Bed Wood Finish

[sdobson]

Guys,

On my 1950 FFPW rebuild we are starting to assemble the bed. Once we have everything where we want it, it'll come back apart and the cab will come off for painting. Then I'll start getting the wood treated in prep for putting it all back together. I know this question has come up and I've read some of the posts.........but, can I get some input on bed finishes for a truck that isn't going to be a show truck or perfect, but also isn't going to be stored outside. I don't really like the thick varnish type finish. From one of the earlier threads pasted below I'm thinking of going with some type of oil finish.

Why wouldn't one of the deck finishes work well? Like this stuff called Ready Seal we use in North Texas. www.readyseal.com. Ready Seal is a commercial grade oil based, semi-transparent sealer and stain for exterior wood. It is a unique blend of resin, finely ground transoxide pigments, oil and algaecide that penetrates deeply into wood to protect and preserve it from the elements.

Thanks for your help.

Scott

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"Hi Gordon,

The type of finish depends on the intended use. A marine spar varnish, with ultraviolet inhibitors will look great and be durable, but will require at least annual maintainance to keep it up. Oak turns black when it gets weather on unprotected surfaces, so all those scrapes and abrasions need to be repaired immediately. Not very practical.

For a working truck I would reccomend an oil finish. A mix of turpentine, boiled linseed oil and japan drier makes a rugged finish. Its easy to apply and easy to maintain, but wont give that yacht-like appearance that varnish will.

Another point to consider is the reaction of the iron and the white oak. Oak is loaded with tannic acid, which when in contact with iron will react and cause the oak to turn black. I would reccomend stainless steel bed strips and fasteners to avoid this.

No matter what the finish of choice is, the wood should be coated on ALL surfaces, top, bottom, edges and most importantly the ends. As for the species, red and white oak are structurally identical but the difference is in the little pores you see in the end grain. In red oak, the pores are like straws right thru the wood but the white oaks pores are like bamboo, with dividers stopping them up.

The red oak is more suseptable to rot because rot spores are able to travel up the pores and do their dirty work but are blocked by the closed pores of the white oak.

OK everyone, the lecture is over, time to wake up, yawn and stretch!

Thanks, Tim"

[Matt Wilson]

Hi Scott,

I also live in North Texas and have used Ready Seal on my fencing. I apply it with a pump-up sprayer, with good results. I have to reapply it every few years to keep the fencing looking good, since the sprinklers, rain and sun take their toll after a while. I doubt you would have much of a problem in that regard, though, since you'll store your truck inside.

At one time, I considered using Ready Seal to stain my workbench, and ultimately decided against it, mainly because I was concerned about the stain getting onto my clothes as I lean against the work bench to work on stuff, or getting onto the items I was working on. The reason for my concern is that I went out to one section of fence that I had stained several months prior, and I was able to easily pick up some of the stain residue on a cloth, just by wiping it lightly. The fence didn't seem wet, as far as I remember, but some coloring transferred to the cloth. Of course, maybe that's because I applied it with a sprayer and didn't bother to wipe off any excess stain. It might not be a problem if you apply it to your bed with a brush or better yet, a cloth, and rub into into the wood and then carefully and thoroughly wipe away any excess. I only mention this because it would probably make you unhappy if an item carried in the bed were to get stained, or worse yet, if someone's clothing were to get stained when they take a ride in the bed..

I don't have any recommendations for what you should apply. I have oak in my bed. I don't know if it's red, white or other. My dad and I applied a homemade concoction 25 years ago, containing linseed oil, and other ingredients that I don't recall (and he's not around to ask any more). I've always kept it covered with a thick rubber mat for protection against sun and rain, except when I want to show it off. A majority of the time, the truck has been stored inside, but there was a period of several years, when I stored it ouside. The mat was in the bed during that time, and still is, but there has been a large collection of junk on top of the mat for many years (while I do some major rebuilding of various portions of the truck), so I haven't seen the condition of the wood in a very long time. I know one area up front has been darkened by water exposure, but I don't know about the rest. I'm a little afraid of what I'll find when I finally do look under the mat. I definitely should have taken better care to keep it covered.

Anyway, these are my 2 cents. Good luck. If you end up using Ready Seal, please let us know how it turned out. Actually, whatever you end up using, we would appreciate an update.

[sdobson]

Hi Matt, thanks for the feedback. I'll post some pictures when I have a final product.