what kind of finish did you guys use for your wood bed ??? i got walnut for my birthday , i want to do a gloss clear

thanks

 

Missy Green has TWP deck coating on her pine bed. It has held up quite well, a few dents and scrapes. She gets used to haul crushed stone, firewood and whatever else needs haulin'. When the old boy tilts the bucket and three tons of rock start falling on the deck, I do expect a bit of carnage.
What ya gonna haul on that walnut?

 

I live in FL with a lot of sun, heat, humidity and rain. So I used Spar, ie the same stuff we use on our boats.

Sand the wood perfectly smooth, brush a coat on let it dry overnight, sand lightly again with steel wool, wipe clean and add another coat, let it again dry overnight. put on a total of at least 4 coats on all sides, ends and in the predrilled bed holes. It will last you for 10 years. I just redid mine and it still looked good after owning it for 11 years and using the bed like a truck should be used.

Pics of my new bed in my gallery, of course I repowered and repainted the entire truck.

 

Mine is dark, probably walnut. I bought simple outdoor stain from Lowes. Since it was outdoor it was already water resistant so no need for the clear. I get a lot of positive comments from people that like the dark wood and say it looks better than lighter stains you typically see in old trucks.

 

my son bought me walnut plywood , cheaper .. it will work just fine ,, the lumber places sell spar varnish ,,, my local paint store sells a product call sikkens that comes in clear gloss , there is so many , i was thinking about a product called galze coat , you mix 2 parts and pour it on and smooth out , its as good as 70 coats of varnish , but no good for UV , so anyway i'll keep asking


thanks

 

I also used plywood, but birch. The biggest worry if your bed is likely to get wet is sealing the plies on the sides of the boards.

While shopping for a topcoat on mine, I met a Behr Paint rep at Home Depot. I told him what I was doing and he said flat out, there is no coating that will last in a horizontal application that is outdoors and exposed to the weather. So something easy to recoat every so often is a good bet.

 

I'm using black walnut. A few months ago axracer responded to my same question with a complete set of instructions using toung oil. Be careful if you use it to get 100% toung oil. It's not cheap but it looks great. Needs multiple coats and takes time Not finished yet so no pics. Be careful using steel wool as it can leave some on the wood then It can show up as rust spots. scotch pads work as well and don't have the residue problem. I will try to find post when on a computer and not this iPhone have fun take your time

 

I used teak oil on ash boards. Ash is a light colored wood, and after two coats, and a few months it has turned a nice honey colored brown.

Dave

 

i might be talked into doing auto clear finish ,, get a gun from harbor freight 10 bucks and a qt of clear and do a few coats all the way around ???

dont know

 

These are the products I used.

 

so you did a coat of pelucid and a coat of varnish ???

 

My paint guy has done a lot of truck beds and timber boats, he swears by 2 pack automotive clear coat. Very UV stable and hard as a rock, I'll be doing my bed wood with it.

 

Any kind of clear coat other than oil will crack within a fairly short period of time. Wood moves when exposed to moisture, sun (UV rays), heat, cold, humidity, lack of humidity, and any weather change. No matter how much clear Urethane or other hard coat you have on it. I have seen wood that had furniture grade clear coat on it under a microscope. Believe it or not, it looks like a sponge. It is impossible to coat wood enough to protect it from the elements so stick to oil. Oil will let it breathe without cracking up like the hard clear coat will eventually do. You can re-apply oil any time with or without a light sanding. Steel wool is not good on wood as the grain will catch. Scotch brite is better, sand paper is best. Use a stearated sandpaper (usually the light grey sandpaper) which has dry lubricant which helps keep the sandpaper from clogging up. You can use the sandpaper with oil as you apply coats. Make sure that you coat all sides top and bottom of each board. When you re-coat you can just do the top which gets full exposure, no need to take it all apart again. Walnut has an open grain and will work well with oil - tung oil, teak oil, or any kind of oil for wood. If you can find one with UV inhibitors go for it (as long as it is oil and not a "finish").
Just my two cents...

 

1ST-RIDE received 8 coats ( with a total of 16 hrs of block sanding between coats ) of Alphatic Urethane . A 2 part material High gloss looks like a wet glass finish .

Another quality product is Lorkote a 3 part top coat w/ a 2 part Isolante sealer . Looks like gloss plastic finish . A major mill work co. near here uses it on all exterior wood products.All species of wood doors & windows . They have not had a call back on the product finish for 10 years.I used it on the oak boards for the stock truck & was very pleased . Spary all your finishes if possible . Much better end result .

 

topmoo will that method work on walnut plywood ?? just make sure i do all sides??

thanks