Customer Reviews for Olympic Maximum 1 gal. Canyon Brown Exterior Stain and Sealant in One Low VOC

I chose this color based on color chip pamphlet at the store. It has the color you see on the website or a reddish tint which is what I was wanting. Reddish brown. I am going to offer tips to applying this. I chose home depot's HDX sprayer that is like a weedsprayer. The model that says chemical resistant. Out of the can you can't spray this. It has some chunks that must be filtered and it is too thick. The thickness is good because when you water it down 20% with tap water as you put it in the sprayer the product covers more. The sprayer's included orange and black tips are poor choices as they spray out way too much and cause huge runs. Use the blue tip that is already on the sprayer, and adjust it down to a heavy sort of mist and keep it pumped up enough not to turn into droplets. As you spray, preferably from bottom to top (if you're doing a fence) waving it right and left quickly over 3 or 4 boards, then go back and do an up and down on each board just enough to cover, you'll get coverage without much waste or runs. You must filter this with homedepots cone filter or a filter net or your tip will keep clogging making the project messy slow and aggrivating. I'd rather use the gallon size strainger and put it inside the sprayer, tie it around the outside of the sprayer neck, this cone overflows and doesn't flow fast enough. The black pigment doesn't mix well and likes to gather at the bottom, make sure you rinse it back into the mix. It's better to wear goggles or wrap around eye protection to keep the mist out of your eyes, mask for lung protection.

After building a new redwood fence this was my second opportunity to use Olympic clear for the finish. Work was done today 5/11/2021 in 93 degree dry weather. There was several spots on the fence where I had to sand to remove blemishes, leaving a very light obvious marks, but the stain nicely balanced out the finish so nothing was noticeable. The sealant went on very easily and was very forgiving. I finished one board at a time and went back on several occasions to touch up spots I missed in corners, etc., No problem at all. I used a 4" brush and put on a good coat, but not to the point of runs. On a few occasions I did get a few runs around the edges, which was very easy to touch up. Also had a few spots I missed and came back for touch-up and you couldn't tell any difference after the brush went over the product a second time. Just as simple as applying regular paint, very easy clean-up, and with the dry redwood the sealer quickly soaked into the wood. The sealant has a light gold solid look to it as soon as you open up the can, so no surprises that it isn't clear, but it only gives the finished wood a slightly darker natural look. Even in 93 degree weather today I had no trouble with the material drying too quickly or not giving me an opportunity to go over the boards a couple of times to be sure the finish was applied evenly. Great experience, nice finish, easy clean-up. The other side of the same fence was required to be painted as it is exposed to the street. Comparing the amount of paint used in comparison to the clear sealant, I was able to get almost twice the coverage with the clear product vs. the Behr Ultra Paint and Primer. The Olympic sealant applies faster than the Behr, too, being so much thinner and easier to apply with the brush. The sealant acts very much like an oil base stain when being applied, even has a very light smell similar to oil base products, yet cleans up quickly with soap and water. I'm very satisfied with the finish provided by the sealant, and the ever so slightly darker finish with the sealant gives the redwood more depth, along with a uniform finish that you don't have with the raw wood. I will continue to use this product without hesitation. It works well in providing protection of the wood from the elements. My area sees summer daytime temperatures nearing 110 on occasion, and the protected wood on prior projects using Olympic clear sealant looks good after several years of living in this harsh environment. I can't imagine ever leaving raw wood outside without some level of protection from damage and the Olympic product is about as easy as it gets for simplicity, durability, and speed of application.

This is close to a more natural wood color and I would describe as more taupe than grey in color. It went on very easy, not too thick or too thin. It will wear a lot more natural than a solid paint, which makes it even more of an attractive option.

As with so many other reviews that I wish I had read before buying this product (who expects something labeled “clear” to actually be orange!?), this sealant is NOT CLEAR. I don’t get it. I now have a kid’s clubhouse that is painted gray with a semi-transparent orange film overtop and now I have to repaint the whole thing because it looks horrible. There are other reviews like this from 2015. How is this still a problem? It is absolutely waterproof. But it's ORANGE not “clear”. xa

I like this product because it's affordable and also provides good protection to my new fence and deck that is compliant with out HOA guidelines. If you enjoy the look of natural blonde wood, this is the product I recommend. The only drawback was that some of my fencing absorbed this so much I had to do two coats, and that was a lot of work. Also now, after a winter with snow I can see that some areas might need a touch up, but overall I am pleased with the product and this is my 3rd purchase of it.

This was my first time ever using a product like this. Olympic has very good Google reviews. The finished product is beautiful!

I'm assuming I got a bad batch. There are clumps in the stain. Will be returning to the store.

I stained my fence with this product. The stain is darker than the picture of the can. I wanted a light brown look and not a dark brown look. What a waste of money.

Very happy with this stain. It is very important to use a premium deck cleaner first! Before putting on the stain.

Nice color,looks great in cedar shakes and matchs my antique bricks.

We love this color so much! It is called Black Oak. We stained two large decks, and over the course of two weeks, as it has dried more and settled into the wood and the wood grain is becoming more defined. It is very black when it first goes on, but it settles into a beautiful dark charcoal gray to blackish color. It dried quickly and was actually beading rain the next day. We didn't walk on any of the surfaces for at least 4 days after staining.

I used an airless paint sprayer with this sealer. Sprayed our privacy fence. The color was better than the photos I saw on the web. Not too dark and not too much stain so I still can see the wood grain and all the knots in the wood. I have close to 1800 sq ft of fence and I used a couple gallons less than the ten gal I bought, so the coverage was as listed(using the paint sprayer). Love the sealer!

Reads review of a different Olympic product but wound up with this one. ‘Clear’ is not a subjective word, and this is not clear but yellow, like wood glue. Turned my freshly planed redwood fencing into a muddy orange/red I’m very unhappy about. It doesn’t enhance wood grain like an oil but hides it under a pasty film. Too late now, never again for this brand. If you do get stuck with this, be sure your application is perfect, there’s no going back to even out coverage and any runs will be orange. I went to Home Depot for more Thompson’s oil seal, but no longer stocked and since HD put all the locally owned hardware stores out of business there was no other choice.

In 1983, I stained my newly constructed home Olympic 911 aka Cape Cod Gray semi transparent with California Rustic Solid as the trim color. I re-stained it 3 times since then with the same colors and I had been satisfied with the results each time. In Aug 2020, I decided to tackle the perimeter fence and outbuilding first and have the house done next spring. Ordered 2 five gallon buckets of Cape Cod Gray from Olympic and had it shipped to the store. The color is not gray. It has a definite green/blue hue to it. I guess some would call it Teal. See Pictures. Talked to Olympic tech service twice and both times they pushed me off to Home Depot. I don't know how H.D. was at fault since the product came from Olympic and I made this perfectly clear to Olympic tech service. To rectify this I will have to use a solid stain to cover up the Teal. I don't think it will be Olympic. I just hope I can return the unopened 5 gals. The silver lining - I'm lucky it's only the fence. I can't imagine hiring a painter, going away while it's stained, and then come back to a Teal house.

Great color and sealer. I applied on my fence and it came out beautiful.

This is a great product. It’s rich, and the finish has a protective layer. Seems durable. The reason it only got 4 stars is because it is a lot darker than any picture I saw of it online. Also, you have to be careful not to overlap because it shows. Had i known it was going to be this dark, we may have gotten something lighter but since it wasn’t that crucial to have exact color, we went ahead and kept going. I attached pictures. Overall we love the way it turned out. I want to point out that it’s important that you prepare your surface by pressure washing, letting it dry, and removing any dust particles. All of those play a key role in the result that you get.

Excellent sealer & stain for Cedar. 6 years on siding.

I really like the product untill I got to the end of the can. There was a black substance at the bottom of the can which made my fence turn black when I was using a clear coating. It was only in one of 11 gallons.

It took a long preparation to rebuild clean, sand and apply sealant to my deck. It has a beautiful look of natural wood. My wife and Ilikes be it.

This product has been used for the 3rd time over 15 yrs on our cypress home and with Pre stain cleaning with bleach/pressure washer I could have probably waited several more years before this application. It goes on very well with airless sprayer in large areas and brush in close quarters. It cleans up great with water. The wood grain still shows up just like it was the first application! Sunny areas of your house will lose color more quickly than shaded areas, so apply at least 2-3 coats to them; I applied 4 coats with my airless sprayer to most exposed areas. This Semi transparent stain will show the wood grain well, but solid stain will last twice as long if not more!

This is a great product for sealing outdoor decks I have two decks, a dock and several walkways. The sealer is easy to apply with a brush or short nap roller. The finished product looks amazing.

***Excellent coverage on new treated plywood...I let the treated plywood dry out good first...least couple weeks...then per directions applied....1 month later looking good...after rain it has water beads everywhere....nice

This product is excellent! Great color and coverage.

I read the reviews claiming this turned their wood yellow. Well, for me, it turned my boring redwood fence into a red and honey colored masterpiece. I applied two coats with a Wagner sprayer (about six inches away) and I’m thrilled with the result. It has a light sheen and completely repels water. The spray from the sprinklers just rolls off the fence. Be aware that this is not clear. It does have a honey tone to it, but it looks great.

I was very pleased with the results and Color. People thought we had put on a new deck. Definitely would recommend this product

As so many people have already written, this product is not/not "clear" and has not been for years. I wish I had read the reviews before I purchased this. We (as others have) assumed we would apply this golden honey colored sealant and it would dry clear. NOPE! In the end it's not horrible, but it's definitely not what we were going for. Why why why after so many years and so many complaints would they continue to label something as "clear" when CLEARLY it is not??? Have to give one star for that, regardless of the quality/value.

I bought this to stain my son's Rainbow swing set (Castle pkg II) that was purchased 3 years ago. Color match is almost identical to factory color. Took over 10 hours staining by brush/sponge but couldn't be happier. Took a gallon to finish the job without staining the underside of steps, flooring and rockwall.

Purchaced clear sealer. NOT CLEAR! Used on cedar decking after properly preping. Wood took on a golden orange tint. Should have checked other reviews before purchacing. My first and last experience with olympic.

Ive never stained before. I used this on my 700 SQF cedar deck. The wood was keft untreated for two years. I cleaned the deck with thirty second cleaner. I then let it dry for two days. I rented an orbital sander from Home Depot. I sanded the entire deck with 80 grit. Same day I applied the stain. I used an airless paint sprayer. I sprayed a small section at a time. I then worked the stain into the wood with a staining pad. It rained about 12 hours after I applied the stain. The water is beading on top of the wood.

Had to buy a second 5 gallon can. Color not even close to matching.