I had a new cedar deck installed (around 350 sq feet) last year. I sealed it with a semi-transparent stain about 2 weeks after the install. I read 2 weeks is adequate time to wait for cedar. I used a sealer that was recommended in Consumer Reports (Behr Premium Semi-Trans) not some cheap stuff. CR said after 2 years on their roof (on wood panels) the stain held up. I went with semi-transparent as it gets a lot of sun and read that clear would not protect well. After less than 1 year, it is peeling and looks terrible. Do I reapply the same stain or strip the deck and start over? I really prefer clear as at least that doesn't look terrible when it starts to fail. But stripping is a pain. I guess I am looking for whatever long term is easier to maintain. [ATTACH]52504[/ATTACH]

I just got an estimate to have my exterior trim painted and the contractor mentioned re-painting the concrete foundation only with a concrete stain, not latex paint. My concern is that since the foundation is already painted, the stain won't adhere like it should because it won't be able to penetrate the existing paint. Also, there are areas where the existing paint has peeled off and I'm worried that the stain will absorb in those areas and nit the painted areas and will look different. I mentioned this to the contractor and he didn't seem to think it would be an issue. I'm inclined to play it safe and just have him use regular latex paint. Although I would prefer a stain so my weed whacker doesn't chip away at the newly painted foundation.