Hi there. I pressure wash in the Southeast and I use Ready Seal stain. It's really really easy to work with because it doesn't require me to keep a "wet-edge" so I don't get lap marks. I've used a brush, a roller, a pump-up sprayer and/or flat pads to apply it. It's a penetrating stain so it's not like a paint...this sucks into the wood.

I use it on my decks and I've been impressed with the longevity of the product. I have family in Wisconsin and we put it on a deck that is next to a 5th wheel travel trailer that is on some hunting land. This area gets a good bit of snow and certainly lots of frigid temps. It was done 3 years ago and is still holding up really well.

Ready Seal has UV protection with the darker colors have more protection than the light colors. It's petroleum-based so it resists mold and mildew that you can get from other type of products that are made from something like linseed oil.

Consider the long-term upkeep of any product. I have a lot of customers who choose something like an acrylic coating which is tough to remove. Tough to remove equals more money spent by the customer. And although I like to make more money, some of these products are just a bear to remove.

My personal opinions....stay away from Behr, Cabot and Sikkens. Armstrong Clark is good. Their color palette is more orangey. Ready Seal has more browns, gold and reds. Color is always a personal opinion.

And TEST PATCH TEST PATCH TEST PATCH!!! Nothing worse than going full speed ahead and realizing that you don't like the color!

Good luck!

I have posted on other threads in this forum that my best experience to date has been with Cabot's Australian Timber Oil. It makes a shinier surface than any other stain I have used that looks like real oiled hardwood. The only drawback is that the colors I have tried are pretty dark and intense. Also if your deck is too smooth and sealed it does not sink in and can look thinner than slightly more open grain. I found out because our deck that was refinished again last week had a few planks of new heart grade redwood to replace badly split and worn cedar originals. The old planks got sanded before I replaced the bad ones and the stain soaked into them better than the new wood. I had to have the new ones recoated to get any kind of match. The sanding was with 100-120 grit paper, if you need it.