Is that new Bedwood....? not exactly

[HighwayHum72]

I thought some of you good people might like to see the results of my latest adventure. My original long fleet bedwood looked more like the planks of The Black Pearl than a 72 chevy, so I decided to redo-it using composite decking from my neighborhood Lowes. I'm gonna be honest with you....this project was the biggest some beach i ever done to the truck. Its a real challenge doing something there aint no instructions for and it can feel hopeless when not one dog gone bolt hole lines up right in 3 days straight. Composite bedwood in the truck now, no finish needed, tough as nails and I'm pleased with the results so far.

[Boog]

Looks good. And it should hold up just as well as wood. I've given it some thought myself. Is that the Trex brand by chance?

[special-K]

What are the wide boards,PVC 1x?

[68Stepbed]

Looks good, but one question. Why the two-tone?

[67Slider]

I like it. Very nicely done.

[w4625]

I love it!!! Wish I could do it with my 72 SWB Fleet. What size boards do I need for the SWB Fleet?

[re1]

Looks Great,
more pictures please

[MrSchaeferPants]

Contrast of colors looks sharp man

[FL71C10]

Looks great! Were you able to get 3/4 inch thick wood? I looked at Home Depot and all they had was 5/4 decking.

How much did the wood cost you?

[BB72CHEVKT]

I like it.

[69 gmc]

Thanks... Now I want to do that when I do mine. I imagine it to be a little agonizing
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[ole dollor]

i like it alot, the two tone is different, you may have started something others will follow, if ole dollar ever gets a wood bed again, i might just try your idea, thanks for the pic's...

[67cheby]

looks good !

[dragonwrecker]

Originally Posted by HighwayHum72

I thought some of you good people might like to see the results of my latest adventure. My original long fleet bedwood looked more like the planks of The Black Pearl than a 72 chevy, so I decided to redo-it using composite decking from my neighborhood Lowes. I'm gonna be honest with you....this project was the biggest some beach i ever done to the truck. Its a real challenge doing something there aint no instructions for and it can feel hopeless when not one dog gone bolt hole lines up right in 3 days straight. Composite bedwood in the truck now, no finish needed, tough as nails and I'm pleased with the results so far.


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looks great i have been tooling the idea myself but using the spiced rum and fire pit wood finish's instead

[BrianV]

That looks awesome

great idea

[HighwayHum72]

well its nice to hear that some of you folks might consider composite for your bed projects. The first time I seen this done was in a thread posted a while back by one of our very own. After making a trip to my hardwood lumber yard and looking at all that pretty wood I thought heck, as long as I'm gonna use this bed to haul tools and coolers and dogs and what not, composite decking might just be the ticket, an eco-friendly ticket at that! I ordered a set of steel-punched strips and a complete bed bolt kit from Brother's Trucks along with a couple cans of self-etching primer and high performance gloss black. I paid the same if not more than had I purchased a complete pine bedwood kit, somewhere around $400 give or take. Typin this gets me thinking now maybe I did save a buck or two by eliminating the cost of finish and supplies. One thing I do know is things never really cost "less" than a little more than you thought.

[JayDubBlazer]

Looks great Really dig the two tone

[GOPAPA]

Looks like some hardy plank material by the grain of the wood on the wide boards? curious as to what you did use ,,I like it but would have to know more about it before using it ,,anyways here in the Northwest..

[vectorit]

I like it!

[HighwayHum72]

Here are the exact products I purchased from Lowe's. The trex product is much thicker and needs to be milled down to size at each cross sill. The wide boards are .75" and fit just right.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_116223-63201...facetInfo=Trex



http://www.lowes.com/pd_371964-46086-229084_4294858355_4294937087_?productId=3612034&Ns=p_product_qty_sales_dollar|1&pl=1&currentURL=%2Fp l_Composite%2BDecking%2BRailing_4294858355_4294937087_%3Fpage%3D9%26Ns%3Dp_product_qty_sales_dollar% 7C1&facetInfo=

[VA72C10]

cool idea with the two tone and varying widths

[GOPAPA]

So, by saying it is tough as nails ,,does that mean that it has no spungy spots between cross memebers? Like when you stand on it and bounce with your weight.

I built 2 decks out this way with the composite type lumber 1 1/2 inch but have not used the 3/4 inch and thats why I ask, looks real sharp and would consider it my self if I needed a wooden bed.. I had wooden oak boards in my 65 chevy and of course they were for sure tough ,,but they are also thicker too,, I forget,, do you know or any one know who reads this ,,what the thickness is of the original factory boards are?

[custom1970]

The bed looks great, so I'm not trying to bash it, but I'm also curious as to how it will hold up. I also built a deck out of it a while back. Over time it started to warp between the supports, also was real bad about getting mildew on it. But i know the new material is probably better than what i used years ago.

[HighwayHum72]

I understand the concern of sponginess because compared to a quartersawn plank of red oak, a composite 1x6x8 does have some flex in it. I didn't know what to expect until I was done and it was time to climb on up and see how it felt. I was pleasantly surprised by how secure the bed felt under foot. No sponginess, sagging or flex whatsoever. The composite definitely has more weight than most natural bedwood, however. That said, I do believe this material will continue to improve and manufacturers will continue to invest in R & D of composites because our building industry grows greener everyday, due in part to heavy gov't regulation of natural resources and the heightened awareness of consumers who understand how important it is that we do our part to protect the environment and preserve our natural resources through renewable energy and recycled materials.

[special-K]

Azek and I think only one other decking material is actually all poly. All the rest,like Trex,are composites with organic material in them and are prone to mold. But,pressure washing frequently will prevent that. Those trim boards don't have a very high PSI rating and is not recommended for flooring material. I'm sure you can get by with it if you don't dump anything heavy that concentrates a lot of weight at a small point.
I've seen lots of members asking about going this route. As with homes,most these days want a do it once and be done with it product and the suppliers keep attempting to give that. There's generally one draw back or another,though,with everything that's come out to date. We all know what wood's drawbacks are,but realize we are talking about decades of laying flat in an area that gets like an oven in the sun and can hold water for a while. And,most have never had any sort of maintenance what so ever. If a truck has sat for a while w/o use it's takes it's toll and if any debris has accumulated it's even worse. The question we have to ask is what will this composite material look like after several years/decades of use.