Paint/seal my deck?

[NONAME]

We just moved into a house that has a big deck in the backyard. It has not been painted, sealed, or stained.

I was wondering what difference these options do, and what steps do I have to take to do them. Which is best? Which products do I use? And what steps do I have to take for doing so?

[cheezyhill]

How do you know it hasn't been sealed?
What species of wood is it?

Cedar and redwood do not require staining or sealing. Once you stain you have to keep staining every few years. Nor does treated "green wood". Sealing can be good for the longevity of your deck.

The reason I ask this is because I have a customer that thought her deck had never been sealed because it looked like it was just raw wood. She stained it last year and all the stain is now peeling off.

Some spray on wood sealers are clear and don't look like a stain or sealer after a bit of time.

Make sure you look at the deck when it is wet, does the water bead up at all at the edges maybe? If it does then it has been sealed. and I would not recommend a colored stain. I would recommend a clear sealer.