New Bedwood For The Flareside

[68 Ford Stepside]

I ordered new oak bedwood & hardware for the flareside today. Now I have to figure out if I want to paint the wood black or clear coat it.It's not going to be for show. It will haul a load of dirt etc. every now & then.

[sargentrs]

If you're going to be using it like a work truck, I would go with a stain as opposed to a paint. Worse mistake I ever made was painting the deck boards on my front porch. I should have just Thompson Water Sealed 'em or stained 'em. Paint wears too readily and requires frequent repainting. A stain soaks more into the wood and is less maintenance. A clear would be pretty for a little while but, IMHO, would wear just as quickly as paint. Of course, multiple coats of a good polyurethane clear is pretty darn durable too. Just a matter of personal preference, I guess.

[abe]

They were painted body color at the factory. I don't know how long that paint lasted, tho....

[jimmy828]

I agree with sargentrs with the polyurethane. Being in the woodworking field all my life i am a Minwax fan. I think i would not stain bed floor and settle for 4 coats of Minwax exterior oil base urethane. Coat every square inch, top,bottom,ends. You will be surprised and happy how the natural finish turns out. You can thin the first coat with mineral spirits to use as a sealer. By thinning the 1st coat it will soak deeper in to wood. Good luck with what ever method you choose and post some pics.

[68 Ford Stepside]

I agree with sargentrs with the polyurethane. Being in the woodworking field all my life i am a Minwax fan. I think i would not stain bed floor and settle for 4 coats of Minwax exterior oil base urethane. Coat every square inch, top,bottom,ends. You will be surprised and happy how the natural finish turns out. You can thin the first coat with mineral spirits to use as a sealer. By thinning the 1st coat it will soak deeper in to wood. Good luck with what ever method you choose and post some pics.

I'm thinking about asking the local wood preserving company, Cox Wood Preserving Co., if they can treat my boards.They would last at least thirty years & I wouldn't have to worry if they got scraped or something when I haul things.I'll have time to treat them as LMC informed me today that the carriage head bolts are going to be on back order for a couple of weeks.

[68 Ford Stepside]

New bedwood came in today, four days after I ordered it. I'll have to say it is the prettiest oak wood I ever remember seeing before. I'll talk to Cox Wood Preserving Co. Monday about treating it. I'm really going to hate using it in a work truck, but I use it when I need to haul anything & my son will be using it as soon he acquires it.

[sargentrs]

Congrats! Can't wait to see it.

[jzjames]

So is your bedwood all machined and ready for installation or is it raw wood?
Not to be a skeptic, but Ive never seen or heard of any treatment to the wood that will hold up unless its protected from the elements -
like a tonneau or kept undercover. That sun and weather will just cause microcracks in the finish and believe me, the moisture will get right in.
I think that oil with stain is as good as anything. When I installed my bedwood I tried tongue oil, but it quickly broke down and oxidized in the sun and moisture.
I was able to buy a box of carraige bolts, 5/16-18 X 1 1/2, which is what you need for the bedstrips, at the hardware. I still have half the box,(50), and you're welcome to it if you can cancel your LMC "backorder"(???) (backorder for common carraige bolts?)
I also got the flange hex nuts for the bolts. (Shipping would probably be more than just going down and buying them though)
Do you have your bedstrips? I used Mar-K
I think Ive still got the Mar-K instructions for installing if you think you can use it.

[68 Ford Stepside]

I bought the entire kit from LMC. The wood is precut & smooth as silk. It is hard to believe you guys don't use treated against rot lumber in your part of the country. My patio cover is built with treated lumber. There are eighty thousand boat docks built with treated lumber around our local lakes. All of the power poles in this state are treated against rot. I'm going to ask Cox Wood Preserving Co. Monday if my bed wood can be treated like all the other wood his company treats. If for some reason it can't, then I will be looking at your plan. I would expect the reason for the backorder on bolts is that they are stainless & during this time of the year, many more people are working on their trucks.Thanks for your input.

[jzjames]

The wood preserving is using the preservative liquid under pressure? Pressure treated? Let us know what the process is.

[jimmy828]

If one does use pressure treated lumber of any kind,it would be best to let it dry out for a couple of months. Let it shrink due to moisture before installation. Pressure treated lumber is excellent for exterior applications but is not worth a crap for holding it's shape. Even as Stepside said he was going to use the truck to haul materials,he could take a piece of $10.00 OSB to cover oak bed when hauling.

Stepside, let us know what the lumber yard said about treating the oak boards.

[68 Ford Stepside]

If one does use pressure treated lumber of any kind,it would be best to let it dry out for a couple of months. Let it shrink due to moisture before installation. Pressure treated lumber is excellent for exterior applications but is not worth a crap for holding it's shape. Even as Stepside said he was going to use the truck to haul materials,he could take a piece of $10.00 OSB to cover oak bed when hauling.

Stepside, let us know what the lumber yard said about treating the oak boards.

Will do,Monday.

[68 Ford Stepside]

If one does use pressure treated lumber of any kind,it would be best to let it dry out for a couple of months. Let it shrink due to moisture before installation. Pressure treated lumber is excellent for exterior applications but is not worth a crap for holding it's shape. Even as Stepside said he was going to use the truck to haul materials,he could take a piece of $10.00 OSB to cover oak bed when hauling.

Stepside, let us know what the lumber yard said about treating the oak boards.

The guy at Cox said the boards will swell when treated & check or crack when they are dried. Think I will stick with the Minwax Urethane idea. I don't want any cracks in $400.00 worth of boards. Thanks for the advise.Have A Great Ford Day!

[jimmy828]

If one does use pressure treated lumber of any kind,it would be best to let it dry out for a couple of months. Let it shrink due to moisture before installation. Pressure treated lumber is excellent for exterior applications but is not worth a crap for holding it's shape. Even as Stepside said he was going to use the truck to haul materials,he could take a piece of $10.00 OSB to cover oak bed when hauling.

Stepside, let us know what the lumber yard said about treating the oak boards.

The guy at Cox said the boards will swell when treated & check or crack when they are dried. Think I will stick with the Minwax Urethane idea. I don't want any cracks in $400.00 worth of boards. Thanks for the advise.Have A Great Ford Day!

Just make sure it is for exterior application. Don't forget pics!!

[68 Ford Stepside]

When I bought my truck, the bed had a half rotten sheet of plywood in it. Today I removed the plywood & found out why the plywood was there. The new LMC bedboards have been urethaned. Now to clean up the old mess & install the new stuff.Should have it completed some time next week.I think the new boards & hardware will be a vast improvement from what you see here. Have A Great Ford Day!