What to use on oak wood

[CoxL01]

I went to the local lowes and bought the red oak for my bed. trimmed it and cut the grooves to specs. i have searched high and low on what to put on the red oak to keep the wood looking somewahat decent. the ruck will see some north carolina sun and rain from time to time. it will be garaged about half of the time. not looking for a show finish as i will be tossing kids bicycle in the back fromm yime to time. what is a good product to put on yhe red oak to keep it looking somewhat decent?

[Eddie H.]

Originally Posted by CoxL01

I went to the local lowes and bought the red oak for my bed. trimmed it and cut the grooves to specs. i have searched high and low on what to put on the red oak to keep the wood looking somewahat decent. the ruck will see some north carolina sun and rain from time to time. it will be garaged about half of the time. not looking for a show finish as i will be tossing kids bicycle in the back fromm yime to time. what is a good product to put on yhe red oak to keep it looking somewhat decent?

I've used marine grade spar varnish (like is used on wooden boats) with good results. it's inexpensive, weather resistant, and easy to touch up when you get scratches in it from hauling stuff.

[LockDoc]

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If you go to MAR-k's web site http://www.mar-k.com/ and click on "Tips & Tricks" in the menu bar there is a lot of info on finishing bed wood in PDF format....

LockDoc

[CoxL01]

Thanks....looks like I will be going with the Marine Spar. Varnish.

[custom10nut]

I've heard that Boiled Linseed Oil works well. Years ago, I put a Satin Varnish on my original wood bed, now I know that was a huge mistake. The varnish traps the moisture in that permeates from underneath and accelerates the rot.
Back to the BLO. I've read that you treat both sides and let it soak in, then treat it again. After it dries it can be finish sanded and buffed to a sheen. The BLO will repel moisture and over time will patina from the exposure to the sun.
I'm going to be using Black Oak (cut from my property), milled, and planed so I can cut it to width and groove to specs. Just something I want to do so I a can say, "I did it myself"

[LongBox]

I once did the dashboard of a 1949 MG I owned with spar varnish. I did about 10 coats, with sanding in between coats. It looked "mile deep" when I was finished, but it was impossible, even working in the house, to prevent some airborne dust from settling in the varnish. Probably not so important with a truck bed.

But, the finish took a lot of punishment from the sun, and stood up well.