We have tested numerous coatings over the years, and all have certain advantages and disadvantages to specific jobs. All the deck coatings we feature at PaintSource.net are the best we have found in various product categories.

Exotic hardwood has always been a challenge. One TIME® is our product of choice for exotic hardwood. It does bring out the natural beauty of the wood like an oil, darkening and enhancing. One TIME addresses and overcomes almost every disadvantage and performance shortcomings of traditional oils, new acrylics, and other products (drying issues, film-building, lap-marks, peeling, short-life, poor appearance). One Time cures in the sunlight and becomes part of the wood structure. There is no film building even with repeat applications. There are no lap marks, and there is no solvent hazard. It is environmentally friendly for use around water, and does not require harsh chemicals or strippers for later maintenance (also a plus around water). One TIME uses transoxide pigments which are premium UV blockers, but also very translucent and natural looking. Use only 1/4" Roller cover to apply on tropical hardwood.



A huge advantage of One TIME Wood Protector is the ease of application, and lack of lap marking. Backside and end grain can be sealed prior to construction, and any bleed or runover to the front side blends in when we coat the topside after construction. It is very critical that low to ground decking, and porch flooring be backside sealed prior to installation. You still want to minimize run-over, but most products are very tedious and difficult to precoat with when trying to coat the back without getting coating on the board face. OneTime is very forgiving of front side overrun.

On new exotic hardwood, like Mahogany, Cumaru, Ipe, etc., we like to see the wood dry and weather 2-3 months to lose a little of the surface oils, and draw in the sealer. Acetone wipe can be used for quicker application, but weathering a little is always best. After weathering, we consider preparing the wood with an oxalic acid brightener. If wood is coated quickly when new, we may see a little shorter life on the first application if we are unable to deliver enough product into the surface. I like clients to understand the nature of hardwood.

We normally get about 250-300 sq ft / gal on most wood, but we see more like 350-400 sq ft / gal on hardwood, so obviously we are getting about half the amount of product into the surface of hardwood. While One TME can protect most softer wood like treated pine for a few years, color rejuvenation on hardwood could be desired for cosmetics at 12-18 months, depending on exposure.

Bottom line, few products we have tested go beyond 6 months on fully exposed hardwood, and all last less than a year. Many available products (especially oils) have drying issues and then darkening issues after 1 or 2 maintenance coats. OneTime never builds to a point of needing strippers or harsh chemistry. You can get at least one year out of the One TIME in the darker colors on Ipe, Mahogany, and other exotic hardwood. Simply clean and reapply when color refreshing is desired.

Maintenance and touchup is very easy with this product. The only limitation of the One TIME is that it does require UV to cure, so completely covered areas more than 10 feet deep undercover may experience drying issues, so test a small sample board in any deeply covered area that gets little sunlight.

Note: We do not recommend the color Natural for tropical wood.

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