Bed Wood question-Boiled Linseed Oil, Or?

[frenchy51]

I'm painting a 69 long bed for my son to use. I'm to the installing new bed wood stage. The truck will mostly be stored outside and will see a lot of light hauling use-furniture etc.
My question is: for a durable and still good looking finish-how about boiled linseed oil or some other type of oil finish that can be reapplied every 6 months or so? I can't seem to find much info on this. Most say to use automotive clear or a marine varnish, but I don't think either will last in our Hot Nor-Cal climate. Especially since this truck will not be garaged. Any one used any oil type finishes? Results? Thanks (PS-I'll probably use oak)

[Ironhorse]

I have a steel bed floor in my '71 4x4 that I had Line-X spray applied which is not an answer to your question. But..... What I also have is a small '5 x '10 utility trailer with a wood bed floor needing replaced which would be similar to your situation. I have been considering using the decking lumber called "Trex" which is a composite. Seems to hold up well on decks, not cheap but maybe a one time expense for the truck bed and my utility trailer floor? Seems as if I recall someone here on the board did their bed floor using Trex, don' recall who it was. Maybe a "Trex bed/floor" search might help. I know it does come in several colors.

My BIL re-decked his car trailer with treated lumber and after 6 months drying time he used the boiled linseed oil. Applied it several times to build up a good coat. It helped I think but the hot Kansas sun still dried and baked the floor. Needs replaced again now.

[dirtyjim]

I would skip the blo, I've used it for a lot of things but I think if you really wanted an oiled finish sea-fin teak oil would be better if its going to see any type of weather

[mike16]

do a search in the detailing section. BLO is the way to go if your truck is for work and or sits outside exposed. looks good and is easily maintained.

For show trucks That never see the lite of day go with the two part spar varnish.

[GASoline71]

From the factory the wood beds were painted the same color as the rest of the truck.

Gary

[trkfrk]

This is what I used and love it. Lightly sand and apply. The best part it has UV protection in it.

[trkfrk]

Forgot to add pic.

[Zeroman]

trkfrk, what type of wood do you have? Oak?

[jeffahart]

I just finished a yellow pine bed wood kit with pure tung oil. I think tung oil will give better protection for water. blo has additives for drying. And beware the outdoor version of tung oil usually has additive also. I put five coats on the bottom and eight on the top. I put thicker coats on the bottom because I don't care how the bottoms or sides looks. So I worked the oil on tops a pretty good and did the extra coats.

Here's what I did.
Sanded with a heavy hand using 200
Coat 1: 50/50 tung oil and turpentine. I mixed in a jar and applied with foam applicator. Rubbed down after about an hour.

Coat 2: Hit it lightly with 200. applied 75/25 oil/turpentine. rubbed down after about and hour.

Coat 3: Hit with 0000 steel wool. Used a condiment dispenser from walmart to squirt a bead of straight oil along the boards, spread with foam applicator. Rubbed down after a few hours

Coat 4 -8 same as above.

But the bottom of the boards I did not rub down. Plus I baked the boards bottom side up in the driveway on a couple 100+ days. But when I got to coats 6-8 (when I was doing top only) I did not bake in driveway. Just cracked the front and rear garage doors and got a good convection going.

I also blotted the end grains heavily with the applicator each time. The ends ate up the oil pretty good cut and straight.

I just removed my old bed wood today. I will prep the bed over the next few days. By then my oil will be pretty well dried.

[frenchy51]

Originally Posted by trkfrk

This is what I used and love it. Lightly sand and apply. The best part it has UV protection in it.

Thanks for the tip-I ordered a gallon.

[trkfrk]

Originally Posted by Zeroman

trkfrk, what type of wood do you have? Oak?

I used American Cherry. It's a soft wood and probably not a good wood to use if you plan on hauling. My biggest load is a cooler and lawn chairs lol.

Originally Posted by frenchy51

Thanks for the tip-I ordered a gallon.

You are welcome. I applied it very similar to jeffahart. Really let the edges and underneath soak in good.

[Gromit]

I've used boiled linseed oil / turpentine mix and say that if you don't thin it enough with the turpentine it can leave a sticky gummy type of film (usually just in spots) that will attract dirt and debris which will become embedded in the dried oil. So I'm not saying don't use the oil but watch out for any pooling or thick oil spots and if you wipe up the excess it should be okay.

I really hate having to remove and replace the polyurethane or varnish type finishes or paints so I'm in full agreement with oil finishes on wood. The only other one I use is shellac in some cases though it is not very durable.

Refinishing every six months sounds like a lot of work in my opinion though - since it is a long bed I have had good luck just laying down a sheet of exterior grade 3/8" plywood and cutting two one foot by six foot strips to fill in the front and back of the wheel wells of the bed. It keeps the sun off it and I don't notice any moisture building up under the wood as you sometimes have with the rubber mats.

I suppose I could stain the plywood but women don't seem to mind if a guy has a sheet of plywood in his truck bed..

p.s. I don't recommend the turpentine substitute called "Turpetine" - though I can't say why it just gives me the creeps

[basketcase]

I'm using a yellow pine kit for my stepper and was thinking this would be good for protection and easy to recoat if I mar it up using it for a truck. It is my shop truck after all. I have also been thinking about the deck coatings.

Here is something I found from Pettit for a show truck finish that I thought was interesting. Good tutorial on application also.

Pettit

[jeffahart]

Refinish is an ugly word, meaning take down to wood then start whole finish process over. Refinish = lots of work! It's why I'm using oil. No refinishing, just a quick scuff with some steel wool to bring up some amplitude so the next application will have a bit to bite onto. But on reapplication you have to wait a while to use the bed. Drying oils will dry, the thicker the coat, the longer to harden.

Oil is a longer process in the front end, you have to work it and be patient. It's why I purposefully started my oiling at the end of spring. I will coat once a month during this summer and maybe fall. Depending if I'm going to use the truck and weather. Buy next year I will have a good sound finish.

[jeffahart]

Originally Posted by basketcase

I'm using a yellow pine kit for my stepper and was thinking this would be good for protection and easy to recoat if I mar it up using it for a truck. It is my shop truck after all. I have also been thinking about the deck coatings.

Here is something I found from Pettit for a show truck finish that I thought was interesting. Good tutorial on application also.

Pettit

You could probably put the wood(yellow pine) in unfinished and use it between 5-10 years based on your location and be fine. But who want's to look at ugly unfinished wood, or replace every 5-10 years. I just tossed out some OSB that was covering my rotted bed wood. It had been back there about 8 years, was still in pretty good shape. Lots of abuse and no finish... looked like crap, but was still sturdy(a testament to the glue in OSB). It's why I don't get to hung up. But I do want it to look decent and last a bit.

[special-K]

There are additives in manufactured products. That's what makes one different from the others. The mac daddy original oil finish is boiled linseed oil which is purely what it says it is. No driers, and that is why you thin with mineral spirits or turpentine, to help it soak and dry. That is the additive. On fresh sanded wood I would use an oil finish product with UV resistant additives. Probably a marine application would be best. I like linseed oil for weathered wood/open grain.

Remember, a bed is a hot box, blocks most wind and it's like death valley down in there. If it's 80 degrees out, it can be 100 in the bed. The wood cooks and sun/heat is what eats finishes up on houses on the southern exposure. That's the most. Western evening exposure in the summer is the hottest.

[basketcase]

Originally Posted by jeffahart

You could probably put the wood(yellow pine) in unfinished and use it between 5-10 years based on your location and be fine. But who want's to look at ugly unfinished wood, or replace every 5-10 years. I just tossed out some OSB that was covering my rotted bed wood. It had been back there about 8 years, was still in pretty good shape. Lots of abuse and no finish... looked like crap, but was still sturdy(a testament to the glue in OSB). It's why I don't get to hung up. But I do want it to look decent and last a bit.

I agree. It did last a long time originally. Most of my original boards are serviceable except for rot on the rear ends. So I guess for a truck that is actually going to be used for a truck a good sealer with UV protection that could be recoated annually, like I do my deck, would give a lot of years of service to my bed. The truck lives inside most of the time anyway.

Tom

[jeffahart]

Originally Posted by basketcase

I agree. It did last a long time originally. Most of my original boards are serviceable except for rot on the rear ends. So I guess for a truck that is actually going to be used for a truck a good sealer with UV protection that could be recoated annually, like I do my deck, would give a lot of years of service to my bed. The truck lives inside most of the time anyway.

Tom

Ya, anything you can just reapply when necessary without a full refinish hassle is the way to go. The trick is to keep up on it. I'm not really an evangelist for any one product or process. I choose to oil. But if you really want it to last then paint. The natural wood look is appealing to me, so I will put in the extra work and maintenance. I will post a thread of my removal and replacement when I'm completed. I pulled the old boards last weekend and it was an dusty nasty job!