Here's a couple pics from last Oct 2018 when I last did an application. Normally I will touch up the strips and wheel wells with white canned rust-oleum. Then I will apply the oil next day, week, month or whenever I get around to it. Oiling only takes about 15 minutes. But, how's it holding up? Last Oct when I went to oil I noticed the second big board from the left was cupping up about a 1/4". So I lashed it down, you can see the bolts to the cross members. That same board had continued to open up. I have always had my eye on that particular board. If you look at the original pics you can see the faint black lines in the same board. It has continued to open a bit each year. I don't think it's going anywhere now. I dripped extra oil in the cracks and that has now hardened like a resin.
I like the dark patina. I like that the wood is getting hard. I don't like that it's opening up. I think I will get 10-15 years. I think the wood will still be structurally viable in that time frame. But it won't win a show prize!
The truck stays outside and the bed get's abused. But.. it's not the usage abuse, it's just flat the weather. Wood doesn't like weather. You have to maintain wood. It's why I tried this (almost) maint free solution. Easy maint anyway, not like paint or varnish.
I was at a restoration shop Saturday. The owner was looking over my truck, he commented on the bed wood and said they spray a poly clear coat like for paint jobs. He said it won't split with that. I really doubt it though, let me see the three to five year bed spent outside. His stuff is expensive and his clients probably both garage and cover their expensive toys. But, everyone comments on the bed wood and has an opinion, I listen and I am interested. But I really want to see the five year, been in the elements solution. Keeping wood looking natural and pristine is a tough one. Paint is the pest protection you can get, and sometimes boards still crack and move. You can get paint that's pretty damed good, but there is no guarantee how each board is going to behave. But I wanted my wood to look like wood. So there's that, the satisfaction I get when I look at the wood.
Anyhow thats the update. Would I do tung oil again? Not sure yet. I will definitely know in five more years. Would I do yellow pine again? Not sure on that either. Next time I may just mill some railroad ties.
I posted this to help people decide. Not really an evangelist, just hoped to get a good solution to keep the natural look.
j
