Hello,

My townhome association has given fairly limited options for pre-approved deck finishes they've allowed to use without a special approval. Below is the list of the brands and colors allowed and I'm hoping to get some help with relative recommendations on these:

1. Benjamin Moore (Natural Transparent Stain, Cedar Transparent Stain, Redwood Transparent Stain, Natural Cedartone Semi-Transparent only)

2. Wolman (Clear, Redwood, Cedar only)

3. Olympic (Honey Gold Toner, Cedar Naturaltone Toner, Redwood Naturaltone Toner, Cedar Naturaltone, Semi-Transparent, Redwood Naturaltone Semi-Transparent only)

4. Thompson (Clear, Cedar, Honey Gold only)

5. Behr (Uncoated Wood Color Waterproofing Pre-mixed, Natural Color Waterproofing Pre-mixed, Cedar Naturaltone Waterproofing Pre-mixed, Redwood Naturaltone Semi-Transparent, Cedar Naturaltone Semi-Trasparent only).

Also, they've specifically said we CANNOT use any of the following:

1. Paint of any color

2. Semi-solid or solid stains

3. Oil based stains

Based on my reading of this forum and other research, it seems Behr and Thompson should be eliminated as options (unfortunately, the previous owners put Behr Premium Weatherproofing #501 100% acrylic on the deck and it's failing badly but that's a separate story). Is there general agreement on this?

What about Benjamin Moore, Wolman and Olympic (non-oil based)? How about sub-brands within those (e.g. I read ok things about the Olympic Maximum as opposed to the basic Olympic)?

I already understand that the deck prep/state and application will make a bigger difference than the brand. Assuming I do a good job with the deck prep and application, I'm looking for help choosing among the finish options available to me.

Thanks in advance for your time and help!

Teddy