Are Sealer and Stain the same thing?

Are sealers and stains the same thing? This is a commonly asked question in the industry of protecting the outdoor surfaces of one's home. Many times, people interchange those terms. 

It is true that sealers and stains do a lot of the same things; however, they are not totally the same. It is important to understand the difference when deciding what products to use. 

For sealers, a wood sealer’s main purpose is to protect the wood from moisture. In cities like Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, or Rockford, Illinois, where there are harsh winters and rough rains, this is extra important. 

The moisture from the weather in those areas can cause the fibers of the wood to crack, swell, rot, warp, or grow mold. UV rays from the sun can also cause damage to your wood, which a sealer can fix.

Wood stains protect the wood against moisture as well, however the wood stains also help lock in the color and protect the wood. The stain brings the pigments to life, and keeps it there for years.  Stain is just a sealer with color added.

Because UV rays are harmful to wood, the wood stain helps deter and sometimes can stop the process of the wood fading into gray or deteriorating over time. 

At the end of the day, they do a lot of the same things, but wood stain and wood sealers are not the same.