Bed Wood Guys: Painted Wood Question/s

[SCOTI]

Looking for some guys that have done a wood floor bed or two for some guidance regarding coverage of 'paint' as a coating vs. the type of wood used.

My specific question is regarding Oak... There are two common variations it seems for truck beds that can also be purchased through online sources from my recent browsing escapades. I noticed 'Oak' & 'Red Oak' listed frequently.

If a guy is painting the wood (Black or Aged/Ashy Gray if you need to know exact color possibilities), how drastic would the color shade difference be if you painted these two different types of Oak? And for reference, the paint would be over a sealer (POR or something similar).

My specific reasoning is in the event something needs replacement or repair & one is easier to obtain in a certain size vs the other would the Red-Oak yield a darker or different finish vs the regular Oak if placed side by side?

I can see Stains or Clears being impacted but not sure how an actual paint color w/solids over sealed would fare.

Looking for some hopeful been-there/done-that sort of input/experience please.

Thanks in advance!

[SkinnyG]

Not directly answering your question, but...

Red Oak is porous and will hold moisture - not sure you want that in a bed.

White Oak is not porous, it is/was used in ship building. White Oak is more expensive than Red.

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by SkinnyG

Not directly answering your question, but...

Red Oak is porous and will hold moisture - not sure you want that in a bed.

White Oak is not porous, it is/was used in ship building. White Oak is more expensive than Red.

I looked 'Oak' up to learn & where I started wondering types because it kept listing Oak & Red Oak. I see bed wood kits from Mar-K just ID it as Oak. Trying to determine what does doesn't work.

It seems the Oak fairs weather better & is 'harder' vs other options. It's just a truck bed so Pine would work to for that matter but multiple online/vendor/sources had kits listing Oak as the material. It won't be a show queen. It's a 20-footer.

[SkinnyG]

I went Trex, after pricing out a decent wood and a decent coating, and the probability of having to do it again some time. I'll never have to redo composite decking. But that still doesn't answer your question (grin).

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by SkinnyG

I went Trex, after pricing out a decent wood and a decent coating, and the probability of having to do it again some time. I'll never have to redo composite decking. But that still doesn't answer your question (grin).

I was looking for the 'easy' button on the wood floor. Pre-cut/drilled kit. My floor base sub frames were done utilizing the OG hardware location, dimensions, & placement.

[MT65]

I just put a bed together for friend, trust me “easy” is not in the equation……

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by SkinnyG

I went Trex, after pricing out a decent wood and a decent coating, and the probability of having to do it again some time. I'll never have to redo composite decking. But that still doesn't answer your question (grin).

I was looking for the 'easy' button on the wood floor. Pre-cut/drilled kit. My floor base was done utilizing the OG hardware, dimensions, & placement in the name of simplicity (albeit w/a raised floor).

[Hammered 77]

I've done mine a couple of times and had issues with both, but I was using a clear coat. You need to make sure you use white oak and really make sure the underneath side and edges are sealed also. Mine are in need of being redone again and I talked to Dino 63, haven't seen him on here for some time, He uses Thompson black water seal, said it'e killer!
Rick

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by MT65

I just put a bed together for friend, trust me “easy” is not in the equation……

Relatively speaking.

The statement is in comparison to sourcing the deck surface from whatever material, cutting things to whatever widths/lengths, machining the bed strip grooves, drilling holes etc while keeping visible hardware in crisp alignment.

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by Hammered 77

I've done mine a couple of times and had issues with both, but I was using a clear coat. You need to make sure you use white oak and really make sure the underneath side and edges are sealed also. Mine are in need of being redone again and I talked to Dino 63, haven't seen him on here for some time, He uses Thompson black water seal, said it'e killer!
Rick

The 'undercoat' would be done to the complete board. I see no sense in sealing only one side of something that can possibly absorb moisture.

[rbruno68]

If I understand your question, are you asking if the paint will have a different shade depending on the type of oak you use as bed wood? Lets say white oak vs red oak? I do a little woodworking on the side and this would be just my opinion. The difference in white oak and red oak would show if you were doing a clear stain/finish on the wood. Red oak, well, has a red tone to it and white oak has a more light brown look to it. So those colors would show through the clear finish. I am not sure yo would see much of a difference if you painted them black and then cleared over top. If you are painting, I think the grain would show more of a difference then actually the color of the wood itself. For instance and no matter if it is white or red, if you have a bunch of tight grained pieces and then one piece that has a wider grain, I think you would see that in the paint because the grain absorbs the paint differently. It would also show in the grain the way the board was originally sawn ie quarter sawn or rift sawn. So I think the decision would depend a little on how you would like it to look and how particular you want to be.

I am redoing the bed in my truck and I pulled whatever oak boards I could find from my stock to make into the bed wood. I have one that is white oak and the rest are red. Some have knots and checks and one I had to fill a couple checks and knots with epoxy. But, I had everything in stock and only need to buy two full sets of planner knives to get that hard oak milled to thickness.

I agree that white oak would be better. But, I didn't have enough in stock to do the entire bed in white oak. I am clearing mine, so someone will definitely be able to see that one board is white oak. But is a driver, I had the material, and it is ok with me.
Rob

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by rbruno68

If I understand your question, are you asking if the paint will have a different shade depending on the type of oak you use as bed wood? Lets say white oak vs red oak? I do a little woodworking on the side and this would be just my opinion. The difference in white oak and red oak would show if you were doing a clear stain/finish on the wood. Red oak, well, has a red tone to it and white oak has a more light brown look to it. So those colors would show through the clear finish. I am not sure yo would see much of a difference if you painted them black and then cleared over top. If you are painting, I think the grain would show more of a difference then actually the color of the wood itself. For instance and no matter if it is white or red, if you have a bunch of tight grained pieces and then one piece that has a wider grain, I think you would see that in the paint because the grain absorbs the paint differently. It would also show in the grain the way the board was originally sawn ie quarter sawn or rift sawn. So I think the decision would depend a little on how you would like it to look and how particular you want to be.

I am redoing the bed in my truck and I pulled whatever oak boards I could find from my stock to make into the bed wood. I have one that is white oak and the rest are red. Some have knots and checks and one I had to fill a couple checks and knots with epoxy. But, I had everything in stock and only need to buy two full sets of planner knives to get that hard oak milled to thickness.

I agree that white oak would be better. But, I didn't have enough in stock to do the entire bed in white oak. I am clearing mine, so someone will definitely be able to see that one board is white oak. But is a driver, I had the material, and it is ok with me.
Rob

Thanks! Your info fills in some blanks.

I'm no carpenter nor 'wood' guy. Def no tools for it. I know a couple of guys w/limited equipment but I like to minimize others involvement because I invest WAY MORE time/effort in detail stuff & don't want to subject them to that.

I'll likely move forward since it seems the 'grain' will be my biggest visual issue vs color/tone variance if something ever comes to that.

[forestb]

Originally Posted by SkinnyG

I went Trex, after pricing out a decent wood and a decent coating, and the probability of having to do it again some time. I'll never have to redo composite decking. But that still doesn't answer your question (grin).

Do you have a posting of your Trex install?

[SkinnyG]

About a quarter of the way down this page

[theastronaut]

I've done a few bed woods painted black, both in pine and oak but I'm not sure which variant of oak. If you don't a kit yet, check with Trucks USA in Abbeville SC, we get all of our floor kits from them and they fit great. All three of the bed floors in the pics were from there, they come pre-cut to size and sanded, you only have to drill the perimeter bolt holes once it's all installed. The middle mounting holes are pre-drilled.


Oak has deeper/more porous grain. Using a pore filler first would lessen this look and is necessary when staining and clearing, or you'll get air bubbles in the clear from the air in the pores expanding as the clear dries. I haven't had that issue with primer/paint.






Another with oak.






The grain still shows through paint with pine, but it's smoother than oak. This one was shot using a lower gloss paint than the other two. Seems to be more variation of grain pattern with pine than with oak.









Another in pine showing the differing grain patterns within the same kit.

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by theastronaut

I've done a few bed woods painted black, both in pine and oak but I'm not sure which variant of oak. If you don't a kit yet, check with Trucks USA in Abbeville SC, we get all of our floor kits from them and they fit great. All three of the bed floors in the pics were from there, they come pre-cut to size and sanded, you only have to drill the perimeter bolt holes once it's all installed. The middle mounting holes are pre-drilled.


Oak has deeper/more porous grain. Using a pore filler first would lessen this look and is necessary when staining and clearing, or you'll get air bubbles in the clear from the air in the pores expanding as the clear dries. I haven't had that issue with primer/paint.






Another with oak.






The grain still shows through paint with pine, but it's smoother than oak. This one was shot using a lower gloss paint than the other two. Seems to be more variation of grain pattern with pine than with oak.









Another in pine showing the differing grain patterns within the same kit.

Thanks for the input & source info. Those black floor examples are the look I'm working toward.

[Bears63]

Great info, astronaut. Thanks for that!

[SkinnyG]

I like the Oak over the Pine. Pine doesn't usually take a stain nicely, and while I know that's paint, the grain variation in the Pine does not look as nice (to me) as the Oak.

[72Mountaineer]

What are you guys using for the finish?