As summer quickly comes to a close and fall approaches, it's the perfect time to bring back the rich, lasting, natural look of a home's exterior wood. The autumn season presents the opportunity to restore and revitalize your wood-finished decks, screened-in porches, siding, fences, outdoor furniture and other wood exterior fixtures. The Flood Company offers a number of finishes to help you prepare for the winter while curbing the damage from the summer.

As temperatures drop to more comfortable levels across the country, the fall is the most favorable time for revisiting outdoor projects you've been postponing. All clear wood finishes (CWF), are best leveraged when applied during ambient temperatures between 50? and 80'F. Try CWF, CWF-UV or CWF-UV5.

CWF provides unparalleled protection against the moisture damage that winter can bring while providing a mildew-resistant finish that won't crack, peel or flake.

It's important to remember that the ultraviolet rays of winter can be just as damaging to unprotected wood as the summer sun, which is where CWF-UV can help. Combat this damage while restoring wood's natural appearance. Choose from clear, cedar, redwood or honey gold-colored finish.

Our CWF-UV5 product is fortified with Flood's exclusive Penetrol?, which deeply enriches the wood with superior penetration and provides maximum protection. Specially formulated to guard exterior wood from its two biggest enemies ? water and sun ? CWF-UV5 is guaranteed to protect against water damage, peeling, blistering and graying of the surface due to UV light exposure for five years on siding and three years on decks. Choose from the colors mentioned above as well as an array of designer colors including Slate Stone and Tortoise Shell.

If you want to dress up your deck consider using a combination penetrating oil and acrylic stain. Try a Solid Color Stain, a premium finish available in nine traditional colors, or the sheer colors of Semi-Transparent Stain, which allows the natural grain and texture of the wood to show through. Both finishes will provide long-lasting protection for your deck and allow you to get creative with color.

Whether you decide on a clear, solid color or semi-transparent finish, it's important to remember that you should clean and prepare exterior wood before applying anything. This will ensure proper penetration and a long-lasting finish. Use a wood cleaner and brightener, like Dekswood, to clean weathered, dirty wood. StainStrip and PowerLift are also powerful cleaners that remove dirt and previous finishes.