Ready Seal

Ready Seal stain and sealer is for decks, fences, gazebos, and outdoor furniture, whether you’re doing your own place or staining for a customer. It gives you semi-transparent color and combines staining and sealing in one product. That saves you a separate sealing step.

Ready Seal is a Texas-based manufacturer known for exterior wood stain and sealer. The company started in 1992. It’s part of RPM International’s Rust-Oleum business.

Start with the wood’s condition

For a deck or fence refresh, getting color and sealing from the same product makes Ready Seal a practical choice. The old finish needs attention first: Ready Seal is incompatible with many other stains and sealers. Identify the existing coating before choosing the preparation.

For preparation, READYremove dissolves old oil-based or water-based paint and stain; READYclean cleans and lightens gray, dirty wood and helps remove mold, mildew, and algae stains; READYbright helps remove mill glaze and white, ashy cleaning residue and open wood pores to receive stain.

The mistake to avoid is treating every surface alike. Preparation depends on the wood’s age, species, and condition. Clean the wood and let it dry before applying Ready Seal.

Choose the color on your wood

Natural Cedar and Pecan are worth comparing on the actual boards. Ready Seal’s semi-transparent color lets the grain show, and the wood’s own color contributes to the finished shade. A prepared test patch is the useful comparison. Include lighter and darker boards, and judge the dry samples in daylight.

If an older project reference calls for Light Oak, the current color name is Natural.

For a custom shade, you can mix Ready Seal colors with each other. Keep water-based stains and sealers out of the blend, and leave added tint out of the premixed colors. Test your blend on the project wood before mixing the full batch.

Ready Seal specifications

The intended finish is natural and flat, with semi-transparent color that keeps the wood grain visible.

Feature	Detail
Product type	Exterior wood stain and sealer combined
Formula	Oil-based
Transparency	Semi-transparent
Intended finish	Natural and flat
Intended projects	Decks, fences, gazebos, and outdoor furniture
Colors	Burnt Hickory, Mahogany, Dark Walnut, Redwood, Mission Brown, Pecan, Natural Cedar, and Natural

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Ready Seal a good stain?

Ready Seal is a good fit if you want the grain to show and want staining and sealing handled by the same product. Its oil-based formula gives you semi-transparent color with an intended natural, flat finish. Check the existing coating before you start, because it’s incompatible with many other stains and sealers.

How do you use Ready Seal stain?

Apply Ready Seal to clean, dry wood, with preparation matched to the wood’s age, species, and condition. Old paint or stain needs removal before application, while gray, dirty wood needs cleaning. A wood brightener is the final preparation step before staining. Leave room in your project schedule for drying, because the drying period can be extended.

What colors does Ready Seal come in?

Ready Seal comes in Burnt Hickory, Mahogany, Dark Walnut, Redwood, Mission Brown, Pecan, Natural Cedar, and Natural, which was formerly called Light Oak. You can mix these colors together for a custom shade, but don’t add tint to the premixed colors or blend them with water-based stains or sealers. Test your chosen color or blend on prepared project wood before doing the whole job.

Is Ready Seal a clear sealer?

Ready Seal is a pigmented, semi-transparent stain and sealer, so it adds color while keeping the grain visible. Natural is a stain color, too. Test it on your prepared wood instead of assuming the name means it’ll dry clear.