Bed wood sealing

[shrek55]

I'm getting ready to put varnish on my bed planks---do you do one side and flip it or let it dry first ? Thanks, this forum is always helpful

[Foot Stomper]

It's best to let it dry. Even if you do the bottom first it will transfer the varnish to your work stand or whatever you're putting them on leaving marks in it.

On an aside... are you sure you want to varnish them? The reason I ask it that it won't stay varnished in the long run. The sun's UV rays will deteriorate the wood causing the varnish to delaminate causing the varnish to peel and fall off.

If you are going to have the truck indoors 99% of the time, varnish is just fine.

If you simply oil the bed wood, you will not have any peeling issues. A good oil will not transfer to beer boxes or golf club bags either. It's super easy to apply and reapply where you might get some usage scratches and will repel water forever.

This is what I am going to use on my Elm bed wood. The Varithane will bring out all the wood grain and natural colors.

[63 & 64 Bowties]

I'm no expert, so this free advise is worth exactly what you paid for it.
But, I've been told by two different "experts" to not seal wood completely (top, bottom, sides) with varnish, urethane, resin, etc.
I had issues with a wood sign that I had custom hand painted where the marine spar varnish (which I applied) delaminated. I was told that if you completely seal any wood, you aren't leaving an escape for moisture that's naturally in wood, and you're not leaving room for temperature expansion and contraction. With bed wood, if you're using varnish, you may be better off not sealing the bottom.
*disclaimer* this is just second-hand info, but told to me by some people who I trust.

[Foot Stomper]

Here's some first hand news from Mar K.
http://www.mar-k.com/_assets/images/...alwoodtest.pdf

[dsraven]

how about using an oil for wood that contains a UV blocker. I have used that on boat teak parts with success and my boat lived outside year round. it is required to be touched up periodically but if you get at it before it starts to turn grey it is easy and doesn't need to be sanded down. try a boat shop for suggestions.
there is also the option to use a solid core plastic residential decking material, like trex, which is usually pretty good in the sun, comes in different colors and requires no maintenance. it is also easy to work with and is easily cut with a hand or power saw, is drillable, routerable, and will hold a screw.

[DPete]

Subscribed, finishing new bed wood is in my near future. I like the oil idea

[Hampshire]

A couple years ago I used Minwax Helmsman Spar Urethane on oak from Mar-K (after reading the Mark-K notes). First let the wood first dry a bit more in my shop during the winter. Then, four coats by brush - both sides. Final coat sprayed on top. Very happy. No deterioration at all.

It gets sheltered, of course, when not used - but anything left out year round will show deterioration (the Mar-k tests leave the wood exposed to the weather for 2 years). Even so, as the Mar-k tests show, Miniwax Helmsman Spar Urethane holds up well on oak when prepped and applied properly.

A UV blocker will definitely protect any wood for much longer. If your exposure is more intense (say, you live in the southwest and use your truck as a daily driver) this would probably make sense. I spent several years in the building trade using traditional materials (like cedar siding). I was in Maryland where boat folks spent mega hours re-varnishing the wood on their boats. Still, almost all my clients wanted a clear stain on their cedar siding - thinking it would always look like the day it was applied. To cure them of this notion, I would drive them by newly constructed houses to show them how this looked like crap after a year or two. I got most to finally settle on a solid body stain by Cabot.

[_Ogre]

original finish for wood beds was black paint
look at any truck at any show that has a polyurethane finish in the bed
the edges and ends of the boards will have bubbles under the finish

this is why we don't polyurethane the wood siding on our homes, or our wood decks or the wood furniture on our decks
unless you always keep your truck in the garage and never get caught in the rain or a hot sun; all poly finishes will peel
even trex will eventually fade in the sun, except mine, which is always in the shade

[Foot Stomper]

Originally Posted by Foot Stomper

It's best to let it dry. Even if you do the bottom first it will transfer the varnish to your work stand or whatever you're putting them on leaving marks in it.

On an aside... are you sure you want to varnish them? The reason I ask it that it won't stay varnished in the long run. The sun's UV rays will deteriorate the wood causing the varnish to delaminate causing the varnish to peel and fall off.

If you are going to have the truck indoors 99% of the time, varnish is just fine.

If you simply oil the bed wood, you will not have any peeling issues. A good oil will not transfer to beer boxes or golf club bags either. It's super easy to apply and reapply where you might get some usage scratches and will repel water forever.

This is what I am going to use on my Elm bed wood. The Varithane will bring out all the wood grain and natural colors.

My apologies but I missed mentioning the most important step... that is to sand in the oil. 220 grit paper wetted in by the oil while you sand along the grain. This action of sanding in the oil acts to penetrate the oils into the wood. Not at all like spraying anything onto wood.

[mr48chev]

Personal experience with my sailboat that sits out all the time says you won't get more than two seasons out of varnished wood before you redo the varnish.

A dear friend of mine who was one of my sailing mentors had the saying that Brass is green and teak is gray. he didn't much care to polish brass nor did he varnish or oil the teak but he could sail circles around most guys on his 60 ft schooner. When he passed away we fired his ashes out of our cannons at Port Hudson Marina in Port Townsend.

The argument on what to use on your wood on boats is a lot bigger than the truck bed argument and just like here there is a lot of difference of opinion but there are some first rate products out there for the brightwork (varnished or oiled wood) that a guy might look into.
Cetol is pretty popular with a lot of my sailboat friends and it comes either satin or gloss. https://www.jamestowndistributors.co...uct.do?pid=167

There are a lot of other vendors for it including West Marine but this one gives a good description.

[Dan in Pasadena]

Originally Posted by mr48chev

....there is a lot of difference of opinion but there are some first rate products out there for the brightwork (varnished or oiled wood) that a guy might look into.
Cetol is pretty popular with a lot of my sailboat friends and it comes either satin or gloss. https://www.jamestowndistributors.co...uct.do?pid=167

I read your post and assumed you were posting a link to something to keep brightwork shiny.

Are you saying this Cetol; if used alone, is sufficient to protect bedwood?

For any of you that also frequent GarageJournal.com, member Jack Olsen there did a very nice deck in his backyard using Ipa wood (if I remember correctly) and used some brand of Penta oil finish I think. It is very attractive from the photos I've seen and I am wondering how it compares to this Cetol stuff?

I LOVE high gloss clear on bedwood and mine will be covered whenever it is not being driven but I hate the idea of having to pull the bedwood and strip/refinish it every few years. Having a (hopefully) beautiful truck with yellowing, chipping, bubbling clear on the bedwood is a no go.

[dsraven]

if you want original black looking finish but don't want paint, tryt an ebony oil satin with UV additives. rub it or sand it in well, like stomper says. may require touch ups but that is easy. when I would do the wood on my boat I would drench it with the oil until it wouldn't soak in right away. leave it for a bit, like 1/2 hour, then come back and do again. keep it up till it takes overnight to soak in well. then buff the surface with a rag so you don't get residue on things that may touch the surface. after a couple days, especially if you can leave it in the hot sun, rewipe or reapply and carry on till you are satisfied it is good. then you are done for awhile till it starts looking dry again. it would depend on where you use it/park it, inside or out, as to how often it needs a touch up. touch ups are easy though.

[dsraven]

sorry, I shouldda proof read before submitting. I meant ebony stain, not satin.

[DPete]

Hot rod guy doing my paint recommends "Man O War" spar varnish on top and edges, light coat of black paint on the under side to keep from sealing up completely.

[Dan in Pasadena]

Wasn't factory original boiled linseed oil with some lamp black mixed into it? I seem to remember reading that somewhere.

[tmoble]

yep

[Foot Stomper]

Here's a youtube video of a pretty nice truck that someone used a clear coat of some kind on the bed wood. Fail!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6QZY-VyJzk

[roger55]

This is what I used on mine:



https://www.rustoleum.com/product-ca...or-wood-finish

[Foot Stomper]

Originally Posted by roger55

This is what I used on mine:



https://www.rustoleum.com/product-ca...or-wood-finish

Looks awesome!
How long ago did you apply it and how recent is the picture?

[whitedog76]

I wonder if Rustoleum Neverwet would work good?

They claim to have UV inhibitors, but recommend to avoid oil.

Stain wood with a water base product, then apply Neverwet?

[Foot Stomper]

Originally Posted by whitedog76

I wonder if Rustoleum Neverwet would work good?

They claim to have UV inhibitors, but recommend to avoid oil.

Stain wood with a water base product, then apply Neverwet?

As a Rustoleum tech rep I can assure you there is no claim to UV protection with Neverwet. Sorry.

Neverwet would never work in this application.

Besides, UV protection only works in the coating that claims to have UV protection. Wood that is under the UV protection will suffer from the UV's as they will pass through without damaging the "UV protected" coating.

Roger55 has the answer... exterior oil for wood. Nothing more.

[roger55]

Originally Posted by Foot Stomper

Looks awesome!
How long ago did you apply it and how recent is the picture?

Thanks. It's pine bed wood from Mar-K.
I put it on about a 1 1/2 years ago and it still looks great.

The nice thing about the oil is that if it needs to be reapplied to the wood to freshen it up, it can be done easily and in place and it doesn't matter if you get it on the stainless strips because it wipes right off.

[DPete]

Originally Posted by DPete

Hot rod guy doing my paint recommends "Man O War" spar varnish on top and edges, light coat of black paint on the under side to keep from sealing up completely.

Well, I had hell with the varnish. Long story short it dries to slow so if you don't have a spray booth or sanitary place to spray it gathers dust, bugs or whatever else is in the air. I put on about 6 coats sanding between, color sanded and buffed out the final coat. The end result is glossy with small imperfections. I would not go this route again.

[Foot Stomper]

Originally Posted by DPete

Well, I had hell with the varnish. Long story short it dries to slow so if you don't have a spray booth or sanitary place to spray it gathers dust, bugs or whatever else is in the air. I put on about 6 coats sanding between, color sanded and buffed out the final coat. The end result is glossy with small imperfections. I would not go this route again.

Thanks for sharing but I am curious what you would next time instead?

[roger55]

I believe there is only 2 practical ways to go here. One is the way I did with the Watco exterior oil. The other is a 2-part polyurethane clear designed for automotive use. Southern Polyurethanes (SPI) Universal Clear is a superb one for this. It's super for wooden boats too.

Check this info out:

http://www.spiuserforum.com/index.ph...ood-boats.506/