Flood Family Member Refinishes Home with
Trusted Stain Brand
by Pete Flood
Rhode Island’s coastal climate can be really tough on wood
year-round, especially since the salt and humidity in the air never seems to go away, regardless of the season. Luckily for me,
when we took on a project to refinish the exterior of my home
in Rhode Island this past August, my background in the woodcare business meant I knew a thing or two about the challenges
the climate might create, how to address them and which products would be best for the project. Having founded the FLOOD
woodcare brand over 175 years ago, my family had been in this
business for over a century. The Flood woodcare brand is now
powered by PPG, a global innovator in coatings, but my deep
knowledge of the brand’s heritage gave me a unique perspective on my own staining project and working with the current
PPG Flood brand team and products.
The last time the exterior of my home was refinished was in
2008, about eight years ago, when we remodeled. At the time,
we used Flood CWF in Cedar Tone, and despite some mold
growing on the roof and mildew on the shingles, which is expected, the finish held up really well over the years. Before refinishing the siding, roof and tiles, we made sure to first properly
clean the wood. On some of it we were able to use the Flood
Pro Series Wood Cleaner. My family developed the first Flood
wood cleaner in 1980, and today, the Pro Series Wood Cleaner
can clean a deck in half the time it takes to power-wash while
removing four times more dirt than water alone. This helped to
ensure we removed the mold and mildew before applying the
new finish.
Since my grandfather and brother were painting contractors,
our family knows how important a quality product is to a project.
To refinish my house, we used Flood Pro Series CWF-UV 5, again
in Cedar Tone, for its UV protection, water repellency against
rain and snow as well as penetrating protection below the wood
surface. With only himself and two members of his team, Lee
finished the entire project over the course of two weeks, and he
credits that to the Flood products being labor friendly.
Refinishing my home reaffirmed my belief that using products with a balance of great appearance and durability can save
you from more work in the future. I also wanted to share a few
other helpful hints for contractors or DIYers:
• Prepare before your project starts: Proper preparation not
only helps to clean the wood, but also helps the stain’s appearance. Be sure to use a wood cleaner, rather than just
a power washer, to ensure you are removing dirt, mold or
mildew below the surface.
• Choose the right product for your project: Identifying the
right products can make the difference for both appear-
ance and protection. Being in Rhode Island, and having a
background in the woodcare business, I understood the
impact that the climate in the
region can have on exterior
wooden surfaces. As profes-
sionals, this knowledge, as
well as the knowledge about
the exterior wooden surfac-
es, will help to make sure we
select the best product for
the job and for our aesthetic
expectations.
When our family owned the
Flood business, we were committed to two core product values, quality and innovation, and I’m
very pleased to see that these are still closely aligned with the
Flood brand’s products today, owned by PPG.
