I have a cedar stained deck that I've been maintaining for 20 years. Without fail, every stain I've tried has had to be sanded off the next year, cleaned, then carefully brushed on yet again. Every year, I'd try a different brand, and they were all horrible. At wits end, I tried Ready Seal. That was 2 years ago. I'm reapplying it for the first time (instead of once per year) and I didn't have to sand ANYTHING. I simply cleaned the deck, and now I'll wait till it's dry to stain again. It absorbs quickly, there is ZERO back brushing, no lines, no fuss, and no muss. It just eventually fades and then you reapply. It's amazing.