I have some exposed wood in my bed on several places. I do everything I can to prevent the grain from raising and the finish deteriorating. I have tried clear polyurethane with a UV inhibitor, spar varnish etc. I am wanting to build some sideboards for the 35 bed and want to get it lettered. I don't want to spend the money having a sign painter to paint and letter it, only to have the grain raise in a year. Any ideas? Thanks Root
You might want to consult with the sign painting shop that you plan to use. Any shop that makes wood signs should have a recipe to make wood stand up to the elements.
Your best bet is spar marine urethane,basically it is designed for exterior use unlike some of the finishes on the market. HRP
Use a wood that has a "tight" grain, maple comes to mind. Oak and pine are very porus and let the moisture in. I can say the oak in the bed of my 36 has not raised but I dont drive it in the rain, dry the bed when washed and keep it garaged. My 64 that has the same wood type and protective finish but sits outside and gets used like a truck is raising.
Talk to some people with wooden boats. Mahogany and Teak is some of the wood they use. Read somewhere that marine spar varnish is better for moisture, not polyurethane. Ago
i used some stuff made by P O R called pelucid (spelling) on my truck bed ,it is holding up very good.
Yup. Stain first for color then the mix. You may need to let dry in the sun for a few then the one shot can go on. I use it on all my outdoor cedar and my wooden garden tool handles. Plus, it's trad
I've been a woodworker for 45 years, ( as a hobby ), made many outdoor swings, chairs, tables etc. etc. Listen to Tman, that's the only thing that I've used over the years that holds up. A fairly distant second is a Minwax product with the Helmsman label, it's a spar type marine varnish and works pretty well, but the 50/50 mix is the best.
I used the Helmsman marine polyurethane on the oak bed in my truck. It's been on there a couple of years. I've driven it in the rain and of course washed it and the grain has not raised a bit. That's not to say that I may need to re-coat it someday but so far so good.
Just a caution., when using the oil mix don't leave the rags laying around. spontaneous combustion will take place. Jack
IDK how or if it would work with the lettering on the wood. But i oil the bed in my truck. Oak wood, I just use motor oil. Oiled it up with a few good coats before putting in the truck. When it starts to look tattered, i re-oil it. I prefer using used oil, gives it a darker look.
Root,having been in the paint industry for more than 45 years,the chemically treated woods use many different combinations of chemicals to help protect the wood from UV deterioration. Ammonia copper zinc arsenic is the most used but there are others,,don't burn the scraps please. Cabot's makes some great exterior products. HRP
root - had a friend in so Cal that built race boats - flat bottom Hallet type - he used a 75% white Elmers glue and 25% water to seal all of his wood. - dries clear and can be painted over - in 3 years of use I never saw 1 problem come up - just a thought - jaxx
My other obsession is a big ol' wood boat. Whenever I have any exposed wood to deal with, I first treat it with a thin epoxy product made by Smith called CPES (clear penetrating epoxy sealer). It is watery thin and penetrates deeply into the wood fiber. It then needs to be either painted or coated with some sort of clear finish as it has no UV protection. In your case I would use a good quality spar varnish over the CPES. Good luck... bob
Yup. Make sure that you dispose of any materials used in the process properly. The lumber yard across the street from my shop, in the early 00's, nearly burned down, from linseed oil soaked rags, dropped in a garbage can.
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