Below is a new review of Cabots Aquadeck Natural pigment Written By Ben Jarvie – Deck Rejuvenation Pty Ltd, dated 8th December 2019 – 5 Years on from my last review of the product which can also be found at the bottom of this article.
It’s Ben here from Deck Rejuvenation – Firstly I have to say that I have never been a fan of Cabots Aquadeck and have always been of the firm view that the only thing I’ll do to this product is removed it from timber due to what I deemed as a poor finish. The only instance I would let this slide was IF/When a client had come to me with a existing deck coated with the oil and was in the process of selling the house and simply wanted a spruce up. As im not an advocate in ever-switching brands between recoats so in the rare instance that the old cabots was still looking ok I would comply but it was here that I would draw the line.
5 Years later (one month shy to be precise) we had to sand back a deck in Melbournes South, which was weathered beyond recognition with no evident signs of a natural tonne of timber or clear grain to identify timber species. To cut the story short after provided firm advice around the use of various stains and doing color samples on the sanded timber, the client had insisted on using Cabots Aquadeck in a Natural pigment.
(***Disclaimer*** – I have no financial interest in swaying you one way or another! However I have been restoring decks across Victoria for the last 17 years ie sanding, sealing, maintaining and find well-documented articles like these, keep the manufactures honest – I hope you find this article useful)
In the last 5 years Cabots has since made improvements on the product with faster dry times and what appears to be better pigments.
Here is the break down of improvements with the new Cabots Aquadeck formula.
– Faster dry time – which is now 1 hr between coats (used to be 2 hours)
– The coating didn’t remain tacky after application (used to be a big problem)
– Touch dry in 20 minutes
– Prices have increased (not surprised as quality pigments, anti-foaming agents and uv agents don’t come cheap)
– The oil was quite easy to work with ie didn’t play with your emotions showing potential lap marks it did seem to flash off nicely – With that said our staff has 1000’s of SQM’s of work behind them.
Here are some items I’m still not happy with.
- Cabots is officially not an Australia company after is was sold to a Japanese firm in late 2019. Which means Integrain, Feast Watson and many other brands under the (Dulux Group) have suffered the same fate.
– An extensive amount of pigment resting at the base of the can – be sure to spend 5 to 10 minutes mixing this to ensure the oil pigment, uv inhibitors, and the likes are even through the finish – failing to do this will yield poor results.
– Personally I still wouldn’t want to use this on showpiece timbers ie Spotted Gum and other beautiful hardwoods as I do think the pigments will overthrow the timbers features in its first maintenance cycle.
Here are some things I’m on the fence about with the new formula
Longevity – I will report back in 6 – 9 months to see how this deck is tracking.
Spread rate – achieving only 8 SQM per Litre on the first coat of Cabots Aquadeck, which is quite poor but then again the deck was thirsty, second coat we achieved 10 SQM per Litre. Weathered decks with open grain do tend to take on more product.
Over all, I’m impressed by the improvements to the product but very disappointed in the sale of the company to overseas.
To ensure you know what you’re signing up for IF you decide to purchase the product here is a picture showcasing the can for reference.
Here is a photo showing how and why I push the point of giving the can a lengthy stir until it becomes consistent. I like to split the product into halves so I can easily mix the resting pigment at the bottom of the can before then combining the mixes and repeating again 3 times to be safe.
*Tip if you are buying multiple cans – mix everything together to achieve a uniformed finish*
The below photo is showing inside a tin of the new Cabots Aquadeck product in a natural – Its absolutely critical that you stir the oil till it becomes a single tone. Reading the reviews on most products on the market that are geared for DIY this is a common mistake made which can costs you $thousands to rectify.
Now some shots to show you the job from start to finish – keeping in mind the timbers are in terrible condition – so much so most of the screws have snapped due to the expansion/contraction of the boards from years of neglect. Preparation consisted of sanding using 2 x propriety methods to deck rejuvenation followed by a degreasing treatment + brightener treatment.
Below is a photo showing after the sanding and deck cleaning process
This photo below is showing the guys just about completed on the 1st coat of Cabots Aquadeck (New formula) You can see the difference from the far-right compared to left (just applied) The far-right is already dry underhand and settling in nicely.
I was actually quite happy with how the deck has come up but more importantly the clients are stoked with the outcome. I will hopefully be called outcome time for maintenance and take some progress shots to show how the product performs. With that said a word of caution here is that it really pays to second guess every manufactures promise of longevity and stick to a golden rule of quarterly cleans and clean and reseal every 6 – 9 months like clock with if under full exposure. If your undercover 12 months is fine. I prefer to tell you the hard-hitting truth that your deck MUST be maintained yearly at the very least. IF you want longevity out of flooring with no maintenance I firmly recommend replacing the deck with pavers or polished concrete (like me & I restore decks for a living) 🙂
Here is something i think all prospective purchasers of oil should know – Cabots, Feast Watson, Integrain, British Paints, Berger & Sellys are infact all the same company. Now why do I feel the need to tell you this?
Personally i don’t like when a industry is locked away like this, to the point your looking at 80 – 90% of the shelves at your local hardware shop giving the illusion of different brands when infact its the same outfit with a smart ploy to take market share. Putting that aside we do have regular clients who we run on just about every product on the shelf as the client was adamant that that’s what they want to use OR they had used it prior to us taking over. Most clients infact leave the choice of oils to us and take our advice after we have just spend 2 – 5 days getting it ready to be oiled – in these instances we use a locally manufactured oil in Vic that we have been involved with since its inception.
Below review was written by myself 5 years ago re the old Cabots Aquadeck formula – If you have the old coating on your deck I strongly recommend sanding it back to a raw skin of timber before recoating with your preferred product.
Cabots Aqua Deck Specifications
PRODUCT TYPE – Water Based Oil
DURABILITY Lasts 12 – 18 months depending on various factors ie sun exposure and foot traffic (nonsense)
PREP – Will require an acid wash plus high pressure clean at no more than 1000 PSI (if existing protecting coatings are on your times chemical stripping or sanding may be required)
COVERAGE- 10 – 12 m2 per litre – Usually 10 m2 on the first coat and 12 on the second
NUMBER OF COATS – 2
RE-COAT TIME – 2 hours
If your after a review of Cabots Aqua deck you’ve come the right place!
We offer deck maintenance through to deck restoration for a living so rest assured you’re in good hands.
Cabots Aqua deck oil is an acrylic/water-based oil that can be used on a variety of surfaces around the home such as decking, furniture & even that new timber cladding you have all around the home.
Like thousands of other Australians, you have most likely gone to Bunnings or the likes and thought to yourself how hard can this be – lets oil our own deck.
Like any other decking oil, failing to do the preparation correctly will result in product failure 95% of the time.
After reading the lengthy volume of negative reviews on the market we can honestly say that the bulk of these product failures has been a mixture of doing the preparation incorrectly through to not so ideal weather conditions resulting in lengthy dry times or possibly drying to quick which has resulted in lap marks and the likes.
Our company Deck Rejuvenation has been rejuvenating new/old decks for over 12 years and can personally vouch that IF the end-user does the correct preparation whilst within range of ideal weather conditions the product will perform as specified on the can.
Top 4 reasons people are seeing product failures when using Cabots Aqua Deck.
1. Failing to allow the timber to dry correctly after pressure washing and or doing an acid treatment
2. Applying oil in weather below 10 degrees or above 30 degrees which effects the curing time of the product.
3. Applying oil over the top of coatings that still have a solid seal on the timber (you must test your timber with water to see if your timber is if water still beads If it does you may need to sand or chemically strip your timber to open it up to allow for future protective coatings to penetrate.
4. Not stirring the can correctly to get an even mix of the pigment will yield terrible results every time. Don’t shake the can like you would paint instead stir the pigment, lifting your stirrer from the base of the can to the surface to lift any heavy pigment residue from the base of the can. You will notice a can of Natural Cabots aquadeck will have a terrible looking pink cloud on the top of the can then after a good stir for 5 mins the can will take on a consistent brown tone.
Overall i rate this product as a entry level product with pigments that almost always will result in a paint like appearance. I personally would never to opt to use such a product on what i deem show piece timber like your Spotted Gums and the likes for this reason. Once you start going down the path of using Cabots Aquadeck its important you are vigilant with the maintenance regime as if its pushed beyonds its limits it will need a deep drum sand to recover the timber. Food for thought!
Sick and tired of hearing 20 different opinions and just want a contractor who does this for a living to take the reigns?
Get Your Free Quote today!
Call 1300 363 478
The deck looks a million bucks!
Luke Slater - 20/06/2017 Google Review
Having Deck Rejuvenation sort out our deck was the best thing that could have happened.
We invested quite a bit of money getting the deck built in the first place and we are simply delighted that our deck is looking perfect once again. We'd happily add ours to the long list of Before and After photo success stories.
Very happy customers.
Daniel James - Google Review 24/06/2017
We offer ongoing maintenance plans so your deck is kept pristine on autopilot year in year out!
If your coating merbau timber read this article on oiling merbau decking timber or merbau stain. Or if your oiling Spotted Gum timber check out this article on oiling Spotted Gum timber decking. If you’re for hoping for a easy and fast way to strip back a deck click here.
Whether your looking for a company to look after your deck or possibly strip back your decking after a failed attempt at applying the product feel free to call us anytime on 1300 363 478
If you find your time poor or simply prefer to leave the job to the professionals
submit your details using our site or call 1300 363 478 to GET A FREE QUOTE!
We service the whole of Victoria!
