Quote:
Originally Posted by HenrytheWound
I'd like to choose the "best" oil-based option for an AZ truck (1960 C10) that'll be kept outside. I want to use the truck bed and do not care for a glossy varnished look. I just cut new red oak planks and have new strips and hardware on the way and I'd like to get started on protecting the wood.
What POR-15 product are people referring to? I would like a 1 and done option for the underside of the bed wood if possible, thinking of some oil-based option for the top to keep the wood conditioned and resist rot. Sounds like the teak oil option has held up in AZ, what about the penofin option? I hesitate on the diesel and used oil option because I don't think I want to darken the wood that much and don't know if it'll continue to smell like gas and oil in the hot sun.
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Lot's of choices for sure. Not sure about the POR-15. 1 and done is not happening with a transparent finish. But the big issue is the ... 2-3-4 and so on with the maint. So I will babble on about maint and the rest is past history and documented above. I will add, on the maintenance issue, some have pointed out that Mar-K(I'm pretty sure it was Mar-K) did a great test on what finishes fare best. But, the test falls way short. Who cares about the initial finish and if it lasted one year or two. After one year or two, what kind of misery are you in for on maintenance... recoat? or strip and recoat. That's is a big issue for me and was a huge driver in my choosing oil.
All that said, it's been a little over two years since the last maintenance coats.
What has the bed been through in that past two years? Nothing short of a being beat worse than a three legged plow horse! I bought a bit of a project house. I've hauled CMUs, sand, gravel, cement bags, large stone slabs pavers. In the before pic below, you can see how the sand and cement and gravel has sucked the moisture out of the finish.
Where has the truck been? Sitting out in Scottsdale Az in blistering heat and beat with monsoon rains.
What I did. I oiled it! Took about 15 minutes. One of the boards was starting to cup at the front of the bed, so I went underneath and took a 3/4 by 1/4 strap and screwed it in with 1/2" screws from underneath and pulled the cupping down. That took another 10 or 15 minutes. The bed wood is starting to look well used. Next time I will put some system 3 T-88(I always have some on hand for timber repairs) in some of the cracks that are starting to open a bit where the cupping took place, and touch up the scratched in the bed strips. Note: the old coats of oil are so thick and hardened that I can usually fill any cracks that are opening with the tung oil.
My advise. Go with your gut. I worry about your wood choice. I like a tighter grain for outdoor use. But If you keep on it, you can get it to last. Your wood will likely turn black after a few years where the water get through the sealer/oil or whatever you choose. And with our monsoons, water will get through!
If you want your wood to stay looking like the day you bought it... park it inside, but the finish will still oxidize a bit. Or put a sacrificial piece of plywood in the bed. I did not and here's what it looks like when I just did the maintenance coat. I still love it, .. it's a real world gets used example. I'm getting what I wanted out of it. Hope this help on your decision. Enjoy your project, and most importantly... Enjoy your truck!
Lordy, it's taking me longer to proof read this than it did to chisel it out.
Good luck!
J