Has anyone tried using Thompson's Water Seal and Waterproofer for the wood in the bed of their truck? Seems like it should work pretty good since it is designed to protect other outdoor furniture and decks. I am going with a Wormy (Ambrosia) Maple bed. It won't be parked outdoors all the time...just during cruises or car shows so I am not worried about it trying to withstand 14" of snow during the Colorado winters here.

Thoughts?

 

FWIW, and I'm not a chemist so can't say for sure, but I've always been told that Thompson's is one of those products that spend more money on marketing than product, and almost every other product on the shelf is better. I'll let some of the other woodworkers chime in, but you may want to do your own research on quality of product. FYI.

 

The Ax has spoken (I tend to listen to him since he is waaaay smarter than me):

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...g-sealing.html

 

I bought this CRAP to spray on my fence about a month ago and finally got around to trying to put it on last night. It says right on the jug "can spray from a garden style sprayer". That is the 100% reason why I bought it. Lets just say after 30 minutes of screwing around with my garden sprayer, I quit and will never buy this product again. It is honestly like glue and there is no way it will protect anything since you can't even get it out of the sprayer!


Go a more expensive route via Minwax or something else. I have never had a problem with them.

 

Figure out what you want the truck to be. A show truck or a truck you can throw trash in the back of and head for the dump. If the later, go with a deck sealer, not necessarily the one mentioned. If you want the glossy, mirror like finish, read some of the threads and comments on this forum. I use the same deck sealer on my wood truck beds that I use on my house decks. Not pretty, not glossy, not fancy but durable. Someone gave me five gallons of the Thompson stuff and I have it on my trailer deck. I have no idea how it will or will not hold up. All my equipment is stored under cover.

 

My dad has used this years ago along with several other stuff to protect the wood on the side of the bed and in the bed of his little red express truck. We never could get it to really last even after doing up to 9 coats inside and letting it dry for a couple of days before putting them back in the truck. We just wound up painting them in the bed. The different clear coats for the wood we tried didn't last longer than 4 to 5 months either.

 

Thompson's Water Seal is pretty much carnuba wax dissolved in some pretty potent solvents. Once, I had a client ask me to spray it on the wood siding of his house. Some overspray hit the asphalt shingles, and they started melting. a bed done with it will need recoating eventually. You'll never get anything else to penetrate into the wood that's been treated with it. And, who knows what the Thompson's will do to your paint job if some gets on it.

 

AFAIK Thompsons is primarily paraffin (candle) wax dissolved in mineral spirits with maybe a little silicone thrown in for water beading. Lifespan is about 6 months. Why would you spend the money for an attractive wood like ambrosia maple then coat/"protect" it with the cheapest cr*p on the market? I highly recommend 100% pure tung oil from a woodworking supplier (NOT "tung oil finish" or any of the other highly advertised junk sold in big box DIY stores!). You can do it right or do it over, your choice.
The ambrosia maple will age to a beautiful honey color with tung oil.

 

I read the test results of 5 similar products, Thompsons finished 5th, Olympic finished first.

 

After seeing it mentioned many times and seeing it in person at a local car show, I've decided to use the 100% pure tung oil on Hickory for one of my trucks.

I ordered it at realmilkpaint.com

 

Urethane Marine Varnish, gloss. Has been on my bed wood for 20 years and still looks great.

 

Just when I thought I had nothing to do- I read this thread and remember that I was going to refinish the wood on my '56 Custom Cab. So tonight, I'm under the truck and the wife's above, holding bolt heads.

Got my tung oil from Real Milk and hopefully it'll be here in a few days. But now I have to start sanding what's left of the old varnish etc. from better than 10 years ago. Now my question- what's the correct procedure for sanding the boards? Stupid question but I'm sure there's an art to it.

 

Belt sander, with the grain only

 

Listen to Ax - I did and used 100% Tung oil on my black walnut bed. It was beautiful. If you do, it may take a couple coats but don't be afraid to use a lot on each coat. Have fun

 

Only issue is peeling clear- what grades of sandpaper?