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My truck bed was done 8 years ago. I haul with it and have used the bed numerous times. Now it is time for a refresh. The before Side rails The underside of the boards still look good All boards out. Time to clean up and sand Side rails done and on my \"stain /varish rack" ready to be put back together.
Are your stake pockets bolted in to the bedsides? I have thought about putting racks on my 54 but wasn't sure if the stakes should bottom out at the bottom of the stake pocket or should they fit tight and be wedged into the stake pocket.
The first time around I used finish from by buddies woodworking shop.....not made for exterior. (I was not smart).
I spent about 8 hrs sanding with a belt sander and orbiting sander
the stake posts are only part way in and I have 2 screws in each that run 3/4 of the way thru the wood
The first time around I used finish from by buddies woodworking shop.....not made for exterior. (I was not smart).
I spent about 8 hrs sanding with a belt sander and orbiting sander
the stake posts are only part way in and I have 2 screws in each that run 3/4 of the way thru the wood
We all make mistakes and shortcuts, don't we. No wonder your boards looked they way they did. Eight coats of Helmsman Urethane should last longer! LOL.
I sanded the Urethane off my boards before I painted them.
I am a sailor and take care of the varnish on my sailboat. I use old original spar varnish. On new or bare wood I put on 10 coats initially. My boat is out of the water and covered 5-6 months and fully exposed to the sun the remaining 6-7 months. I lightly sand and put on 2 coats of varnish every spring. I have not had to strip back to bare wood for over 20 years. UV is the enemy of varnish. If your truck is garaged, you will not need to do annual varnish. I am in Maine. Further south with stronger sun if not garaged will require more frequent varnish.
I used Tung Oil on my side rails as its a lot easier to maintain, never needs sanding, can be simply wiped or brushed on and wiped off with a rag. As soon as you jump into a built up "coating" it will have to maintained obviously and all that involves sanding tacking etc. The oil allows the maintenance of that process to go on easier in my opinion. Although oil doesn't last as long, except for the fact that the rails are vertical as opposed to laying flat out to the sun will make a big difference as they won't need the attention that the bed wood will need. I would have oiled the bed too except it doesn't produce the wow shiny factor that traditional varnish does. A good source for a better quality varnish is a marine supplier instead of the paint store. Epifanes is a superior varnish that I would highly recommend to anyone. A single component tranditional varnish should last years and year on a garage kept truck. Although a periodic maintenance of one coat per year would last just about indefinitely if done every year.
Has anyone sprayed on their spar finish? I used a brush on the rails. Now I have 2 coats sprayed on the back of the bed boards. It's looking ok
Jeff,
I apologize for not following up on this thread. Good for you using spar varnish. When I built a 1938 Ford woodie, I sprayed all the wood disassembled multiple coats and sponge brush varnished the last 2 coat with the car assembled. I had to make a number of structural pieces plus all new plywood panels. To blend the new wood with the original I tinted the first 2 coats of varnish on the new wood. Below is a pic of the Woodie when I owned it.
the more costs the better! You should be pretty good with that. Some people just paint black paint on the bottom which is an interesting idea. Looks great 👍🏽
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