Exterior Wood Care Products
For Fences, Decks and Siding
Finishing Guide
Flood® knows the importance of having the right instructions on how to stain a deck, fence, siding or other exterior wood surface. After properly preparing the wood with a Flood® prep product, apply a Flood finish to protect and preserve your exterior wood surface while also beautifying it. Flood finishes have superior penetration and adhesion, and guard against damage caused by sun and moisture.
WARNING! If you scrape, sand or remove old paint, you may release lead dust. LEAD IS TOXIC. EXPOSURE TO LEAD DUST CAN CAUSE SERIOUS ILLNESS, SUCH AS BRAIN DAMAGE, ESPECIALLY IN CHILDREN. PREGNANT WOMEN SHOULD ALSO AVOID EXPOSURE. Wear an NIOSH-approved respirator to control lead exposure. Clean up carefully with a HEPA vacuum and a wet mop. Before you start, find out how to protect yourself and your family by contacting the National Lead Information Hotline at 1-800-424-LEAD or log on to www.epa.gov/lead.
New wood surfaces have a hard, shiny surface called mill glaze that prevents maximum penetration and bonding of a finish. To properly prepare the surface for application of a deck, fence or siding stain, treat with a solution of Flood WOOD STRIPPER, diluted one quart per gallon of water. To determine whether surface can be finished, test wood for absorbency by sprinkling water on the surface. If water is absorbed rapidly, the surface is ready for finishing.
Proper Wood Finishing:
Step-by-step instructions on how to stain a deck, fence or siding
- Start with a properly prepared surface: clean, free of dirt, grime and contaminants (including previous coatings unless finishing with Flood SWF-SOLID).
- Stir finishes before and periodically during application. Do not thin.
- For color uniformity, intermix all containers to be used.
- Final color can vary with application, porosity and type of wood. Perform a color test on a small sample of wood you plan to coat.
- Do not apply in hot sunlight or if cold, wet weather is expected within 48 hours.
- Apply between 50? - 80? F.
- Apply with a synthetic brush, roller or airless sprayer (.015 - .017 fluid tip, 1200 - 1600 psi).
- Apply an even coat, avoiding heavy application.
- Always work the entire length of a board or siding to a logical break to avoid lap marks.
- When applying a siding stain, work from top to bottom.
- After sprayer or roller application, backbrush to improve penetration and uniformity of coverage.
See individual product labels for information regarding application of additional coats and dry time.
