Wood Box Sealer

[sider68]

Whats the best varnish or polyurethane to seal wood truck floor with? Most varnishes I see look like they are only recommended for indoors??

[arkie726]

You might stop by an 18wheeler trailer shop, they used to sell a wood floor sealer for trailers, it was clear and maybe polyurethane? Anyway it would have to be pretty tough stuff for that! I remember using it years ago on box trailer floors to seal them up, hope this helps.

[cdowns]

boat supply store has loads of products to b used on wooden boats that live in water

[LONGHAIR]

You really need a "spar" varnish, which is for marine use. It has the necessary UV blocking to allow it to survive outdoors. That generally means that is will be a high gloss finish because part of works be reflecting the rays.
It also has some flexability which helps it to hold strong as the wood expands and contracts with changes in moisture content.
Do your best to get 100% coverage. The bottom side as well as the ends are just as prone to absorb water as the top. This is easy if you are freshly installing the wood, it is much more of a challenge if it is already there.

[Fitz]

Originally Posted by sider68

Whats the best varnish or polyurethane to seal wood truck floor with? Most varnishes I see look like they are only recommended for indoors??

Sikkens Cetol...marine varnish.

[retodd7711]

I've had mixed results with Lowes-home depot type stuff.
I used Minwax polyurethane on pressure treated 2x6 in my '62, worked great.
I used Olympic polyurethane on a picnic table and a year later it was cracking and peeling.
As stated above, full coverage is the key.
Make sure you treat the ends of the boards heavily. More pore space that will soak up the product.

[classicchev]

Sikkens is a good product. ALMOST any polyurethane will work, I use a PPG product called Acyricote which comes clear and can be mixed to any sheen.

[gkesseru]

Just remember that the thicker the "plastic" coat you put your wood into, the more likely that it will want to pop out of that non-moving plastic box when the wood expands after next winter. I've tried Spar Varnish on one truck and even tried clear Marine Epoxy on another. Eventually they all started to split at the edges. This is what I tried this time:
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...3&postcount=89

[camjck89]

longhair is correct you need a urethane like the spar due to the elements that you are trying to resist. however to keep your truck at show room quality, youll most likely need to refinish every few years.