Bed boards
 

Been reading through alot of the discussions on staining / clearing the bed boards, what is everyone doing on the bottom side, clearing that also ? I was thinking 2 good coats of oil base paint on bottoms and sides then stain and clear the top, anyone used this method ? Other suggestions?

Re: Bed boards
 

It all depends on the look you want from the bottom and how well you want to seal it.

There have been a lot of concepts tossed around over the years as some guys think you shouldn't seal it at all and some sand and varnish it to match the top side and others are somewhere between.

Re: Bed boards
 

Im ok with just a painted bottom, seems like clear coat would eventually look dull and grungy on the bottom side anyway, so I was more concerned with getting a good seal on the wood, I wont be driving in the rain on purpose, but surely it will happen, thats why I was thinking a good oil base paint, easy to apply, durable and should look ok, was just curious if anyone did it and how its holding up

Re: Bed boards
 

I brushed two coats of polyester grain filler on all the surfaces of the wood, then sanded to 240.

I followed with two coats of polyester clear, sanding between coats. I finish sanded with 400 grit. I didn't use any stain.

For the top coat, I sprayed automotive clear, then color sanded up to about 2000 grit and stopped. I didn't buff it and the 2000 grit left a nice satin finish
https://talk.classicparts.com/media/...od-1.7161/full

Re: Bed boards
 

I have found that stain and varnish holds up better on wood than paint (just my experience on wood covering in general).

Re: Bed boards
 

Oil base porch and deck paint holds up pretty good if you can find it now. It would hold up just about as good as anything on the top side for guys who painted the top side of the wood rather than varnish it. I've got it on the bottom of my sailboat and it has held up real good on it over the 17 years that I have had it on there with maybe one actual full touch up over the years. That was Valspar oil base porch and deck paint that I put on it.

Re: Bed boards
 

Yup! Used Valspar Primer/Sealer on the bottom of mine, then a good black topcoat on that. Should last forever on Ash.....

Re: Bed boards
 

If you have the time I would use Tung oil. The whole process will take about a month. Tung oil is a oil that dries. It's in the wood not on top of the wood. It has been used on wooden boats for thousands of years. It doesn't build up so there is no problem with changing the fitment. It will never peal or get scratched off. I buy the pure stuff and cut the first 2 coats with solvent 50% so it penetrates well. I use it on conference tables I make that cost tens of thousand of dollars. Maybe buy a small amount off Amazon and play with it. It is very durable and if you scratch it just rub another coat on it. It's a beautiful finish with a lot of depth. It's not used much because of the long time it takes to do it. Just thought I would throw another option out there

Re: Bed boards
 

Thanks for all the input, mick53, does the tung oil have a deep gloss looking finish that a poly would ? Also are there different shades available ?

Re: Bed boards
 

That depends on how many coats you put on and how much you rub out the coats. Completely sealed about 4 coats is more of a satin get up around 6 coats and you can buff it to quite a shine. You can stain it first with any oil based stain but it has a slight dark tint like varnish. Put the first coat on before the stain dries so it soaks in, If you want to keep it very light you can use boiled linseed oil. Make sure it's boiled or it won't dry. It's not as deep looking as Tung oil but much less expensive. It does not take much because you are just soaking the wood. Takes less each coat. Do all 6 sides. The nice thing is if it gets damaged just sand any damage and rub some more on. or just to shine it up. It gets better as time goes on. It doesn't build up on top so it won't get the super high gloss that urathane will.

Re: Bed boards
 

Mick53's post reminded me of a good thread of a board member using tung oil for his bed wood. He provides updates and pictures over a period of a few years showing how often it requires maintenance and how the color progresses.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=712931

Re: Bed boards
 

I think paint on underside would be the same as clear. Maybe more durable. Certainly so when exposed to UV - which it mostly won't be on underside.

I used satin Marine VARNISH rather than urethane after reading online that varnish will allow a bit more expansion & contraction before cracking than urethane. We'll see. My truck is stored indoors all the time. 3 coats on underside, sanded between coats. 7 coats on topside, again sanded between coats. No stain.

Re: Bed boards
 

I stained my ebony black then I went to west marine and picked up some marine grade spar varnish , i did all four side and sanded between coats , honestly I think it took weeks to varnish I believe I did three coats of that stuff and too be honest Ive never seen bed wood look better than that the varnish was thick and bullet proof and added dimension

Re: Bed boards
 

So I ordered a marine grade clear sanding sealer, which will go on after the stain, then top coat that with automotive urethane clear. This is a process I found that guys use when they are finishing panels on a woody, so it seems this would be pretty durable.