Cabot's Natural Decking Oil

I have just finished 150sqM deck which was in bad condition in places due to full sun exposure. I cleaned it first then 2 coats. Cleaning was hardest. I am very happy with the result after 2 weeks. The monarch Deck pad applicator made the job easy. Even cutting in. In future I will give it a clean after 6 months and maybe another coat. Saved a heap by doing it all myself and kept it simple. Show details ·  1

Merbau Decking finished with Cabot' Natural Decking Oil – If there is anyone in Australia still left over 25 years old that fixed Merbau Decking with nails or screws, you must be as silly as I was twenty years ago. No matter what finish you put on timber open to the elements it is going to give you much pain; and, a poor finish. It’s no wonder people are installing plastic decking boards instead of… Read more ·  1

timber. If you want a good finish on your timber deck you need to go back to a clean sanded timber every time you paint a deck. With no metal nails to damage you can easily sand or scrape a decking board. Merbau decking boards should only be fixed by the sides of the board. If you have seen a few idiots using high pressure water to clean a deck and at the same time destroy the protective covering on timber floor joists you can feel like yelling out “stop killing your expensive timber deck”. I really think that high pressure water tools should only be sold after a course is done to tell people what not to do with them. Even coloured concrete driveways can be destroyed with water. I live on a cliff face and timber decking was the only economical way to create a flat open space for a few dozen people to stay outdoors together on the lower level of the house. Merbau decking with a Cabot’s oil finish has been amazing when they are put together; but it is painful. In the upper level with a very exposed 15 metre long Balcony the Merbau decking has lasted more than forty years. It would be in a better condition if it was not totally neglected in the last ten years. The oil takes many days to dry hard to put on the second coat. The acrylic water based finishes get eaten by the sun, sea salt and possum droppings. If I have to go into the painful job of protecting expensive timber decks it has to be Cabot’s natural oil. I tried to teach my wife how to maintain the decks, very unsuccessfully. She flooded the town with oil, thinking the more oil the better the finish and protection; and, then has to live with the awful smell of the oil for more than a week.

Won't dry – Not drying painted a outdoor deck chair with it sanded it back gave it one coat that seemed to get soaked up second coat is still tacky even after 3 days and about a day and half in the sun. I didn't put too much on its like water and runs off anyway so used a dry brush to spread it round so it was thin. Nice colour when wet gets dull fast when… Read more

dry. Can't use chair till dries need to wash it with turps to remove tackyness. Other chairs used wattyll forrestwood timber and decking oil neutral 2 coats no problem dry can use chair nice colour and looks like there is something applied to chair slight glossy sheen on top but not tacky and it had Tung oil in it much better performer. Wattyll don't make that anymore so need wattyll outdoor furniture instead. Cab Not a good choice for outdoor wood furniture. Does not leave a sheen on wood which I like someone says its because I put too much on, what is too much with a brush and so thin so it does not run am I supposed to blow the fumes of it on from the can. Anyway wattyll was nice looked better and dried. I don't like the orange look tint but with a little Tung oil added I might fix the problem with it myself 50ml in 4 litres and then if that's not enough another 50. But the tint looks nice wet pity it's not wet looking when it's dry like wattyll. If wattyl worked so well and cab did not and I used on same old chair and wood type then it's not my prep work because it had same prep as the chair with wattyl.

(long drying time but) lasts at least as well as much more expensive products – Caveat … the patio is to the south of a two storey house and gets only minor direct sun (early morning and late afternoon/evening) so I can’t comment about its ability to handle full sun. When my patio was new it was, at my father-in-law’s recommendation, coated with some very expensive imported product on his assurance that it would pay for… Read more ·  1

itself in longevity.

Fast forward some 4 years and the patio needed re-coating.

I didn’t think 4 years was exceptional and chose instead to use Cabot’s Natural Decking Oil based on price and various Google reports, expecting a 2(?) year life. That was more than 4 years ago and I won’t be re-coating this year. (Next year? Maybe).

So it has been excellent once dried BUT the ad claiming “fast drying” is pure nonsense. As the area to be oiled is completely shaded, I was able to apply it in summer. Even with the relatively consistently high temperatures it took the best part of a week before I was prepared to walk on it.

So .. great product but allow lots of time to dry (and check other reviews if you intend to have it exposed to full sun).

Does the job and saves the timber – We have been using Cabot's decking oil for over five years, when we moved to our new house last year we found a tin in the garage, popular stuff then. Our ritual for a clean deck is to give a good scrub with Cabot's deck clean and then a blast with the pressure hose. Depending on how weathered the timber is, this can either be an hours job or a… Read more ·  1

full day. Preparation is key. I tend to oil my deck around this time of year (July). Only point to note that during the cooler days it will take longer to dry. First coat goes on easily with the applicator as long as you don't let the oil pool it was dry within 6h (20degree day with low humidity). Second coat went on after 7h. We made sure we painted round the edges first and wiped away where we had missed and got the oil on the house. A damp cloth and turps fixed this. Easier wiping it of when wet than repainting the house when dry. Our second coat did take 3 days to dry, this was due to the cool temprature.

Only negative is the price. Yes it's cheaper than replacing the deck but at x15 the cost of petrol It's not cheap

It did exactly what I wanted – First, I pressure cleaned the merbau, let it dry a week, then used the Cabot deck prep, then after it dried, I applied 3 coats of the oil, not 2. 2 on the first day, 1 on the second day. I would recommend applying with their brush, not a lambs wool - hairs get stuck and it's too wet. Brush is great. Came out so well. Very pleased. 80 square metres of deck, used about 18 litres of oil. 2 tins at $185/tin Show details ·  1

Perfect finish – Traditional Oil that leaves the wood popping and looking strong and clean. Job can be done in a day when first coat goes down in the morning. Use this over Aquadeck everyday. Show details ·  1

Natural Decking Oil - Traditional Pine colour – Used it on a recently constructed treated pine deck in Auckland, NZ. Timber had weathered for about 2 months before the application and the first coat went on without any issues. I like the way it soaked right in and the surface is already beading. The hue is exactly as per the samples - it has added some depth to pine but without the annoying… Read more ·  1

yellow tinge of the "natural" colour option. Looking to apply the second coat soon but, given the surface is already half sealed, will probably dilute a bit and go really light with a lambswool pad. Very happy so far - the result is what I expected. The deck is roofed over so looking to refresh it with a light coat every 2-3 years. Well done Cabot.

Not fit for purpose – Similar to many other posters, the product simply does not dry. Many days after application and the surface remains very sticky and tacky. Question now is how to best remove the product and start again with an alterative product. Show details

Aquadeck disappointing – I found Aquadeck to be a very poor finish and are disappointed. Before using Aquadeck I had half a can of a Cabots water based decking oil, transparent. It was lighter yellowish in color and had excellent even finish. I cannot find this quality product and assume it's no longer available Show details

Don't waste your time – I constructed a 50 square metre fully exposed deck around my pool out of out of jarrah. Due to the complexity of the project and trying to fit around work/life it took me 6 months to finish. Once completed I waited about 4 weeks before oiling. Therefore the boards had been weathered for between one and seven months. I prepared it according to… Read more

instructions using Cabots Deck Clean followed by 2 coats of Natural Decking Oil 24 hours apart. It looked good initially but within a few weeks it started to fade and by the 3 month mark timber looked completely uncoated and water was not beading at all. Have just put cutek on it, twice the price but hopefully it will last longer than a couple of months.

Can be applied strait away, will need to be reapplied every 6-12 mths depending on climate – Oil biased finishes are the only way to go for hardwood decks in Australia. Though they will need to be reapplied every 6-12 months when it stops beading water on the surface Great penetration, recommended. Show details

Pretty good bang for buck – I used Cabot’s Natural Decking oil on my new 40m2 merbau deck. I let it wether for about eight weeks watering it down each week. I also applied a napisan solution to clean the deck prior to oiling and let it dry a couple of days. I applied the decking oil with a lambs wool applicator. It went on with ease. After reading a few comments about drying… Read more

time, I was careful not to leave too much excess between coats. A couple of 30 degree days in a row helped the deck dry quite quickly. I’m quite pleased with the result, however it was a touch darker than I expected. I have previously used Feast and Watson products which were nothing but trouble- the Cabot’s was about $50 cheaper for a 10L tin and in my opinion worked so much better and gave a much better result. Would buy again.

Cabots or Feast Watson – Previously used feast watson stuff and its is rubbish. Basically goes on like paint and does not absorb into the wood (my deck is kwila) $$ and the colour has an awful orange tint to it.I applied 3 coats basically over a period of 6 month I Had to sand it all back basically to bare wood huge job in itself.and used cabots decking oil kwila wow… Read more

nice stuff totally different more natural look easy to apply and you can see it absorb into the wood.Will never use or recommend feast watson dont waste your money its crap.

Not as good as I'd heard – The oil dries in a reasonable time but if like me you're not doing large areas all the time the balance of the oil turns into a jelly after 8 - 10 months. I've bought the cheap oil and it keeps much better and is ready to use next season. This has happened to me twice with the Cabot's and I won't be getting it a third time.  Show details

Too yellow, not clear or transperant as Natural should be, not good for new spotted gum decking – Installed brand new spotted gum deck before Christmas and wait 6 weeks to weather bit, bought Cabot's deck wash and 4L Natural decking oil. very unhappy after apply 1x coat, too yellow and dark it's like yellow stain to me... covered all spotted gum original natural beauty, it's like from 18 years old bright,bounce,clean with clear wood grain skin… Read more

directly to 80 years old boring dark smoke yellow.

Back to Bunnings, and been told to sanding off everything and apply something different...and can't promise it'll turn out good.

Left contact and details on Cabot site, nothing so far , no one replied... I assumed that I was right...

Did many google, some points as follow if anybody looking for decking oil:

1.Cabot's Natural decking oil is too yellow for spotted gum, oiling bit and smelling bit are fine, but color is smoke yellow, lost all beauty from original wood.

2. Every spotted gum board is slight different, if you're using different type of wood which about the same color on each board, then the evenly yellow or redish Merbau stain will be fine, for spotted gum, in my opinon, the best decking oil is clear/transperant with a hint of pink/redish...

3. I read so many blog/articles, everyone has different view, water base or oil base; too many brands to choose; too many products/price with each brand; different ways to clean and weather the wood; different ways to maintain the deck... I haven't find a proper and convinceable solution so far, I guess the simple wood is gift from natural, we can only handle with our limited knowdge and experience? as long as you're happy...

building a small front deck with spotted gum now, this time will try Wattyl Weathergard decking oil, at least it's clear and transperant, but I am prepared that it might not last longer as Cabot's, I've been told that yellow bit is blocking UV. I am happy if color is right even need apply 2x times a year. The charming spotted gum color is just too good...

Third Time Decking has been Oiled – I just finished 2 coats of Cabot’s Oil Based Decking Oil. I put on 2 coats with a drying period of 7 hrs between coats. Temperature on the day was 19 - 25 degrees. Prior to oiling the deck I used the Cabot’s deck wash product which was good. This is the first time I have used Oil-based Cabot’s as the 2previous times it was water-based product… Read more

Aquadeck.

The result this time was poor and it has not bought out the true colour or given a fresh colour but is has come out neutral and you can still see the areas that were protected and had a darker colour. Has this occurred because this Oil-based product is a “transperant” product or should I use another colour.

Very orange on treated pine – Easy to apply - dried in stated time but it is very yellow/orange. Wish I had seen that it was tinted. Natural implied to me that there was no colour but my bad for not reading the tin more closely. Will be re-oiling with another colour to get rid of the orange tint.  Show details

Cabot's was a fast, no mess fix for my deck – I used Cabot's natural deck oil to restore my faded, patchy deck. First, I washed the deck with Deck Clean, let it dry and then used 2 coats of Cabot's using a brush, to minimise waste. The second coat went on just 6 hours after the first coat, and the deck came up as good as new! 1 litre does 10 square metres, and with just 2 coats, Cabot's worked out a lot cheaper than other deck oils. 20 months on and still looking great!  Show details ·  1

beautiful, even finish – I was advised by the seller of the timber to use feast watson oil which I did for the first 2 years. It gave a far thicker coat(lacquer like), instead of seeping in to timber like cabots does. which looked beautiful but patches arise from wear, tear and age(don't leave longer than 6 months for reapplication). Had to sand down whole surface to… Read more ·  1

remove lacquer like surface.

Then used cabots and was shocked how it seemed to sink straight into the timber and loved it (felt like it was actually protecting the timber instead of covering it like paint), not patchy anymore with age(more stain like).

Have loved this oil and don't look for anything else, found quicker and easier to apply than previous oil. But like others have said, needs to dry for a couple of days, but so did the other....

Been using for cabots for the last 2 years...

Best product to show australian red wood colours and grain – 60m2 of australian red wood decking. (Plus 100m2 of ornamental red wood timber fencing). Found cabots natural decking oil to best complement red/purple colours and grain, tested all major brands. . This week scrubbed deck with napisan (used to use cabots deck clean) which worked well with pressure hose after. . Sanded deck. Applied first… Read more ·  1

coat, normally wait only 6hrs, but left for 12hrs before recoat. First coat not tacky after 12hrs, recoat not terribly tacky after 10hrs.

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It takes time to prepare and oil properly, but the tin instructions are correct if you do the right thing.

Applicator left fluff – Hi I had my decking re oiled by a person and they purchased Cabot's applicator and oil from Bunnings. When he went to apply the oil, fluff came off the applicator quite a lot. It took some time to remove the fluff before the second application and this time he used my old applicator. I can still see some of the fluff but I am very disappointed that this occurred from such a good name brand. The decking turned out great apart from that..  Show details ·  1

Slow drying, makes decks unusable for a week! – I must concur with many here. We're now onto day 5 since our painter oiled our brand new deck and we can't use it. Moved into a brand new house and can't use the decks.... and try keeping delivery guys etc off the decks for almost a week without stuffing them up! Couldn't be more disappointed in this product. Don't use.  Show details

Went on easily – I am in Sydney and after cleaning my Merbau deck with product and stiff brush we had rain for months. I re cleaned and managed to have a week of dry days. After doing all the tricky bits by brush I applied the first coat with wool applicator and it went on easily. I like the colour and the product soaked in. I waited 36 hours before applying the… Read more ·  1

2nd coat. It has been 36 hours and it is still tacky to the touch. The weather is cooler 18 - 20 degrees and low humidity so not the products preferred 25 deg 50% humidity.The second coat has some areas that are a little orange where product may have overlapped. I think be stingy with the application and perhaps use a new applicator for each coat.

4 days - still wet – Our first open home is on Saturday and deck was done on Thursday and we are still unable to walk on the deck. The deck was prepared thoroughly and decking oil applied as per instructions. Seriously concerned at this stage as how to address it. We have over 200m2 of deck.  Show details

Wouldnt buy again – Not a very good product. Diligently sealed top and bottom of merbau decking before installation. Have sealed it 3 times in 18 months and now needs another coat. It just disappears. The decking now looks like it has never had anything on it. The cost is high and would expect it to last at least 12 months. It is on an East facing deck and doesnt get afternoon sun. Certainly would look for other options  Show details

Excellent customer service and response to feedback – Having written a review regarding the oil having a slight colouring/pigment Cabot's have shown that they stand behind their product and have been very proactive in helping me and other customers understand what it is and why. They have posted this in the FAQ on their website. http://cabots.com.au/faqs/where-s-my-clear-colourless-decking-oil/ Well done Cabot's.  Show details ·  1

Complete failure – Cabots decking oil for me has been a complete failure. 6 days after applying it, my blackbutt deck is still tacky, has a huge amount of dust stuck to it, and I cant use the deck, because it leaves shoe marks, comes off on the feet and is being walked into my home. After 2 days of broken promises, a rep did eventually return my call, only to tell… Read more

me I applied it wrongly, and suggested that I should solve it by wiping off the tackiness with a wet turps rag. They refuse to view the deck. My suggestion would be to consider another product on a hard wood deck. It has dried on my pine stirring stick, but my brushes are still in perfect nick even though I never cleaned them 6 days ago. To rub salt in my wounds, on the tin it says "fast drying penetrating oil". 6 days and it is still not dry Cabots. No, a wet turps rag is not an acceptable solution.

Solid performer – Easy to apply with a purpose lambswool applicator - like any other decking oil. Terribly expensive - like any other decking oil - from my perspective. If your decking has not been coated at all, after first scrubbing with a stiff broom, the wood will drink this stuff. If there is a coating already - not so bad. Lots of people on the net appear… Read more ·  2

to be unhappy with colours of these decking oils thinking wood grain would show through after application. Unless you apply some sort of clear furniture oil, it is just not the case. Most decking oils have lots of coloured additives to protect wood from the sun (even when they say "lightly coloured") and to a greater or lesser degree decking oil looks like paint.

Better than expected – I have an old Queenslander house with tongue and grooved verandah decking made from "Crows Ash" ( Flindersii Australis) sometimes also called "Australian Teak", a lovely rainforest timber no longer commercially available. I carefully sanded it back and replaced some rotted boards. I had previously used a water based Intergrain product with… Read more ·  1

disastrous results; within months it went flaky white and peeled off patchily and looked a mess... an experience shared with another builder friend.

So this time I sanded it back completely and finished with a fine hand sanding and then applied the oil based Cabots decking oil. It looks fantastic and has restored a lovely golden colour. I agree with other reviewers that a few days are needed to let the first coat sink in and thoroughly dry and only then apply a second coat, or even more. It is easy thereafter to add a coat when water no longer 'beads' on the surface.

I think the natural wax found in Crows Ash ( it was famous for dance floors!) responds better to oil based than water based treatments and therefore the type of timber is important in determining which to use. I used the water-based Intergrain on a Merbau rear deck with no problems at all.

So far so good with the good oil!

Great Product – Purchased the Natural Decking Oil for our Merbau Deck. The deck was laid in October 2016, and this was the first applying a treatment. I first scrubbed the deck the day before using a hot water and napisan solution and a stiff brush and allowed the deck to fully dry over the next 24 hours. I then applied the decking oil using the lambs wool… Read more ·  3

applicator. The first coat was applied around 10am (26 degree day, no wind, low humidity). The second coat was applied around 4pm the same day. I didn't allow anyone to walk on the deck for the next 48 hours, although it felt dry to walk on after 24 hours.

Be sure to take the time and protect any area that you want to avoid staining such as concrete or render.

I will definitely be using the product in the future.

Great products – Excellent oil for my outside ramp. 2 coats. Easy to put on with Cabot's applicator. Show details ·  3