WOOD DECK COATINGS & PAINT

A: Coverage is an average of 80 sq ft/gal and you need to do two coats, so each gallon yields up to 40 sq ft for two coats. This coating is sold in 2 gallon sets, so each set will cover up to 80 sq ft with two coats. For larger areas, order in 4 gallon pails and save 5%. Finished coating will be about 1/8" thick and you can fill in cracks and divots up to 3/8" deep. Remember though that the thicker you apply it and the more cracks and divots you fill in, the less coverage you will get. Coverage will vary depending on type of wood, age, and dryness of your deck when you restore it. We recommend you use an average of 80 sf/gal per coat. If your deck is older and therefore drier with a lot of cracks you should use a number closer to 70sf/gal. If newer you can use a number closer to 100 sf/gal.

Coverage is not an exact science when it comes to decks so please do not order to the exact square footage of your deck. We strongly suggest ordering extra material as a safety margin, especially if your wood is older and dried out or your concrete has a rougher type finish. Any leftover can be stored in small containers for any emergency touch ups needed.

PLEASE NOTE THAT ARMOR RENEW IT IS MADE IN BATCHES. COLORS MAY VARY FROM BATCH TO BATCH SO PLEASE MAKE SURE TO ORDER ENOUGH MATERIAL FOR YOUR ENTIRE PROJECT SINCE REORDERS MAY SHOW COLOR VARIATIONS. (If this color shift does occur, it can be corrected by putting on a coat of the Smooth Version over the entire surface)

A: ArmorGarage Renew It Coating must be applied to clean wood or concrete. See our Deck Cleaner and Acid Safe Etching Kit for best results. If your deck has been previously painted and the paint is not peeling off you can sand it with 100 grit to clean and rough up. Then apply our Bonding Primer(not the Renew Primer). Once the Bond Primer Dries you can paint over it with the Renew coating. It your deck has been previously stained you should rough sand it till you expose the bare surface of the wood. Then you can apply the Renew Primer and then the Renew Coating. Removing all old sealers, paints or stains that are failed or failing is important so that the Renew It coating bonds directly to the wood or concrete and not just the surface of the stain or paint that is coming off. Our Deck Cleaner is designed to prepare your bare wood surface for the best bond between the Renew Coating and your wood. Rinse off with a power washer under low to medium pressure for best results. For concrete do the acid etch with a power wash rinse. For Trex Decks, the Trex should be at least 6 months old before coating with Renew It. We suggest a light sanding with rough sandpaper to scratch up the surface and then prime with our Bonding Primer in lieu of the Renew It primer.

Please note that some stains, sealers may not be compatible with our product, which we cannot be responsible for so it's always best to sand down any previous stains or sealers as much as possible. Once all dirt, loose coatings, mold, and mildew are off, let the deck dry out for 48 hours. Wood that has not completely dried out can out gas during the application causing bubbles to form in the finished surface. Do a splash test to ensure that no sealer remains on the surface of the wood. Simply splash some water onto the surface and see if it is absorbed quickly into the wood. If it beads up or is not absorbed into the wood it means that there is still a sealer or stain on the surface of the wood. Concrete surfaces must be etched; see the Acid Safe Etching Kit above.

APPLICATION is simple. Once the surface is clean and dry it MUST be primed with our Renew It primer at the rate of 400-500 SF/gal. You can roll the primer on with a standard 3/8" nap roller. Let it dry to the touch in a few hours and then apply first coat of Renew It.

Stir Renew It contents in the can as you would regular paint, a Jiffy mixer in your cordless drill works best, pour in roller pan, using our special roller, load the roller fully with product, it's important to fully load the roller with product, and roll out slowly/evenly in one direction with medium downward pressure. You should see a bead of product in front of the roller as you move the roller forward. When roller is out of product, lift up and reload with product and continue from the wet edge. Do not roll backwards or to the sides. You can also use a brush to smoothen out the finish if a less textured finish is desired. Simply brush lightly in opposite direction of rolling to smoothen the coating out. Do not brush back and forth. You can use a paint brush for cutting in areas such as edges or other hard to reach parts of your deck. Please see our Small Area Roller for hard to reach areas. Please note the only way to properly apply our product is with our roller, there is no product support or guarantee without the use of our rollers.

Deck Renew It Coatings can be applied in direct sunlight, for best results apply below 90 degrees and avoid direct midday sun as much as possible. Do not apply if rain is forecast within 36 hrs of applying. Do not apply below 50 degrees or if temperature will go below 50 degrees at anytime within 48 hrs of application. Do not apply to surfaces that do not drain properly and hold water in puddles for more than 24 hours. When applying, make sure you have an even coat and all cracks, chips, and splintered areas are filled in. If cracks are still present after the first coat, use a brush to fill in these areas with extra material before applying the second coat with roller. Let any repaired areas dry before applying another coat. For large and deep cracks we recommend you use a non silicone filler such as an acrylic paint compatible wood caulking or paintable wood putty. It's also a good idea if you have deck that was assembled with untreated nails or screws to coat them with a rust inhibiting primer first. This will ensure that the rust does not bleed up through the coating. Do the rust inhibitor prior to the Renew It Primer.

Let the first coat dry for approximately 4-6 hours or until completely dry to the touch before applying the second coat. The first coat may seem blotchy, this is normal and means the wood is absorbing the product. The second coat should completely encapsulate the wood. You should not see any portion of the wood and there should be no blotchy spots without the aggregate, if you do it means you applied the coating too thin or the wood was extremely dry. When the second coat dries hard to the touch you can use your deck again. We recommend keeping furniture off the coating for 3-4 days. Furniture bottoms should all have the proper plastic or wood inserts. Never scrape raw metal edges against your new coating. Be sure to order the Renew It Deck Roller to properly apply your deck coating. For proper results, this roller must be used. Order one roller per every 200 sq. ft. of surface. You can rinse the rollers out with water in between coats.

A: No. Our Renew It deck coating is not to be confused with other retail grade coatings that don't last and are available at Home Improvement Centers. This is an industrial full strength grade formulation that we manufacture and sell directly to you.

Q: I live in a northern climate. Is this product suitable for areas that have large temperature swings and large amounts of snow?

A: The coating once cured has a temperature rating of -40 degrees to 200 degrees. Our Deck Renew It coating is extremely flexible so temperature swings have no effect on the coating. That is what sets Renew It apart from all other coatings. It wears like iron. It breathes and flexes so as not to chip, crack, or peel like every other deck coating. However, we do not recommend applying the coating if temperatures range below 50 degrees or above 100 degrees within 48 hours of application.

Snow and ice have no effect on Renew It either. Renew It is tough enough to handle snow shoveling. We do recommend that you use plastic or fiberglass tipped shovels when shoveling snow right down to the coating. As you can imagine, a steel edged shovel slammed into any surface will scratch or gouge it, even concrete.

Q: What is the difference between this and your Super Duty Deck Paint?

A: The answer to this question is that paints and coatings are different. The Deck Paint is made as a liquid product from start to finish as all paints are, that when applied gets partially absorbed into the wood and leaves a very thin surface film like all conventional paints do. The Renew It Coating starts out as a solid and is made into liquid form by us, and then returns to a solid after you apply it; with the main difference being that it bonds onto the surface being applied to and forms a 1/8" thick solid material coating on the surface that is permanent.

No other coating product has a finish like ours. Even our Super Deck Paint, as with any conventional paint, is not permanent because it is not a coating. The same applies to why our garage floor epoxy is so superior. It's because they are made from "solids" which makes them a coating and not a paint that cheaper epoxies are. That's why those types of paint products peel off in a year or so whether on your garage floor, shop floor, wood deck or concrete deck.

Q: Is this a different coating than your concrete coating?

A: We used to make the concrete and wood coatings as two different products. We have now made the coating good for both wood and concrete surfaces, including Pool Decks. It is now much more convenient for our customers to use and less confusing. The only difference is in the prep work.

You need to clean and etch concrete surfaces prior to applying the coating; see our Acid Safe Etching Kit below for easy concrete preparation and to ensure compatibility with our product. Using other harsh acids may cause bonding issues, which we cannot be responsible for. Armor Renew It Coating is still the same extra thick super durable coating that will restore a deck made of wood or concrete by filling in and covering cracks, chips, stains, knots and other imperfections!

Q: Can you provide custom colors?

A: If you want to restore your deck coating with a custom color, order the tint base version from the color drop down box. Then you can add up to 10 ounces of universal water base tint available at any paint store to tint and mix into any color you want. Please note that we do not guarantee the product after 1 year since we do not know what type of tints are actually being used. Some tints can adversely effect the product's performance and or durability.

Q: My deck boards are warped. Can I coat them and how do I do it between the boards?

A: Warped boards may require you to roll perpendicular to the boards first then roll parallel to the boards to ensure material gets down into the valley of warped or cupped boards. Use the 4" roller set to cover these boards easier. If your boards are widely spaced, you can use a gallon of the smooth version and brush to coat in between the boards prior to applying the textured coating. Let the smooth version dry before applying the textured coating.

Q: Do I have to protect my landscaping?

A: No. It's 100% non toxic.

Q: Can I do the entire deck with this?

A: Yes, it can be used on the entire deck. We recommend you apply it with our small area roller to the railings and posts. You can also use a brush for the railings and posts if you want a smoother, less textured finish. Vertical posts and railings do not get the same damage and wear as the floor so you may want to use the smooth version of this coating that is available in the same exact colors for the maximum protection of your posts and rails. See the Smooth Version.

Q: How long will this last and what is the warranty?

A: We have a limited 5 year warranty that covers you against product defects when product is applied to a properly prepared surface in two full coats at the proper thickness with our Renew It rollers. When properly applied you should get an average of 7-10 years of service. After which you should do one thin refresher coat at 150 sf/gal.

This warranty applies to any peeling, chipping or cracking that is the direct result of a product defect. We will replace defective material up to original quantity purchased, shipping costs from our NJ warehouse is not included. The sole and exclusive maximum liability of ArmorGarage LLC under this warranty will be to replace the appropriate quantity necessary for re-coating warranted area. Warranty does not cover normal wear nor shipping costs.

Our Deck Renew It Coating will not require stripping and recoating as standard deck coatings do under normal use. Our coating is not a miracle coating; it cannot bring rotted, crumbling, and broken boards or concrete back to life. These boards or sections of concrete should be replaced prior to coating. Warranty is void when applied to any unsatisfactory surface condition that exists prior to or at any time after product is applied. Also as with all items exposed to the sun, the color will eventually wear and fade. At which time, you may want to apply one single refresher coat as mentioned above.

Q: Can I apply this to pressure treated wood or Trex Decking?

A: The answer to both is yes even though both are notoriously difficult to paint. Renew It is very well suited for application over treat wood or Trex Decks. Pressure treated wood should be allowed to age for 6 months to allow complete out gassing. Renew It will restore aged and worn out treated wood boards. Trex should age for 3-4 months. Trex should first be primed with our Flash Bond Primer in lieu of the Renew It primer. Our Renew It coating is a great application for Trex since Trex is the best material for longevity, but most people don't like the look of it and it can be slippery when wet. Now you can have a deck with good looks and longevity!

Q: Can it be applied to untreated wood?

A: Yes, our Renew It coating works best on untreated wood and is the best long-term protection you can put on the material, which normally rots out fairly quickly. If possible, we suggest you seal the underside of the boards with any typical Home Improvement type sealer to reduce rotting from underneath. Since the under side of the boards are not exposed to sun or traffic, residential grade sealers should last a good amount of time and will extend the life of the wood.

Q: Do I need any special tools?

A: You will need to purchase our special roller to properly apply the coating for the best results when you restore your deck with our coating. We suggest you purchase 1 roller for every 200 sf of deck.

Q: How do I clean it? A: The finished surface is easy to maintain and clean. All that is needed to clean the coated surface is a mild liquid soap and garden hose. A light pressure washing is also okay to remove any heavy ground-in dirt and grime. You can also use a fiberglass edged shovel to remove any snow during the winter months.

Q: Is it slippery when wet?

A: No. In fact, it is quite the opposite since it has a grainy type finish. It is a very non-slip type of finish and will have the feel of a very fine emery board on bare feet that is very comfortable for walking on and barely noticeable. It's great for pool areas and it's even comfortable for pet paws! Aside from being used to restore decks, it works great on stairs & ramps as a non-slip surface.

We get asked a lot everyday about what makes this coating different than the other deck products found in Home Improvement stores or even our own Super Duty Deck Paint.

The answer is first this is not a paint it is a coating which begins as a solid that we liquify and when it dries on your deck it turns back into a solid. That's why it's rock hard and textured. Where as paints are simply liquids that start out as liquids and dry to a thin film finish. There is no comparison to a paint and Renew It. Not even our paint is comparable and our deck paint will outlast any other paint on the market.

Another difference between our coating and those found elsewhere is that we make it in a pure industrial grade strength with no cheap chemical fillers that weaken the integrity of the coating.

Our coating also allows the wood to breath letting moisture escape out of the wood or concrete that would otherwise freeze and rupture during the winter causing whatever coating you put on it to peel and chip off. Thus the annual strip and paint your deck scenario occurs over and over again. Renew It is designed to end the stripping and painting cycle.

We also get asked a lot about how long it will last. While no coating or paint can last forever Renew It will provide about 10 years of good service at which time the sun and weather will start to fade and wear it down. At that time it's a simple matter of rolling on another coat to bring your deck back to new.

PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL WOOD DECKS MUST BE PRIMED FIRST WITH THE RENEW IT PRIMER. THIS PRODUCT CANNOT BE SPRAYED ON. SPRAYING OF THE PRODUCT WILL VOID THE WARRANTY.