You’ve got new wood and you want to protect your investment. But you’ve heard horror stories of peeling decks and dread the thought of endless maintenance. Perhaps you even like the faded gray look. What are your options? Can it be possible to leave your newly built wood deck, fence, or siding entirely unfinished… Forever?

Here’s a quick dive into the pros and cons of unfinished wood followed by an explanation of mill glaze and what you need to know about the first time finishing wood.

You’ve got pressure treated wood and you want to maintain so it lasts and looks its best in the process. You may have heard or read in our articles that sanding prep work is essential before staining, sealing, or finishing a deck.

This is true to remove mill sheen on new cedar lumber, removing peeling stain from a deck, or periodically (after several years or re-coats with a penetrating oil) to restore it before staining it again. The exception to this is: pressure treated lumber.

Here are five reasons reasons you should never sand your pressure treated wood…