New old bed wood
 

I would like to replace the bed wood in my 1952 half ton truck. The truck has a pretty rough patina to it so I do not want the bed to look new. Looking for some ideas on how to make new bed wood look like it belongs in my old truck. Anyone have pictures of your new old wood? Thanks

Re: New old bed wood
 

I'd like some pics too, but I'm planning to take some weathered hardwood planks or something and maybe just roll some satin sealer on them or just throw them down as-is. I've seen some nice rough-sawn walnut that would look good.

Re: New old bed wood
 

I was going to paint mine then sand it down in area's to give it the worn look and seal over it

Re: New old bed wood
 

I used cedar fence boards for mine, didn't take long at all for them to look "weathered"

Yes, 55 gallon drum cut in half, widened, to cover a bridge notch.

Re: New old bed wood
 

Thanks for the pics Bryan. Does the cedar seem like it will hold up under a load?

Re: New old bed wood
 

Hard to say......My floor is raised (air ride) with steel supports underneath. I've carried 6-8 50lb bags of mulch without any issues. I'd say a stock style configuration would be way stronger than mine though.

Re: New old bed wood
 

Here is a trick I use when I need to quickly weather wood or weather the cut ends of barn wood. Get a sheet of bare steel. Spray it with vinegar and keep it wet so it rusts really good, they while wet spread paper towels to soak up the moisture and residue. Let the towels dry. Reactivate the towel with a little sprayed moisture and rub into the wood. I learned this from an old time carpenter that did lots of repairs on cabins, etc. and did the trim work on a project we needed "instant weathering" on.

I took a quick look at google and found this method using steel wool and vinegar that works too.

Re: New old bed wood
 

Thanks Orrie... That technique seems to work well.. Might have to give it a try on some southern pine..

Re: New old bed wood
 

Another trick I've used is take your gas torch and go over the boards from a distance. It really pulls out the grain and knots. Then sand stain and seal. I've done it before on other wood projects, and plan on doing it when I make my bed.

Re: New old bed wood
 

cover them in salt water and let sun hit them , will turn pretty quick.when they take the shade you want, rinse them good, spar varnish or clear poly to seal them.

Re: New old bed wood
 

Thanks for all of the good tips guys..

Re: New old bed wood
 

I like that look!!!

Re: New old bed wood
 

I like that look!!!

Re: New old bed wood
 

I wonder if you sandblast them some it might make the grain pop out more also.

Re: New old bed wood
 

I have been planning this for my truck for a while. We did a rustic weathered wood tables project for a Jackson Hole WY event and we used brand new lumber. We aged it with a 1/2 formula water based stain from Sherwin Williams. It matched the weathered wood we had perfectly.

For my truck I planned to machine the boards then make them more weathered with water and a wire brush with the grain and then I would stain them.

Re: New old bed wood
 

I did a bunch of experimenting and found a formula that worked pretty well to age my brand new douglas fir bed boards that I cut and dadoed myslelf. I mixed some good old vinegar along with a bit of muratic acid in a jar along with some steel wool, rusty nails and a few steel washers. The solution sat in a jar for about two weeks to brew.
To apply the solution, I just used a shop cloth and did a very quick wipe of the boards. The etching/aging takes place immediatley and I am happy with the result.

Re: New old bed wood
 

Very nice... Did you age the bed strips too or were those original? I will be hunting down some originals at the next swap meet so i do not have to distress a new set..

Re: New old bed wood
 

Those are the original. They were pretty good shape. But I used the solution on my wheel tubs to rust up the new steel...................

Re: New old bed wood
 

i used some original 1900's barn wood.i got mar-k bed strips and put acid on them to help the rust process.

Re: New old bed wood
 

you could have shipped me the new ones to me and I would have sent you my original 50+ year old rusted patina ones!

Re: New old bed wood
 

Does anyone know if the bed strips are the same between various years? I know some years have more strips than others but do the punched holes line up? thanks

Re: New old bed wood
 

Not sure.....I'd look up the part numbers for various years and see what comes up. Some folks may have a different number depending on the width boards used. My late model stepper has 4 strips because I used 12" boards.

Re: New old bed wood
 

My stepper bed floor. I wanted a butcher block look. Used light and dark cedar.

Re: New old bed wood
 

The cutting board bed floor

Re: New old bed wood
 

The beginning