Cabot Stain review: Peeling problem 72

Please do not waste your money on Cabots products. They will not stand up for their
products failures. I purchased over 200 gals and repainted every 4months.( Peeling and
color fading). I am looking for another oil base solid stain to repaint this new home again.
Calling the company or talking to their rep is also a waste

I had problems in 2008 with a Cabots product I had used for years. The stain faded after one year in the sun. Anything exposed looks real bad due to the UV's destroying what little protecton was there.
The Semi-Transparent Stain's formulation changed due to the reduction in VOC content as manadated by the G-men.
Performance blows and Cabot's knows it.
There goes a $3500 stain job down the drain. They want to give me 16 gallons of solid stain as restitution. How bout a complete restaining of the house?

We've had the same problem. Peeling.

Stained front porch early summer 2009 using Cabot Clear Solution 3004 heartwood. It looked beautiful when finished . Within a few months the areas that were exposed to the weather started to fade. A year later it is faded so badly that those areas are several shades lighter than the rest of the porch. It looks terrible. Areas that doesn't have traffic or exposed to the weather still look very good. So much for all the hard work. I thought I was buying a good product.

We have had the same problems with cabot stains. Now I'm looking for a stain that will hold that just finished look. Cabot was highly recommended! Even the deck that is under roof looks bad!

We used Cabot deck stain ...solid oil base...when we redid our deck. A couple of days later, it rained and the water sat...now the entire deck is peeling !
What can we do?

Listen to me you CABOTS! I have been painting for 30+ years. I do nothing but high end work, all over the U.S. Your newer oil stains are complete Garbage! I am good friends with many, many Painters and Decorators and we all feel the same about your product. GARBAGE! I USED YOUR STAIN FOR MANY YEARS BECAUSE MINWAX"S STAIN SUCKS BECAUSE OF THE SEALER IN IT. Its not our problem that your Chemist has his or her head up thier A_ _ES! But the Cabots have made it our LOSSES! I have alot of Pride in everything I do and your CO. has cost me alot of $$$! U need to get that stain off of all Store shelves. Myself and hundreds of other Painters ect. will be Boycotting your garbage at Lowes Stores all across the Southern U S, and most of the north east! HOW YOU LIKE ME NOW? DANIMAL ECKLUND Paradice Valley AZ.

My husband is a professional contractor and he has had 2 deck jobs using the Cabot oil stain start to peel after 6mos of application --2010. He complained and a lab rep contacting him wanting him to get samples and pics of the issues.
Did anyone out there get recourse from Cabot on their labor or product when dealing with the company? It is really sad and causes my husband frustrations with his industry's non-quality products-- Any advice before we send our stuff through the mail to Cabot?

So it seems I'm not alone. I bought prestained clapboards when I built my house a couple years ago. Within 4 months the Cabot solid stain was cracking and peeling off. I contacted my lumber company and they showed up with a Cabot rep. and a rep. from the lumber company that did the dipping. They basically told me it was my fault because I "broke the seal of the stain" with some of my nails and when I cut the ends of the boards to fit. But they agreed to not charge me for the materials to restain my house as long I followed their instructions. So I did. I sanded all the cracked and peeling spots down to bare wood (which was basically the entire west and south sides), I hit all the spots with Bin stain sealer primer, then primed everything with Cabot Problem Solver primer, and lastly I hired painting contractors to restain everything (1 coat) to the tune of $2k. Last summer I called the painters to come put the second coat on and they couldn't because my stain was chalking! It had failed again in about six months! I was told the only way to fix this is to wash and scrub my entire house with TSP to ensure I remove all the chalk dust and then restain. My house is three stories! So what am I to do now, hire someone to wash and scrub it at another $1-2k and then have the painters come back for another $2k? This is absolute b#ll[censored] and Cabot should go under!

First used Cabot's semi transparent stain on clear heart red cedar siding when our Kelly Moore no longer made the color originally used on our 10 year old house. Good results. Used every 5-6 years then 5 years ago, our painter noticed bubbles forming within a day or two of painting. He sanded, re painted. Bubbles have continued to form here & there over past 5 years. Now, very bad fading where wood is exposed and same color of oil based semi solid no longer available...tried similar color on one wall and bubbles are popping up again after two days. Our painter did a thorough wood cleaning and allowed to dry for 2 weeks! Cabots asking for bubbling paint samples retrieved on scotch tape along with photos and a completed questionnaire. From the comments made by other users in this forum, it would seem that Cabots should know by now that their product isn't holding up for even 2 days! Will be looking for another oil based semi solid stain before putting any more $$$ or time into this failing product. We have been flexible on color changes but not product failure. Any success stories out there?

my professional painter in the business for 20 years used cabot semi solid deck and siding over my old bruning paint when color was discontinued. it was applied on a very dry house after being power washed.
i used the product last fall and it looked great. he got a new batch and painted one coat temps were about 65 to 70 and weather was dry at least 4 days before he started and after two weeks it is rising up and checking in large areas all over the house. paint just peels off on the areas . its as if crackle paint was applied.it has rained alot since 4 days after the paint was applied and temps have now been as high as 75 .it makes me sick to see the entire house so messed up. ive had it painted for the last 20 years. never had a problem like this always used oil stain. previous color was bruning semi transparent.any ideas on why, or suggestions what the next step would be. this was supposed to be high quality paint. .

Has anyone experienced awful discoloration with the Cabot semi-transparent stain? Where my painter tried to tidy up a drip or a missed stop--it becomes shiny.

June 9, 2011. Just had Cabot solid color (gray) oil base stain applied on new cedar wood by a professional last week. It blistered in spots by the next day and is not drying. It has been a week and you can take a sharp edge and peel the paint off in spots. The building supply where the paint was purchased says " something is wrong but Cabot says "your wood was/is wet. The building supply came over with a high end moisture meter and checked in many locations only to find NO excessive moisture, all readings were below the prescribed parameters. When this information was given to Cabot, they said the wood was too polished or shiny from the manufacturing process by the siding maker. Their suggestion --- sand the wood. ( you realize it has been already painted). Now, on inspecting left over pieces of siding anyone can see that the wood does not have a non-porous shiny surface as Cabot suggests.
I am not a happy camper and do not know where to go from here. any suggestions would be appreciated.

My partner and I have been in the painting business for over 30 years. When we called, Cabots admitted that they changed the formula and removed some of the solvents. They also stated that they know they have been having a problem with the paint with both peeling and that it doesn't look right and has flat and glossy flashing areas and that a week after it is applied, it is still tacky. Here is my question: thousands of homes across the country are being ruined. Does anyone want to start a class action law suit?

I'm very upset! New house, large new deck, $$$$ to buy Cabot stain, 2 weeks spent preparing for stain, another 2 weeks to stain on ladders!, less than 6 mo. and it's all peeling off. Told to power wash and reprepare and restain. Just power washed it taking more than hours only to see almost all of it gone. Class action law suit an idea! I like it! My only suggestion is to replace wood with a polyresin material like Rhino decking. I had it at the last house and never had a problem but with fading and some spots. NEVER NEVER NEVER a hassle in 11 years like what we've been dealing with this summer. How do you want to proceed with law suit?

Unfortunately the only people that make money in a class action law suit is the lawyers. My paint job, of one month ago, is still a mess (blistering, shiny and dull areas) and I still don't know what to do. See my post on June 9. I'm at my wits end and deep down feel that Cabot is not going to help. I probably will have to sand off the siding and apply another product. I'm am not getting any help from anyone at this point.
http://www.complaintsboard.com/thumb.php?src=compl_75_69_5_148-Q2Fib3QuanBn&wmax=65&hmax=65&quality=100

Had the same type of problems with my new cedar deck. I was supposed to apply only one coat ( small print on the can ). The stain not aonl comes off it take a thin layer of wood with it. Now I will have to sand the entire thing to get it smooth again. Never had the problem with their older products ( recommended by Consumer Reports ) but never again will I use Cabot.

Last Oct I used Cabot on our new deck I built in July. Our deck is 28x30 so I wanted a product that would last. Followed directions along with watching a Lowes video of how to stain a deck. In the video they actually used Cabot. I made certain the deck was clean as instructed and dry. Applied by spraying then back rolled. Looked great but was faded and no longer beaded water after 3-4 months. In the Spring I spent time by phone and email with Cabot. Did the forms, sent pics and more pics. I was told since I back rolled and did not back brush played a role of why the stain faded away and I needed to wait until the product has all faded away. Get this. The Lowes video showed the guy back rolling not back brushing! From all the multiple excuses of why the product failed such as application, wood cupping, deck boards placed upside down, etc. seems to me they know they have inferior product and it wouldn't last. Told me to call back in Oct and after I send more pics they may replace the product. I have decided to forget Cabot and all the hoop jumping for $300 of product and go to another brand. Word of mouth advertising is the best so here goes. Think twice before using Cabot or Valspar company products.

forget it and go with another brand. It is not worth the time to be given replacement product only to happen again. No longer will I ever use a Cabot or Valspar company product again.

Just had my deck stained with Cabot semi-transparent Mission Brown, and it dried unevenly. I am having problems like some others here--it is matte (which I wanted) in about 1/4 of the deck, but the rest is glossy/shiny and looks still wet. It is also feeling tacky even a few days after application. My contractor has done many decks, and has never had this happen before. He feels terrible! He prepped thoroughly and even use some TSP and brightener. The deck was dry when he put it on. After reading other posts here, I am now worried that it will not only look horrible, but start to peel too! With a high Consumer Reports rating, I had false confidence in the product! Any advice on what brand to use to fix this mess? Does anyone like Behr? I went really dark, so do I have to go even darker to cover this?

I was considering using either a solid or semi-solid Cabot pigmented stain on my new mahogany door. after reading these posts I will choose another product. If Cabot does not stand behind their products, they will have no excuse for going out of business. If Cabot is relying on the unsuspecting consumer, the company is already doomed. Good and reliable products and customer service keeps companies in business, not excuses, or lip-service. From these comments, it appears Cabot products are a bad investment.

Solution found. See my previous posts June 9 and July 8.
Fortunately, my builder stood by his work and sanded all of the Cabot stain off of my addition. He than applied the best solid stain available at Home Depot (BEHR) and the addition to my house now looks great. That's the end of my saga.

I have used Cabot wood stain for years on wood furniture that I make here in my shop. This is high end furniture that sells for good money red oak One inch thick . My problem I used ebony oil base stain with unacceptable results. I followed the directions using a brush (PORE RESULTS] Used a rag [again pore results] Stripped finish off started over again [SAME RESULTS NO PENETRATION BLOTCHES SAME AS BEFORE.VERY POOR RESULTS[ I then stripped the entire table down once again this time I used Sherman Williams stain Ebony and the table looks like a million dollars.This cost me a lot of time and money but must FRUSTRATION I will never use any of the Cabot products again.

I used Cabot Natural Deck & Siding stain on a couple of decks--one redwood and the other pao lope--numerous times over the past 10 years. It worked fine up until about three years ago. The past couple of times I used it, the coating stayed tacky for a very long time. The coating I applied about a year ago turned both decks completely black after less than a year. They looked really bad. I had the hardwood deck completely stripped, cleaned, and lightly sanded to get rid of the Cabot and had it re-coated with a product from Messer. It looks great now. The other deck is still a disaster. Don't know what I'll do about it. I'll never use Cabot again.

majority of exterior stain failures are caused by lack of proper preperation, also when using a semi transparent stain of anykind the lighter the color the quicker it will fade especially where it is exposed to the sun.

Stained deck 3 weeks ago with Cabot blue. Deck is still sticky: shoes stick and make a noise when they lift up; footprints are imbedded in the paint. $170/ 5 gals wasted. Never ever again will I use a Cabot product. The best case will be if it does peel off (per other complaints) and I can redo. Normally I thin deck stains but the product label said not to. Big mistake: A thin stain would have gone into the grain.

I too have had a very bad experience with Cabot deck stain. I wish I had checked this complaint site prior to my very expensive deck stain purchase. I trusted the Cabot name and it was recommended to me by the Lowe's employee where I made the purchase. My deck has faded in less than a year and I have green areas on my deck. Not sure what to do at this point. I cant' afford to have my deck redone again this summer. I am going to attempt to call Cabot for a resolution to my problem. I will keep everyone posted.

We have a group all suffering from Cabot stain failure especially in areas exposed to sunlight. In the event you have a similiar problem please contact us. We have a class action attorney in place to start on this.

detcan@hotmail.com

I have been using Cabot Stain "Pacific Redwood" for over 10 years on a Mahogany Deck. I must tell you the last two times I used it I was very disappointed. It has been over two weeks and it is still tacky in some areas and sits on the boards, does not go into the wood. Looks shiny in some areas and dull in others, looks horrible. I am told the EPA has taken whatever use to work out of the stain. I have a 11X14 deck and I worked very hard to stain my deck and the end result is horrible. I will never purchase any Cabot product again! Now what do I do with this tacky looking crap?

I used to subcontract for a premier painting contractor on the North-shore, in Chicago land.We would paint high end homes.We would use Benjamin Moore products extensively in the interior of these homes but when it came to outdoor staining, we chose Cabot as a name synonymous with consistent predictability and quality. Time after time the jobs would come out looking great ! Recently however I had a very bad experience with Cabot Stain and I can see now that I am not alone with the onslaught of complaints with this poor product ! 5 years ago we stained our deck with Cabot Semi-Transparent Chestnut Brown, Preservative Wood Finish.It came out great and had a nice flat finish that was semi-transparent and allowed the wood grain to be seen.This year the finish was looking like it was time for a redo and I was surprised to see that our local Loews's carried Cabot stain, in the same type as we originally stained our deck with, I though great, a real no brainer, use the same product, consistent results, right ! Wrong ! Upon prepping the deck and applying the stain, I have NEVER been so disappointed by a product ! Complete GARBAGE ! The stain was blotchy, shiny, and overall looked really bad. It made my work look really amateurish and poor ! You really got to wonder what the heck happended to Cabot! I agree a class action law suit should be filed and they should be held accountable for the crappy product they have been pumping out since they reformulated their product in 2008 ! Spread the word to everyone not to use Cabot stains as they obviously do not care about their customers !

I have been buying Cabot heartwood translucent stain for two years and found the product to be very good.

Suddenly they discontinued 9204(heartwood) and substituted 19204 which is now water soluble.

Problem- the product is crap- color doesn't match with old and I don't see how you can have a pentrating oil stain that is water soluble.

Don't but Cabot. Deceptive products, defective products.

Ripped off on a poor quality Cabot Product.
I bought about 10 gallons of Cabot semi-transparent stain ($34.00/gal.) to stain my deck in 2010 and after I completed the job it looked good. However, shortly after completion, the deck started to peel. One year after completing the job, it looked like 5 or more years had passed. Two years after completing the job, the deck is almost completely peeled and bare wood is exposed on the tops of all surfaces. Although an attorney, I like to do household projects myself whenever I can. I considered writing a demand letter to Cabot and demanding to be compensated for the obviously sub-standard product. I think however, it will be nothing but wasted time and energy. I will not use another Cabot product no matter what the cost. So, if they offer to send free stain, I will only give it away or discard it. The strongest message that can be sent to Cabot is simply not to buy their products and to continue to put the word out in forums like this and anytime the topic arises, discourage others from wasting their money.

Ugh...used Cabot stain on my deck/stairs/railings and everything looks like garbage after just six months. I purchased the product at Lowes and spoke with one of their "experts." I purchased Cabot primer for my railings, solid white latex stain for my railings, and thatch semi-solid oil based stain for my decking. The oil based decking was still tacky after six weeks. Yes, six weeks. I sanded, cleaned, primed, and stained my railings. They ALL peeled, with exception to the vertical surfaces, after six months. After one complete year, even the decking is peeling. Now everything is ruined, I have no idea how to fix it, and all of that time I spent staining INSTEAD of playing with my kids is gone. PLUS I am out the money I spent on cleaner, primer, and stains. The best part? I ran out of thatch and went to my local hardware store to have another gallon mixed. The colors were completely different. The original thatch was green, the new thatch was closer to the sample at a nice tan. Honestly, I would LOVE to sue.

I live in Southern New Hampshire and after having my new PT deck built, I waited from Fall until the following Spring, as I was told it was best procedure with fresh PT. The Cabot product started peeling weeks or months after completion of the staining. I have power washed the deck, but cannot get rid of the patch-work stain. All I want to know is what NON-CABOT product I could used to protect the deck, by applying over the bare wood as well as the remaining Cabot stain? Never again a Cabot user.
Ron H. rjhayes1@comcast.net

I live in Florida and put Cabot opaque on my 88' dock. Wood was pressure treated, new lumber and dried out for 10 days in the FL sun. Cabot recommended this as the best for UV protection. After only a few months I saw the wood dry out and split. Cabot will refund what I paid for the stain, claiming it was the wood that caused the problem because it wasn't covered on all 4 sides. Amazing that they could say that with a straight face. The small edges of the planks that have no stain look fine.

had serious failure of cabot stain, professionally applied, on house, fading, streaking and now mold/mildew problems on clapboard, including areas which regularly receive sunlight. This occurred within months of application. I submitted a claim to Cabot 1 1/2 years ago, with photo documentation, no response, even to persistent follow-up phone calls. Local paint store says they have problems even contacting the local Cabot sales rep. I may proceed to a Small Claims Court action as this job and follow-up repair represents a significant expense. The suggestion that they would provide replacement product, which would only fail again, and that I would have to pay for labor, is not acceptable. The fact they continue to sell product which experience has proven will fail leads me to believe there is an element of consumer fraud involved. which should be actionable. What has happened to American quality standards and business ethics?

CABOT STAINS SUCK I have spent $1500 on a deck 6 months ago and it is peeling off and I AM PISSED. The makers of this product should be totally embarrassed and ashamed to be selling such a product.

Same problem as others. Installed new deck of cedar. Let it age 4 months. Used Cabot's semi-solid deck oil stain. It began to peel and wear at very high rate where sun and rain could get to it.
Finally had to pressure wash it off, which removed it very nicely, (however, a real stain wouldn't have come off with a pressure washer) Also, it came off in little plastic-like shreds. Never seen a "stain" do that. This stuff is more like a plastic coating that doesn't bond to wood.
So ... Cabot's has lost a customer of 25 years. From here on I'm making my own stain of thinner, boiled linseed and dry pigments. You can find such pigments at Artist/Craftsman stores, and you can bulk order from places like Daniel Smith Art Supply at a very reasonable price. And you know this mixture will work.

We used Cabot stain on our huge new deck expansion. 1 year later, it looks 20+ years old. I have contacted Cabot through their website without any response. DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY. Stay away from Cabot!

Pretty much same results as others. Let my cedar deck age one year. Used Cabot last summer and now the deck is peeling like crazy. Good thing is I think I'll be able to strip it using just a garden hose and shop vac. Bad thing is all the time I wasted on it.

This Stuff is junk. I purchased 5 gallons of it at Lowes because they had a big sale going on with company reps there. I have stain my deck many times before with no problems. This stuff is peeling up in sheets with the first rain. Shame on Lowes also. Do they do any research before the sell this junk! I will never buy anything at Lowes again. What a mess. My deck is all but ruined.