Time to treat oak wood

[68Mike]

Getting ready to treat the wood for my bed. Any recommendations on what to use to seal it? It's red oak.
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[Shaky]

I just finished putting MinWax spar varnish on my red oak that I got from Mar-K.

[Shaky]

Mar-K has a lot of info at their site. Here's some finish recommendations:

http://www.mar-k.com/wood_finishing.html

And here's some durability tests they did:

http://www.mar-k.com/wood_finish_testing_i.html

http://www.mar-k.com/wood_finish_testing_ii.html

[68Mike]

Thanks. Is it the spar varnish or spar uretheyne & are they water based? Or are those the same. Also, pics look great!
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[Shaky]

Originally Posted by 68Mike

Thanks. Is it the spar varnish or spar uretheyne & are they water based? Or are those the same. Also, pics look great!
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You're right - it's Spar Urethane. It's oil based. Here's what I used:

http://www.minwax.com/wood-products/...-spar-urethane

[Brock]

Those look great. I build a little furniture for around the house here. Did a couple of toy boxes (pine w/ oak accents) used Minwax Polyurethane. The finish was OK but seemed kinda dull and not very "deep". I Built a night table (Oak w/ceramic tile inlays) used Cabot Polyurethane and the finish was 10X better than the minwax. I Can't remember exactly but I think cabot is for marine uses so maybe it'll hold up to weather better???

[Shaky]

Originally Posted by Brock

Those look great. I build a little furniture for around the house here. Did a couple of toy boxes (pine w/ oak accents) used Minwax Polyurethane. The finish was OK but seemed kinda dull and not very "deep". I Built a night table (Oak w/ceramic tile inlays) used Cabot Polyurethane and the finish was 10X better than the minwax. I Can't remember exactly but I think cabot is for marine uses so maybe it'll hold up to weather better???

I'm sure there's better stuff. The Mar-K info at their site said they had decent durability results with the MinWax. It's available right down the street and didn't cost too much.

A guy I work with is into those old Cris Craft wooden boats. He swears by something else (maybe it was Cabot?).

I dunno. I was in a rush and used what I knew. I definitely like working with metal more than wood...

[special-K]

For a hard clear surface I use Helmsman. It doesn't get sun,but my kitchen counters and one bathroom vanity have butcher block tops I made with Helmsman finish have held up to 20 years of use so far. A bed floor in the sun will need to withstand more heat than boards standing free in the sun. It heats up like an oven inside a bed. Then,when it rains it will hold moisture more also. I prefer oils to clear urethanes. They soak in to protect,not rely on a hard shell encasing the raw wood beneath. There is never any peeling or "lifting" and recoating is a cinch.

[Shaky]

Originally Posted by special-K

A bed floor in the sun will need to withstand more heat than boards standing free in the sun. It heats up like an oven inside a bed. Then,when it rains it will hold moisture more also.

Yes. This truck will be garaged and will be driven in mostly nice weather. If I'm going to leave it somewhere in the sun for a long time, I put something over the wood to keep the sun off.

[Sammy]

Get advise from a boat dealership for coatings. Hey if it stays on a boat deck in that harsh enviroment it should stay on your bed for at least two years with some care..Anything standing up to salt water is more durable..just my thoughts.