I’ve used oak and ash for my bed wood the last 40yrs and they just don’t hold up to the
harsh elements, sun, heat, humidity and rain here in Florida. So after talking to several specialty lumber yards about cypress wood, which thrives in water, I’ve decided to install cypress wood in my bed. The folks at the lumber yards said that cypress would hold up much better and longer than other hard woods. Has anyone ever used cypress and if so how did it work out.

 

At the lumberyard I used to work at 45 years ago, they said cypress doesn't rot.

 

Rot is the issue with me, 3-5yrs my wood has rotted in a number of places. I’m hoping cypress will last a lot longer as I’m tired of replacing wood. I’ve tried all sorts of finishes but haven’t had good luck with any preventing rot. My truck stays outside in the weather so it’s constantly exposed to harsh conditions particularly in the summer.

 

Another wood to consider might be bamboo, hard as oak and very stable. I worked with a Vietnamese guy who told me about how they used bamboo as pilings for their homes that they built over swampy areas because it was impervious to water.

 

Modern day Cypress is no more rot resistant than modern day cedar. I recently restored all of the wood trim, interior and exterior, in a local Frank Lloyd Wright designed home, where Cypress was used for all of the exterior wood. The house was built in 1907, so the Cypress was all old growth, with upwards of 50 growth rings per inch. There was very little rot, even in wood that had been exposed to the elements for years and even decades. We used sinker log reclaimed Cypress in order to get the same tight grain.

The rot and insect resistance comes from the natural resins in the wood. The tighter the growth rings, the more the resin. Modern fast grown Cypress and cedar still have the resin; however, there just isn't much, due to the wide spacing of the growth rings.

The old growth Cypress was oily to the touch when freshly cut, the sawdust was actually sticky, and the resin quickly built up on cutting tools. Modern Cypress has little to none of that.

Plus, modern Cypress is extremely soft, same as cedar.

If you want to use Cypress, expect to pay $10.00 or so per board foot for the old growth.

Yellow pine will last longer than modern Cypress, as will white oak, and both are substantially harder than Cypress.

I would not use modern Cypress or cedar.

 

I suspect cypress would hold up fairly well in a truck bed environment, although it is not extremely hard and may be gouged by sharp edges. I have in my possession, a home made cypress table that has been in my family at least since 1949. I remember using it to clean fish as a kid. It has set out in the weather for the most of the time, used as a fish cleaning table, a potting table, a game cleaning table, a work table, and even a picnic table. I am sure it has had other uses as well. It has cypress knees for legs and 1" X 14" top boards. This piece has character. It has a few spots that seem to be softer than others but overall, it has held up well. The only maintenance I can remember is hosing it down and washing it using a stiff brush. Pretty, it is not. Functional it is.

 

I'd be willing to bet that it has a tight ring structure, being that old.

 

I used Santos Mahogany for my truck bed and I couldn't be happier. It is hard to cut and route but it looks and wears great. I bought mine from a guy who does custom doors and windows for new homes. Not really that much more expensive than pine or oak. Good luck with whatever you choose. Steve

 

Ipe is another very hard, heavy, and dense wood that should hold up well to weather.

 

Ipe is what I had been considering but, what would it cost to do an 8 foot express bed? And where to get it?

 

In Florida? I would contact Firstrider, AKA Dennis Dahle. He's a woodworker out of Port St. Lucie. He also has two amazing F1's, and rebuilds the MagicAire Heater units.

 

You can get an aluminum bed floor that looks like wood from Mid Fifty if you like. Pricy for sure but will last forever.

 

How Dade county pine ? Hard as iron & will last forever . Oh , that's right it may be extinct ! Would shy away from Cypress . Way too soft . Dents w/ a finger nail .Good if you want to haul air .,

 

Old growth sinker cypress is available from specialty lumber places. Cypress has a fairly large expansion, contraction rate. White oak holds up well. The South American deck woods are probably the best but spendy.

 

Hulleywoodworking, got my cypress boards and I’ve got about 30 tight rings per inch and the wood is very sticky with the sawdust sticking to the blades of the planer, saw, router, and the bottom of my shoes, hope this is a good sign. I’ll be clear coating them with an automotive clear coat hoping it will give a better protection than the varnish, spar varnish, shelack, polyurethane, teak oil and few others that initially look good but start to deteriorate shortly thereafter.

Happy Turkey day to everyone