Automotive clearcoat on bed wood, how do i get the color?

[msgross]

I would go with a marine grade varnish...

[chipflyer]

I liked the Satin look, this is what I used. 4 coats brushed on both sides of the boards required 2 quarts. This stuff can't be sprayed and you must be careful to avoid bubbles.

Jeff

[gkesseru]

You can now get water based satins in any color (actually a dye). My local Benjamin Moore store has a full set of wood dyes. You dye the wood to the color of your choice and then use the finish of your choice.

[lyrikz]

Originally Posted by chipflyer

I wouldn't trust Lowes either. Go to a paint store and get their opinion. I bought the stain and the spar varnish for my wood at the local Benjamin Moore store. The guy even opened 3 different cans of stain and did a few scrap pieces of oak to show me how dark each got. A paint store will without a doubt tell you what products of theirs can be used over others.

Jeff

I emailed them directly, so we will see. ahah..

Originally Posted by msgross

I would go with a marine grade varnish...

I think Minwax helmsman spar urethane is marine grade. Its just the best i have found so far after doing TONS of reading. ahah..

I was going to go with pelucid with helmsman over that.. Then found out you cant stain under pelucid. So im just going to go with a good stain and tons of helmsman. lol

[OARNGESI]

Can you use a red candy paint to get the tint

[lyrikz]

Got some info for you guys if anyone wants to hear. Minwax got back to me and what they recommend on using on truck wood is.

Dear Del, The Wood Finish Stain does not contain UV inhibitors. The stain color willfade quickly once the Helmsman Spar Urethane begins to breakdown. Use theGel Stain and Helmsman Spar Urethane for the best outdoor stain and finishcombination. Maintain the Helmsman Spar Urethane by lightly sanding andre-coating as needed. I hope this helps! Thanks for contacting Minwax. Regards, KimMinwax Product Support

So, looks like i have my combination. lol..

[Sammy]

I used some marine stuff. Mixed a few cans of quality stains to achieve what I wanted on scrap. Then used the quality marine coating on top. Nothing is going to last for ever. However something designed for UV/ sal****er protection has to last longer than what you would get from another source. Talk to a guy who does restoration on boats. Thats where I got my ideas from. They have been dealing with UV and extreme conditions for several years. They know what works and what doesn't. Comparing outdoor furniture coatings or doors to what goes on a boat are different applications.

[HighwayHum72]

i was reading thru this thread and i just have to say that the bed pictures on the previous page are amazing! wow!!! unreal man...

[Botietruck]

I used Bristol Finishes Marine Amber Clear. It is a 2-part mix. I applied 4 coats of that on both sides, ends & edges, then sanded with 400 grit and applied 2 coats of Sherwin-Williams Automotive Ultra 7000 clear, sanded with 400 grit and finished it off with 2 more coats of S/W clear. Alot of work, but it looks good and it is well protected.
I would stay away from the Minwax/Thompson's, etc. Go with a premium Marine finish. You won't be sorry.

[AZTowman]

Originally Posted by lyrikz

Whats everyones thoughts on using walnut as a bed floor. The worst thing my bed will see is kids feet...

i am new here, but i have had some experience with wood. i would recommend a hardwood instead of pine. it is much more durable. walnut is very dark brown or black and would be hard to get a red tint. mahogany is a natural red wood and is less expensive that teak. as far as finishes, nothing holds up as well as marine finishes. if it rains a lot your part of washington, moisture will be worse on the truck bed than kids' feet. as noted in posts above, each board needs to be completely sealed (especially the ends). if moisture gets in through the ends, all the hard work is for nothing.

[lyrikz]

Originally Posted by AZTowman

i am new here, but i have had some experience with wood. i would recommend a hardwood instead of pine. it is much more durable. walnut is very dark brown or black and would be hard to get a red tint. mahogany is a natural red wood and is less expensive that teak. as far as finishes, nothing holds up as well as marine finishes. if it rains a lot your part of washington, moisture will be worse on the truck bed than kids' feet. as noted in posts above, each board needs to be completely sealed (especially the ends). if moisture gets in through the ends, all the hard work is for nothing.

I would honestly LOVE a hardwood. But 7 dollars a plank compared to 30 dollars a plank its just not in the budget.

[Roman]

This is what I used: Not rocket science, I just sticked to a wood finish. Select the shade of oil based stain, Minwax carries various shades. Then seal with Minwax Helsman outdoor urethane at least three coats. After it is totally cured dry, you may want to try sand lightly with 1200-2000 sandpaper and buff for a cristal clear gloss.

[madchopper]

I work with wood al the time and the Helman's is an awsome product, I have never shot it before but it works great from a roller. Minwax has about every color you can think of for stainging the wood all types of colors. I have used the Helman's on every outdoor product I make it good stuff. I don't know if you plan on putting anything in your bed but pine is very soft and dents very easy, but it is easy to work with. I fyou can get some pacfic northwest lodgepole pine it has much tighter grain and is more dense then the southern pines, since it growes slower. Just some thoughts.

[AZTowman]

not sure if it is available in your area, but alder is a hard wood that is very economical. the grain is usually not as interesting and i am not sure what the current price difference is, but check it out. be sure to get plenty of the product you choose on the ends of the planks.

[lyrikz]

Originally Posted by AZTowman

not sure if it is available in your area, but alder is a hard wood that is very economical. the grain is usually not as interesting and i am not sure what the current price difference is, but check it out. be sure to get plenty of the product you choose on the ends of the planks.

I spent two weekends pricing wood. Most economical i found was clear pine. That was still a bit much for me. Being mine will never see water and always garaged i went with pine/spruce. 50 bucks fo 56 feet worth. lol.. With a bunch of stain and a bunch of McCloskey marine grade urethane, i should be fine.

[madchopper]

Alder is a very good choice for a bed and has a very wild grain, but is a bit more spendy if you want it clear. Pine is good just look for grain that is very close together (rings per inch) in the boards you pick out these closer rings have a stronger and more dense with makes the boards stronger.

[amccomb]

I am about to start applying product to my pine boards. I decided to go with POR-15 pelucid, I am not sure what to use as a UV protectant top coat? I did research via mark-k. They used helmspare. Any better suggestions that will work with the pellucid?

[96blazr]

What's the goal here? You want to tint it and then be able to throw stuff in the back without damaging the wood "too much"?
I agree with a lot of the other guys suggestions and look for more of a Marine grade products.
I did mine with Carolina Ash with 2 coats of Minwax Medium-Oak and then 4 coats of the Marine Spar-Varnish. Oh and remember to sand between all coats of Varnish.
Good luck. Post pics on how it goes and the finished product.

[peglegs]

Originally Posted by lyrikz

Im doing my own pine bedwood and i want some red wood color to it. What can i put on the wood that will give me the color but then the automotive clear coat will stick to. I know how to paint metal, but im stumped with wood...

lyrikz your on the right track if you are considering a lumber yard pine id rethink its durabilty #1 but also it will not do red justice. sugar pine weighs about 18 lbs a cubic ft. where as red oak weighs in about 46-48, i may be off a few pounds one way or the other but you get my drift u can see how soft a lumber yard pine is so no mater what finish you use whats under it would be soft therefore not supporting any protective coating. if you like pine try finding a southern yellow pine it has beautiful grain and has been used for flooring in homes and factories for 150 years is salvaged & recycled today in great demand. As far as auto clear coat imho you picked the best, think about it what takes a beating & needs to be flexable more the auto paint? what protects it? ultra violet protection additive & auto clear has a high content.. if thats what you decide thin your first coat 50/50 it will soak in the pors deeper forming a better "sealer" first coat, use aprox. 220 grit sandpaper not by hand but with a block, any block & consider wet sanding with waterproof white paper your final coat shouldbe left alone.
now your color, fitz is right a dye would be best, stains will fill in wood pores a dye coats the walls of the pores accentuating the grain. be carefull i used an automotive blue for the stain on oak once appeared more greenish than blue .
if you decide on a varnish use epifanes http://www.epifanes.com/ used on some of the best yachts in the world for its high UV rating
if you are lookn for a high quality " glass" finish you may try a wood filler to fill the pores & to go one step further color it to accentuate the pore again.

Do a sample first i can give a few more tips if you let me know what you are shooting for show or driver? color matching your body color etc.
perhaps something really trick like sprinkling wet metal shavings on a prepared wood surface let dry blow off the shavings.
i read a comment here once bout sanding down to a 400 grit......no no. you are then polishing the surface, no finer than 220 grit

hope i made some sense its late here & this is my forte,its a blast tricken out some bed wood have fun with its a large part of this project that can make it as sure as it can break it
theres a lotta great tips here like botie suggestion to coat top bottom & edges all with an equal amount of coats<<<<<very important tip.

[Ol Blue K20]

How bout spar varnish? It's designed for marine apps and weather and you can get it in high gloss. I've used it on the wood in convertable top bows and model a wood in the body with fantastic results. I believe it was a minwax product purchased at a Benjermin Moore store

[lenguini]

Are any of the beds in this post exposed to weather ?They all look great but Id be curious if they would last over a 2 year period before peeling and discolouring if not kept in the garage.

I have been doing some research on tung oil.A coat once every 2 years without having to remove the wood to do it.

Mar-k has done extensive tests and results prove there is no product that lasts longterm.

Thoughts anyone ?

[gkesseru]

There is no way that you can have a pretty glossy truck bed that sits out in weather and expect it to last more than one season. The best you can do with an outdoor wooden bed is to think of it as the same as your deck. Go look at deck treatments. Even then, expect to refresh it on a regular basis.

[PanelDeland]

Look at the boards over on td&ttt. IIRC the Forums are Mikenchell.com.They build teardrop trailers and coat them with a clear waterproof epoxy.They then suggest auto clearcoat for the UV protection. "SPOILER ALERT" If you don't need a small light camp trailer to look good and tow behind your classic rig,just search for wood finish info.


BTW Their forum is a lot like this one.They have about the same rules and expect about the same amount of civility or maybe a little more(less banter amongst members).They tend to be a bit "Green" also.

[lenguini]

Originally Posted by PanelDeland

Look at the boards over on td&ttt. IIRC the Forums are Mikenchell.com.They build teardrop trailers and coat them with a clear waterproof epoxy.They then suggest auto clearcoat for the UV protection. "SPOILER ALERT" If you don't need a small light camp trailer to look good and tow behind your classic rig,just search for wood finish info.


BTW Their forum is a lot like this one.They have about the same rules and expect about the same amount of civility or maybe a little more(less banter amongst members).They tend to be a bit "Green" also.

Having trouble finding the info...maybe you could post a link to this specific thread ?

Thank you,
Ed.

[cericd]

Originally Posted by lenguini

Having trouble finding the info...maybe you could post a link to this specific thread ?

Thank you,
Ed.

I'm pretty sure this is the forum he was referring to http://www.tnttt.com/.