Bed wood

As I sit and stare at the open floor in the stepside bed of my truck, I can't help but think of the options for the bed floor. I'm tossing around the idea of using a black oak hard wood that I have left over from my house build. It's the same width as stock truck bed wood so it'll fit nicely.
Let's see some pictures of what everyone else used on they're bed floor.

 

I am using Cherry on mine. this is without any finish on the wood just testing the fit.

 

The next one I do will be made from Trex or some other fake plastic lumber.

Bob

 

Garaged all the time and never getting wet is the only way to do a varnished bed floor. Ever try to keep up with the wood on a sailboat? It is impossible!

As for a daily driver, I would opt for pressure treated pine either painted black (for that original look) or stained dark with no top coat (a penetrating stain seals and protects yet is easy to reapply).

 

You need to be careful with pressure treated that all of your hardware is compatible as the new chemicals used in pressure treating wood are very caustic to metal. That is the reason you now have to buy specially coated screws when you build decks etc out of pressure treated lumber.

 

I don't have any photos but I will be doing the bed in my '40 pickup with Brazlian Cherry.

 

As already stated above the black oak would be tough to keep looking good but it sure would make a nice looking floor.

 

biggest issues with the bed is it moves and material swells and shrinks so the untreated edges start to rot.

 

I like that plastic wood idea-very practical sounding for a truck that gets used and lives outside.

 

Without getting into any exotic woods which can get real costly fast I think I would use an Oak.

There are many different types of Oaks and also shades you can use and it should hold up well unless your truck is parked outside or out in the winters.

Jimbo

 

I used a piece of treated plywood and a black chemical spill containment barrier material to cover it,,,I haul all kinds of junk in the bed of my pickup so pretty wood would no look too good after a while. HRP

 

What I've seen on sailboats is moisture getting under the finish and lifting it. Looks bad within a year unless sheltered well.

Of all the oaks I believe the red oak is most resistant to decay as it has closed cells. The least resistant (and also least costly) is white oak.

 

It is actually the exact opposite. White Oak is fairly rot resistent where as Red oaks are one of the worst.

Edit: the reason is Red Oak is very pourous and will absorb water like crazy where as white oak has a closed pore make up so it does not absorb water nearly as much.

 

For pressure treated lumber I would use KDAT (kiln dried after treatment) and that would negate any previously mentioned problems.

And I would also look at pre-finished floorboard laminates that are waterproof.

 

I don't think the laminates would hold up well at all.

 

I thought that until I saw my daughter's pre-finished laminate hardwood
kitchen floor looking brand-new after 6 years, 3 kids and a dog.

 

My floor is white oak with purple stain,[mixed it ourselves form powder stain]

 

I used oak and stained it with 5w-30. Believe me it gets used to.

Sent from my DROID device using the TJJ mobile app

 

Pressure treated,(even kdat somewhat) will crook wane and cup.

 

I made wood slat side steps for a vintage boat trailer out of teak flooring from Lumber Liquidators. Didn't worry about first line finish and saved a ton on a special. Teak (and finish) held up well in and out of the water, so I can't help but think a p/u bed would be no problem.

 

We used oak in our Willys Truck. It's treated with Marine urethane.

 

That's what I'd do. It's free and already home. Just clear coat it with some of this. Put another coat on every few years -

http://www.amazon.com/Rust-Oleum-Varathane-242186H-1-Quart-Urethane/dp/B000ONVI8G/ref=pd_cp_hi_2

 

white oak in my diamond t. treated it with daly's ship & shore and now it's a nice gray color. didn't want it too fancy. white oak has closed pores and is used in marine applications. just leave some space for expansion.

 

If the wood will be exposed to rain and weather, ordinary flat/slab cut wood is not as durable and resistant to warping as vertical grain boards. Wood cut with vertical grain costs more because the process results in more waste. But, vertical grain white(not red) oak is amnong the better options for this kind of use.

 

Here's mine in white oak, teak oiled and spar varnished, then wet sanded and polished. The spar varnish will take a lot of abuse and is very hard to scratch, waterproof etc. No maintenance, but its also not really a work truck, mostly hauls cooler and lawn chairs, camping gear etc.

 

I didn't know you could put spar varnish over teak oil?

 

Kiln-dried pine, stained with ebony black.

 

Spar varnish is solvent based so no problem, still works best if you give the oil a day of dry time and a wipe with a clean rag. Water based clear finishes need a non oily surface but still will work if the oil is given a few days dry time.

 

I used Apiton, a hardwood we use on our lowbeds and move trailers. Very strong with a tight grain. I finished it with a rub on application of undiluted Tung Oil. It can be simply reapplied to freshen up the look. Takes me less than 1 hour to wipe on and wipe off the excess.

 

I`ve used pine, red oak, cherry and ash with varing results. It seems the secret is in the finish rather than the wood for longivity. I`ve had good luck with just spraying two coats of auto clear with no stain for UV holdout.
The pine worked as well as any of the expensive wood.

Just go with the look that does it for you.

The first is pine, then oak and the last is ash unstained.