Brian, for what it's worth, I'm sure the reviews on Lowe's are from HO's. In all honesty, with no disrespect, I don't put much stock in a ho's opinion about paint products. Here's the reason, about 50% of the pro painters I know don't know their backside from a hole in the ground, and they can barely pull of a quality job, and usually it's by stroke of luck. Coating applications require sound, well prepared surfaces. It also requires a basic understanding of weather, environment, moisture, construction, paints/chemicals, substrates, etc. There are so many variables that can cause paint failure, and they can usually be traced back to human error, whether it's a plain lack of knowledge or willful disregard. That's where the knowledge comes in. I've worked for numerous painters over the years and watched, more times than are countable, applications being done that were doomed before the paint was put away. A general contractor friend/colleague told me that Sikkens stain sucks, I asked him why. It failed on his deck. Turns out his deck sits on the ground and he used a product not spec'd for decks with less than 18" clearance from the ground, which it clearly states. A painter friend, a painter, told me the same of Sikkens. Turns out he put a product on a hardwood deck, but he didn't use the lacquer thinner or acetone during the application, as the instructions require. An HO customer of mine does his deck with CWF every two years, by which time the deck is completely stripped by the sun. Why, he rolls it on and doesn't get the sides of the boards, which is a wide open door for moisture. Plus, when you roll with no back brush, the finish doesn't penetrate properly and basically lays on the surface. He thinks that CWF is a bad product. Coating companies don't just throw stuff in a can and hope it works. The products are put through extensive testing. I'm far from a believer in everything the paint companies claim, believe me. But, I'm more inclined to believe that a product failed because of poor prep, faulty application technique, poor choice of product for the job's requirement, or lack of subsequent maintenance routines. You can have Cabot's or SW stains made in practically any color you like. I've done jobs with Cabot's done in BM colors. And, just the other day I was told SW could be made in practically any color in the fan deck. Lowe's or HD may only make it in the company offered colors, but the paint stores will make thier own colors.
