Manufacturer Description: SuperDeck Oil penetrating oil-based formula that protects the beauty of the wood with a rich semi-transparent stain that allows wood grain texture to show through. SuperDeck Oil-Based Semi-Transparent Stain repels water to prevent moisture and contains a scuff resistant formula with UV protection that resists fading.
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3.6
Total Score
SuperDeck Oil Stain Review
Product was very streaky and was harder to apply than other stains. The stain didn’t look great after applying but wasn’t terrible either. 14 month weathering test showed significant color loss, mildew growth and darkening. This was one of the worst stains we tested. 
PROS
- None
CONS
- Very streaky
- Hard to apply
- Initial application didn't look great
- Significant color loss
- Significant mold and mildew growth
- Significant darkening
- Not eco-friendly
I used Sherwin Williams superdeck oil based exterior deck stain (transparent). I applied this by hand. I found the exterior deck stain to be easy to apply. The deck stain soaked in quickly into treated deck wood. The coverage is good and I did not see any overlap in the application. I have not seen water bead up as in other stains when rained on. I am not sure if another coat is necessary as I could not find it in the description. Overall the deck stain seems to fit my needs well. I suppose I will know better after a years worth of weathering..
one comment is really helping me select a stain, i would like to know how this product holds up to several years of sun and ice.
Just happened to read this. We work professionally painting and staining decks. If exposed to the sun,ice,snow,water etc you will have to reapply every year or so. Especially if you have ice that sits on the deck it will peel no matter what kind of stain you buy and apply. The best thing to do is apply a solid stain and multiple coats. Wood expands and contracts naturally its alive it moves with the heat and cold so no matter if you even paint it monster will get in. Sherwin williams makes the best stain around and we don’t work for them we have stained and painted indoor outdoor for over 20 years handyman services and there is NO stain that you don’t have to reapply. If a deck is covered that’s the only way it will last a long while. Hope this helps. Regina cummings .we live in Virginia at 3,000 feet where our weather is harsh in the winter and some times 13 below.
Regina, I agree 100% with your comments.
I power washed our deck, used Oxyclean (Bob vila’s recipe for cleaning and brighting). I used a 6” deck brush and extension pole to lay down a medium wet coat (full Sun, 75 degrees). Next day, I again laid down med. wet coat. Went on beautiful. Application was a breeze on both coats. No negatives applying.
I most likely will re-apply in a year or 2. We chose the oil based “Natural S/W#3555.
Transparent. Very little UV protection because it’s a clear stain, transparent. I don’t mind, as we love the grain popping! I’ve got no complaints on application or durability. Only been 2 months and she’s beautiful. Worst case, I’ll re-apply maybe get a semi transparent for more UV protection. I’ve got no complaints at all.
PS…2days after application, thunderstorms moved in. Rain all day and night, the rain never penetrated the decking, Sun & evaporation took over. Satisfied customer here! Sincerely, Ed Real.
Two years ago, I spent countless hours completely sanding my old deck, rails and spindles and applied Sherwin Williams Superdeck stain. It is now peeling off in sheets! The representative asked if a shoveled my deck, which I did, though I did not scrape it down to the wood. Well, shoveling your deck is a problem because water gets under the stain and it won’t hold to the wood. If I did nick the wood and it peeled just around that spot, well, okay, but clearly the stain did not penetrate or it wouldn’t come off in sheets. A deck product should overall stand up to moving chairs or tables that might scrape the surface. I’ve used Sherwin Williams products to paint the interior & exterior of my house and have been happy. I will never use their deck products again. I wasted so much time and money and have to now figure out how to salvage and refinish my deck.
Julie, thanks for leaving a review. As you can see from our test results, we didn’t have much success with this product either. While we didn’t experience the stain peeling off in sheets, it quickly turned black with mold growth over much of the surface.
I stained by 1 year old deck in Sherwin Williams semi transparent stain. Hard to apply, didn’t go on even, and left streaks. My deck is 700 sq ft and I wish I could take it off. But when I asked if I could stain over it in something else, the Sherwin Williams Sara person said no, if you do more than 1 coat it will all peel. $12,000 deck, and $200 in stain and it looks terrible.
We had our deck restained. First it was power washed and then stained. The previous stain was oil based. The stain stays extremely slippery and oily. We are waiting for our painter to look at it and hopefully solve our problem.
I have been using Super Deck transparent Canyon Brown for 20 years. Just picked some up from Sherwin William’s and the color is now TOTALLY different, now orange tone instead of brown. Clerk said they changed formula in last year. Disappointing.
Would appear the Sherman/Williams leaves a lot to be desired.
Will this paint company respond please
It is so interesting seeing these comments because you can tell who did their research and who didn’t. If you don’t trust what the employees have to say, a five minute google search will reveal to you that wood is always expanding and contracting as temperatures get hot and cold, so regardless of how well it penetrates into the wood, there is always room for failure because wood is complex and always changing: with wood, reapplication or touchup every 2-3 years is just part of it. Wood will take stain differently on each part of the board you put it on, and you expect it to look and adhere and perform the same all over? Even if you did perfect prep work (which most people do not), it still isn’t guaranteed to be exact everywhere. Do not stain your wood if you are not interested in up keeping it. Stain is not a simple thing. Ever. 9 times out of 10 the problem with a product is the user, not the product itself. It’s almost as funny as people getting mad that their paint got all soaked up on NEW SHEETROCK when they decided to skip the step of putting primer on. People just want something to blame. You guys complain about spending all this money on something, but if you had just done thorough research initially, and really considered how complicated and high maintenance wood and staining is, you wouldn’t be so surprised!
I have been using Sherwin Williams Semi-transparent oil based stain for 7 years on three different decks , one in West Virginia (snow), one in S. California (sun), and one in Arizona (sun, heat, and more sun). I have had very good results. I am not a professional.
I initially had to sand all the Behr water based stain, off each deck. The water based stains were peeling after less than 2 (Arizona) and 3 years (WV & CA,). It was very difficult to remove. I tried strippers, power washing, a heat gun, and finally just plain old fashioned sanding. This was a monumental job as all the decks are large.
Once the decks were sanded and clean I applied the oil base stain with good looking results.
The oil based stains have to be reapplied every 1 to 1 1/2 years. But LITTLE to NO sanding is needed once you do the initial sand (this is unlike water based stains …you have to sand EVERY time you refinish).
Before I apply the stain I scrub the decks with a stiff broom, and 1 gallon water to one cup of oxyclean, to remove oxidation from the wood.
I then power wash and leave to dry for 2 days. After the deck is dry I stain with one coat of oil based stain.
I agree with Leigh above, if you are going to have an uncovered wood deck, prepare to stain most every year, depending on climate,it goes with the territory.
At least you don’t have to sand every time you need to re-stain like you will with water based stain. Also, water based stain lasts only slightly longer than oil based…the sanding will kill you!
I would not use sherwin williams deck products again. Their pant looks great but our deck is a mess.