FLOOD

What FLOOD does

FLOOD is a wood care brand that formulates and markets exterior stains, surface preparation products, and paint additives for DIY homeowners and professional painters/contractors. Its core technology rests on proprietary PENETROL® additive — a high-solid paint oil developed under Earl D. Flood's leadership — which is incorporated into CWF® (Clear Wood Finish, introduced 1970), CWF-UV® penetrating wood finish, PRO CWF-UV®5 professional sealant, FLOETROL® latex paint additive, and the Flood Pro Series semi-transparent acrylic oil stain. Products address exterior wood degradation from moisture, UV exposure, and weather, and are positioned for pressure-treated lumber, decks, fences, and siding.

The brand generates revenue through wholesale/retail hardware sales of its product line, with 100% of distribution flowing through The Home Depot, Lowe's, Menards, Walmart, and HD Supply across the USA and Canada. There is no direct-to-consumer ecommerce channel; pricing is retailer-controlled and not publicly disclosed. Marketing leverages PPG Paints digital properties (product pages, Pro Tips, color visualizer) and an annual Stain Color of the Year announcement (2026: Black Oak) to drive retail pull-through.

FLOOD is a brand owned by The Pittsburgh Paints Company, a subsidiary of PPG Industries (NYSE: PPG), the publicly traded global paints and coatings conglomerate. The brand sits within PPG's architectural coatings portfolio alongside Dulux (Canada), MULCO, Homax, Liquid Nails, and ProLuxe. Its legal entity is The Pittsburgh Paints Company (Pennsylvania, USA), and FLOOD brand-level financials are not separately disclosed — they are consolidated within PPG's reporting. Headcount is 51-100 employees, and the company is headquartered in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Name

FLOOD

Legal name

The Pittsburgh Paints Company

Website

https://flood.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1841

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

FLOOD is a wood care brand under PPG Industries that formulates exterior stains, penetrating wood finishes, and paint additives for DIY homeowners and professional contractors, sold exclusively through major North American home improvement retailers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Butler

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Wood Care Products Sales: Flood generates revenue through the sale of its complete line of exterior stains, surface preparation products, paint additives, and wood care solutions through retail distribution channels.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

FLOOD is a wood care brand that manufactures and sells exterior wood stains, penetrating wood finishes, surface preparation products, and paint additives (including the proprietary PENETROL additive and the FLOETROL latex paint additive). Its complete product line spans transparent, semi-transparent, and solid wood stains/finishes for decks, fences, siding, and pressure-treated lumber, sold under brands such as CWF-UV®, PRO CWF-UV®5, Flood Pro Series, and FLOETROL®.

Product overview

FLOOD is a wood care brand under PPG Paints that offers a complete line of exterior stains and surface preparation products, as well as additives for paint and stain. The product portfolio includes the PRO CWF-UV®5 (penetrating wood finish waterproofing sealant), Flood Pro Series semi-transparent acrylic oil stain, CWF-UV® penetrating wood finish, and FLOETROL® paint additive. The brand is positioned as 'The Wood Care Specialist' and emphasizes products that protect, preserve, and beautify wood projects. The product line spans transparent, semi-transparent, and solid wood stains and finishes, serving both professional contractors and homeowners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Flood Pro Series: Professional-grade semi-transparent acrylic oil stain for wood care on decks, fences, and siding.
• CWF-UV
• PRO CWF-UV5
• FLOETROL
• PENETROL

Products and services

• PRO CWF-UV®5 A professional-grade penetrating wood finish designed for decks, fences, and siding, providing waterproofing and clear sealing across multiple exterior wood surfaces for professional painters and contractors.
• Flood Pro Series Semi-Transparent Acrylic Oil Stain (250 VOC) A semi-transparent acrylic oil stain in the Flood Pro Series for wood care on decks, fences, and siding, designed to deliver professional results while allowing natural wood grain to show through.
• CWF-UV® Penetrating Wood Finish A penetrating wood finish for decks, fences, and siding that adds subtle color and highlights natural wood grain while protecting against moisture and sun damage; ideal for newer wood.
• FLOETROL® Latex-Based Paint Additive A latex-based paint additive that improves paint flow and leveling for smoother application across general paint projects, also used as a key ingredient for acrylic pouring art techniques.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Sherwin-Williams: Sherwin-Williams is a Fortune 500 paints and coatings leader with a strong wood care portfolio (including its Minwax and Cabot brands). Comparable as a large incumbent with deep DIY/pro distribution and brand recognition in the same wood stain category.
• Rust-Oleum (RPM International): Rust-Oleum is a specialty coatings brand owned by RPM International. Comparable as a broad incumbent in protective and decorative coatings with overlapping exterior wood and surface preparation product categories.
• Benjamin Moore: Benjamin Moore is a premium U.S. paint and coatings manufacturer owned by Berkshire Hathaway. Comparable as a broad-incumbent paint brand with an expanding wood care and exterior stain product line.
• PPG Industries: PPG Industries is FLOOD's parent company (NYSE: PPG) and a global paints and coatings giant. Comparable as the broader coatings conglomerate that owns FLOOD and other specialty brands (Dulux, ProLuxe, MULCO, Homax, Liquid Nails) competing in overlapping wood care and paint categories.

Emerging players

• Ready Seal: Ready Seal is a smaller specialty wood stain manufacturer known for its no-prep, easy-application penetrating stains. Comparable as an emerging/specialty player competing with FLOOD in the deck and fence stain segment with a differentiated ease-of-use proposition.

Direct peers

• Minwax (Sherwin-Williams): Minwax is a category-leading wood finish and stain brand owned by Sherwin-Williams, primarily serving DIY homeowners and professionals. Directly competes with FLOOD's CWF-UV and Pro Series across the same retail channels.
• Thompson's WaterSeal (PPG): Thompson's WaterSeal is a leading waterproofing and wood stain brand owned by PPG and frequently sold alongside FLOOD at Home Depot. Closely comparable as a PPG wood care brand and direct retail competitor in the same waterproofing/stain category.
• Behr Process Corporation (Masco): Behr is a leading premium paint and wood stain brand, primarily sold through The Home Depot. Directly competes with FLOOD in exterior wood care, sharing shelf space and the same pro/DIY customer base.
• Olympic Stains (PPG): Olympic Stains is a sister PPG-owned wood stain brand distributed through Lowe's. Directly comparable as a PPG portfolio brand competing in the same wood care category with overlapping retail channel exposure.
• Cabot (Sherwin-Williams): Cabot is a long-established wood care brand specializing in exterior stains and finishes, now part of the Sherwin-Williams portfolio. Directly competes with FLOOD in deck, fence, and siding stains with comparable heritage positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/floodwoodcare
• Facebookfacebook.com/flood

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about FLOOD