dry and re-coat) we have nearly half left. Deck looks great but it is important to do a long sweep along the length of the boards without letting bits dry or you can see the overlap.
Only did it six weeks or so ago, so cannot tell you how it is weathering.
