# Flood or SW Deck Stains?



## t1snwbrdr12 (Nov 27, 2013)

Flood seems to be extremely less costly and have good reviews. SW seems to be more recommended by pros but at the same time have more of "mixed" reviews.

Just trying to get a feel as to why. I've read a lot of the stain debates on here and deckstainhelp website. I just wonder is flood more well reviewed because expectations are lower for a more cheaply priced product? SW is having their sale this weekend but it's still a lot more money than Flood. 

Thanks for any advice. 

Maryland deck. West facing. In need of new deck surfaces within the next 5-6 years most likely.


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## Gymschu (Dec 12, 2010)

There's nothing I hate doing more as a professional painter than decks. Why? Because there's just isn't a product out there that's reasonable in cost that lasts at least a COUPLE years without having to re-coat. Having said all of that, I do like Flood products, especially their clear/tinted wood toners. I do seem to have some success with them and the nice thing about the product is that you don't need to strip off the old to put on some new. 

I've purchased from SW for many years and I like the Deckscapes if you are doing a solid color stain on a deck. Is it ideal? No, because your really don't want a solid stain on a deck with lots of foot traffic, but, it does a decent job. Now, as for their Semi-Transparent Deckscapes, well, I have had minimal success..........very disappointed in their Semi- Transparent stains. 

Hope that helps a little. Don't expect too much out of whatever product you choose. West facing decks take a beating. Rain, wind, sun, winter snow and ice, they all take aim at a deck out in the weather.


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## t1snwbrdr12 (Nov 27, 2013)

Do you follow your jobs that you use flood on with a clear? Or just leave it be? 

Lowes sells a 5 gallon bucket of flood for a reasonable price. At 40% off SW is still a decent amount more money than flood so maybe I'll give it a try. Unless there's multiple types of flood and I'm looking at some cheap version of it? 

http://m.lowes.com/pd/Flood-CWF-UV-...r-Stain-Actual-Net-Contents-640-fl-oz/3374328


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## Gymschu (Dec 12, 2010)

Nope, same version of Flood. I get mine at Lowe's as well. I don't put any clear coats on after applying the Flood. It is sufficient as far as I'm concerned. I like the rich tone it gives the wood........a very nice look. It is a little tricky to apply since it is a "wet on wet" application which means you apply to a relatively small area........2 or 3 boards at a time......then when it just starts to soak into the wood, you hit it again for maximum penetration.


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## Fix'n it (Mar 12, 2012)

is that stuff transparent ? all i want is to change the color tone of the wood and the weather protection.


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## Jmayspaint (May 4, 2013)

t1snwbrdr12 said:


> Do you follow your jobs that you use flood on with a clear? Or just leave it be?
> 
> Lowes sells a 5 gallon bucket of flood for a reasonable price. At 40% off SW is still a decent amount more money than flood so maybe I'll give it a try. Unless there's multiple types of flood and I'm looking at some cheap version of it?
> 
> http://m.lowes.com/pd/Flood-CWF-UV-...r-Stain-Actual-Net-Contents-640-fl-oz/3374328



The stuff linked in this post is transparent. Flood makes good solid stain too, but that's not it.


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## t1snwbrdr12 (Nov 27, 2013)

Jmayspaint said:


> The stuff linked in this post is transparent. Flood makes good solid stain too, but that's not it.



Thanks. Who else sells flood? Or I guess it probably depends on the locale. I only checked hd and lowes and they both have the semi transparent.


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## Jmayspaint (May 4, 2013)

Walmart has it sometimes, though a limited selection. My local Ben Moore and Sherwin Williams both carry the solid but not the transparent. They would order it I suppose. 

Flood has been in the stain game for a long time. Good product at a good price. They were one of the first to start making oil-modified stains, which is part of what makes them do so well IMO. The transparent goes on kinda funny, it almost lathers up like soap, then dries down. Apply wet-on-wet as Gymshu suggested for best results.


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## Will22 (Feb 1, 2011)

CWF UV is a transparent finish as noted, but it also comes in toned colors (redwood, cedar, for example) aside from the clear. TWF is Floods semi-transparent stain (tintable to colors), and SWF is the solid stain finish.


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## klaatu (Mar 9, 2015)

Gymschu said:


> There's nothing I hate doing more as a professional painter than decks. Why? Because there's just isn't a product out there that's reasonable in cost that lasts at least a COUPLE years without having to re-coat. Having said all of that, I do like Flood products, especially their clear/tinted wood toners. I do seem to have some success with them and the nice thing about the product is that you don't need to strip off the old to put on some new.
> 
> I've purchased from SW for many years and I like the Deckscapes if you are doing a solid color stain on a deck. Is it ideal? No, because your really don't want a solid stain on a deck with lots of foot traffic, but, it does a decent job. Now, as for their Semi-Transparent Deckscapes, well, I have had minimal success..........very disappointed in their Semi- Transparent stains.
> 
> Hope that helps a little. Don't expect too much out of whatever product you choose. West facing decks take a beating. Rain, wind, sun, winter snow and ice, they all take aim at a deck out in the weather.


I have always gotten good comments when I sell the flood products. I have actually had many more positive comments about their SWF solid stains than I ever did from Deckscapes. For the record, SW is about the most over priced paint you can buy.


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## klaatu (Mar 9, 2015)

Jmayspaint said:


> Walmart has it sometimes, though a limited selection. My local Ben Moore and Sherwin Williams both carry the solid but not the transparent. They would order it I suppose.
> 
> Flood has been in the stain game for a long time. Good product at a good price. They were one of the first to start making oil-modified stains, which is part of what makes them do so well IMO. The transparent goes on kinda
> funny, it almost lathers up like soap, then dries down. Apply wet-on-wet as Gymshu suggested for best results.


CWF-uv is one of the first acrylic/alkyd hybrids one the market. The
foaming is a result of the chemical additive (soap for lack of a better term)used to allow the alkyd resins to disperse in the acrylic carrier. An emulsion.


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## t1snwbrdr12 (Nov 27, 2013)

Is a solid finish better for an old deck? Does it still look good? I'm googling pictures but not coming up with exactly what product people used. I just don't want it to look like one of those deck restore products as an end result.


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## klaatu (Mar 9, 2015)

t1snwbrdr12 said:


> Is a solid finish better for an old deck? Does it still look good? I'm googling pictures but not coming up with exactly what product people used. I just don't want it to look like one of those deck restore products as an end result.


 A good quality solid stain will allow the texture of the grain show through, but not the color of the grain or the wood in general. If you have color differences in the wood that you cannot get rid of, or parts that are still coated with a semitransparent stain, solid will give you a uniform color. Semitrans stain needs to be put on wood that have a consistent color because you can see through the stain. Since you are in Maryland, I would check out the California Storm system stains. They are high quality and should be available in your area.


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