Bed wood

[rchdrm]

Just got the oak bed in from UPS and was wondering what most people treat new bed wood with to protect it from the environments as well as the underside road grime?

[LONGHAIR]

Yes, there are some dos/don'ts for this.

First, sanding. The parts you get from the vendor will probably be fresh off of the machines....planer, router, etc. The machines leave small marks behind that will definately show in the final product, so they will need to be sanded thoroughly. Do not make the mistake of sanding too fine though, like the guys on "TRUCKS" tv show. If you sand too fine, you just "polish" the tops of the ripples. This also cause problems with staining, if you want to go the route. Thoroughly sanding to 120 grit with a random orbit sander is perfered. Then a final hand sanding, with the grain, with the same 120 paper is all you need.

At this point you need to stain, if you are going to. After that, it depends upon how "involved" you want to get....."show truck", "driver" or somewhere in between?
If you want it really spectacular, it is hard to beat a "oil finish", it really brings out the grain. If it is more of a driver you may just want to seal it with a simple "sanding sealer". Both of these methods will require a "top coat" for protection.

The top coat for something exposed to the weather, sun as well as rain/snow, should be a "marine varnish". Normal "woodworking" or "Floor coatings" like polyurethane will not stand-up to the sun. The only real down-side to marine varnish is that your only choice is glossy. If that is your preference, it is no problem at all. If you want a flatter/less glossy look, it can be done, but it will not last as long. After the varnish is totally dry, you can "knock-down" some of the shine with fine Scotch-Brite. This takes some of the UV light blocking ability from the varnish though. There are chemicals in the varnish that "absorb" some of the UV, but some of it is "reflected" by the gloss. So, "dulling" it cuts some of that protection. Either way, it is not a "forever" thing anyway. It will need re-coated every 3-4 years.

Do the bottom of the boards the same as the tops. The varnish will last longer on the bottom side, becasue of the lack of sunshine. This will all be easier to do off of the truck of course, and be sure to coat the edges and ends along with the faces of the boards.