Customer Reviews for RAIN GUARD 1 Gal. Advanced Waterproofer Clear Natural Finish Multi-Surface Sealer

I tried to switch to Olympic sealer this year, a small area proved successful but after sealing the rest of the deck I had tacky areas and extremely slippery areas. I power washed the entire deck to try to remove the Olympic and applied the Rain Guard, it soaked in and does not appear to repel water. It had been 2 years since 1st applied and the Rain Guard had begun flaking and peeling. This was a new deck with Rain Guard applied after it sat a month, sanded, washed, air dried and saturated with Rain Guard.

Put Thompsons to shame. Applied last year to spruce picket fence, and the fence looks as good as the day we put it on. Spray on applied. Im anxious to see how the 10 year for reapplication goes but Overall an excellent product. Wish home depot stocked it locally and I didnt have to mail order.

I was under the impression that this product came with a battery operated spray applicator, unfortunately, it did not. In any event, I applied the Rain Guard with a paint sprayer. and the application was easy to do. I applied this product in my pole barn to keep it protected from any rain or debris until it was dry, and I applied two coats as the instructions said to do. I applied this product to true 2" X 10" solid oak decking on my trailer, and kept my trailer in my heated pole barn for two full days before taking it out. After taking it out to park it, it rained the next day. After the rain quit, I went out the next day to examine it. The wood looked wet, and the water was not beading up anywhere as I expected it to be. Several hours later, the wood still looked wet, and it was, which made me wander if this product was even working at all. I don't know if the water is supposed to bead when the deck gets wet, but I would tend to expect that to be the case since this is a "wood waterproofing" product. At this juncture I can't really say this product is working for sure or not, but from what I'm seeing, I tend to doubt it. The product advertises that it is good for 10 years, but from my experience, it looks like it isn't good for even ten minutes! I applied this product to all brand new 2" wood decking, so it's hard to say at this time if this product truly does what it says it does? All I can really do now is hope that it does. As much as I would like to, unfortunately, there is no way right now that I can recommend this product to anyone. As of now, there is no real difference in what the wood looks like in the before and after. On a brighter note, I can see that there is a glaze on the heads of the carriage bolts that holds the wood down. But here again, I could not see any water beading up on those either. Hopefully I can come back with a better review of this product in the future. The price of this product is definitely very good, but if it isn't doing the job it is intended and advertised to do, then, then it's a total waste of time and money. Hopefully such will not end up being the case.

I have used this product for several years. It is the best, no smell, no staining, quick drying. I used it on wood, cardboard, canvas, nylon & leather. I have also used just about every other wood protect-ant over the last 35 years and none are as good as the Rain Guard.

Although this product is supposed to be easy to apply with a sprayer, be aware that if you have any pooling or dripping of the product TRY to remove immediately since it will lead to spotting which cannot be rectified. Once the product penetrates the surface (even a few hours later), it CANNOT be removed no mater what you use. You are then left with a surface that has multiple spots from the overspray/pooling and the areas with the residual product then act to attract dirt and overall the surface becomes more difficult to clean. I used to be able to hose down my decks, now have to vigorously scrub to remove the dirt which is adherent to the residual spots and even when the area is "clean" they look horrible from all the spotting. DO NOT apply to any surface that has been painted or has another sealer since it will lead to pooling and unequal absorption of the product so it leaves spots from the residue. Yes it repels water, but it does so unevenly and it also reduces water evaporation again leading to more spotting and dirt collection. Although basically the product dries transparent to translucent if you apply to pigmented concrete it can bring out colors unevenly, again resulting in cosmetic issues that have not faded with time (applied a year ago). The areas that I treated that did not spot or change color don't significantly look different when area dry, but when wet you can see the streaking and over spray. Lastly make sure the area you are applying this to is as clean as new before applying (I even used concrete cleaner and power washed, but still had problems), since this may result in changes in color, uneven penetration and trap in dirt etc. Overall I wish I never applied this product.

I used this outdoors to apply to a piece of wood so I did not detect an odor. The product states that it has a low level of VOCs. Some photos I've seen of the product, including the info sent with it, show a trigger sprayer included. This has been discontinued so you will have to get yourself a spray bottle or paint brush to apply it. It's a watery milk consistency. I sprayed mine on and didn't have a problem with staining. I put on two coats and let them dry a few hours - the instructions say it will dry in less than an hour. I poured a bit of water onto the wood and it immediately beaded. I let it sit for a while to see if it would penetrate the wood and it did not. I moved the water around to see if I would get any penetration into the wood and it didn't. I wiped it up with a paper towel and did not feel any dampness left behind. I do not have a use for this on other surfaces so I only tried it with wood. I do a lot of wood working projects that are for outdoor use so I'm hoping this product will continue to perform as stated.

This product is every good as Thompson water sealer. The trick is reading the directions. I use a paint brush to apply the product. I did two coats. I built some solar panels out of wood backing. Use this product and the wood still looks like the day I install the panels outside. It has been a whole year of sun and rain and now it cold and rainy and the wood still looks new and has not warped. Got the product on sale too.

The product did not seal very well

Best wood protectant ever!

Rating provided by a verified purchaser

Excellent product. Easy to use.

Came in different packaging/label Does not waterproof After water seats on wood surface for 20 minutes it soaked in

went on well, dried quickly...

Rating provided by a verified purchaser

I used it on an indoor wall fountain where the specks of finish was decaying> I cleaned it out so it would not pug the water hose and used the Rainguard and my wall fountain is working with no bits of deb in the bowl.

I use the Rain Guard as a foundation sealer for our brick home. Easy to apply with a garden pump sprayer. Not sure about the 10 year warranty as I tend to reapply every fall season. No discoloring noted.

Rating provided by a verified purchaser

Worthless, and they have the nerve to raise the price!

Ok

Product worked great.

It goes on very easy with no color change. It is very thin liquid so brushing or spraying works best. We will watch for duration as professed.

Performed as expected.

Use it almost every year as it’s cheaper but has kept my decks from dry rot.

I bought 4 gallons of this stuff 2 years ago. Applied it to my decking and it wore off after 1 1/2 years. The water beaded well up until that point. I mentioned this to RainGuard customer service for their "10 year guarantee" and they gave me 2 gallons of their wood sealer product (completely different product and not enough coverage surface for the decking). What exactly is RainGuard guaranteeing? RainGuard, please remove the "10 year guarantee" from the product if it means nothing.

This is the first time I've used this product. It does appear to add waterproofing. I went to add a little bit more to an area I had already done several days earlier and it repelled any additional product, thus I am guessing it works. Time will tell but I have ordered more for a second project.

Worked well enough

I did require 2 coats, but after that the results were great.