Thompson's Water Seal

[thiggy]

I have used this product a number of times over many years. Always in the past, what I have used has been petrolium based. When applied to the wood surface, it soaked into the wood very rapidly. About two years ago, I purchased a new can of Thompson's Water Seal to use on the deck of my utility trailer. Upon opening the can and pouring it into a tray for rolling, I discovered the it seems to be a water-based product. I went ahead and applied it following the directions and a subsequent second coat. It appears to be a surface coating, rather than one which soaks in to the wood. It's wood protection did not seem to last very long, but it is only now that I have decided to pressure spray and re-apply. I still had most of a gallon left, but when I went to pick it up, I discovered that it had corroded the soldered seam of the can! I discarded it and did not feel that I had lost too much anyway. So, tomorrow I plan to use an old can of Thompson's which I recently purchased at a garage sale. I have not opened it yet, but it appears to be the older petroleum based Water Seal, judging by all the dire warnings on the label. Perhaps this will soak into the deck of the trailer and offer a little better protection from the elements. Has anyone else had any experience with this product?

[Pappy]

Glad to see this post. I was about to buy some to treat plywood before I put it down for a work deck. Have to watch and see what the comments are first. Maybe look for a different brand.

[Condoman44]

I just finished treating my deck this summer. My mistake was that I had a 1 gallon can of Thompson's and started with on the back steps. Then I got out a second can I bought the year before as it was on sale. It was not Thompson's but from the label it seemed to do what I wanted.

Big mistake. It was water based and must have frozen over the winter. It looked like curdled milk. After spending time cleaning the sprayer I was off to the orange store and bought a 5 gallon can of Thompson's.

I learned from this how much I need in total and that I will read the label more carefully next time.

[leehljp]

I just finished treating my deck this summer. My mistake was that I had a 1 gallon can of Thompson's and started with on the back steps. Then I got out a second can I bought the year before as it was on sale. It was not Thompson's but from the label it seemed to do what I wanted.

Big mistake. It was water based and must have frozen over the winter. It looked like curdled milk. After spending time cleaning the sprayer I was off to the orange store and bought a 5 gallon can of Thompson's.

I learned from this how much I need in total and that I will read the label more carefully next time.

Quite often, running after "bang for the buck" can be costly. In situations like this, when I see a considerable price difference in the same things, I will waffle back and forth and usually go with the "name brand" because my time to me is valuable and I don't have time to undo mistakes and then run back to the hardware store.

Even things like impact driver phillips head drivers, I have given up on the HF ones and buy the higher priced Bosch, Milwaukee or DeWalt ones.

AS to Paints, finishes, sealers of different kinds and stains, - if it is a one time thing and it doesn't matter, anything will do. But if it is something that will be even nominally used or presented, I go for the quality finishes. It pays to Double Check and double think a purchase like this. And that is what I have learned from experience!


(About the only thing that I will buy off brands (bang for the buck) is some meds when I am sure that the store brand is the exact same as the name brand such as aspirin, ibuprofen, loretadine? (Clarinex). And even then, I am skeptical until it proves otherwise. )

[radhak]

Clarifying question - does 'water based' make it a bad choice for sealing against moisture? If so, how come the company markets it as such?

[capncarl]

I don't think that just because it is water base it is bad, it's just different. After the latex paint drys it is not the same as it was when it was applied. Think of a latex glove. It was just a wet slurry before it was dried around a hand figure. That said, it may not be worth a flip for your wood project because most of the time you don't just want a condom on your wood, your just want it to shed water and not trap moisture inside like a latex coating could do!

capncarl

[gerti]

water based != water soluble. Example: water-based Polyurethane.