question about wood floor

[slick4x4]

what was the original color of the strips of metal between the boards ?
cant tell on mine, just rusty

[Johnny Canuck]

Body color.
Yours has a tin floor in it, don't it?

[slick4x4]

good memory there JC

previous owner placed sheet metal on top of wood floor

going to dissasimble bed, take out dents , and use as much original floor as possible, NOT going to paint bed , just clean & polish
probably will paint strips though

[slick4x4]

uhh....was the wood painted too ?

[36truck]

Yes the wood was painted.

[cdherman]

I think I'd oil the wood instead, especially, as I know you are not wanting to give it a restored look.

How bout 10w30 waste oil for a really authentic old truck look? You might think I am joking but a neighbor up in Smith county has a 65 C10 which has an orignal wood floor. dark as mahogany, but no rust and no rot. His method: He always swept out the bed when he changed the oil and you know where he spread the oil!!!

There are proper wood oils that are bit nicer to use I think!!

As for the strips, I'd sand blast them, but I wonder if paint would look too "restored" as well. I am thinking about how that C10 looks -- tops of the strips are shined up of course and the sides are black. I wonder what cold blueing compound for gunmetal would do to the strips. Kind of black and mottled some I'd guess. Just thinking....

Whatever you do, I agree that your 61 looks SO COOL in its un-restored state, that I'd be very carefull fixing things too well. May ruin the effect. But stopping the rust from getting worse is a great idea.....

[64 ford f260]

boiled linseed oil is what i use on my trailers and you can get that at most hardware stores. i will be using that on my wood bed floor as well. it does have a strong odor for a while until it soaks in.

[don luster]

I build alot of wood horse drawn carriages and I use a lot of linseed oil but I mix it with 50/50 turpintine on the first coat If its heated prior to putting on it will penetrate better. What has not penectrated after the first night then I rub it vigerously with a clean cloth then put a new coat of it on the wood. The more coats the better it looks and the longer it will before it rots. The good thing about it is the fact it can be recoated in the future as many time as you like. Its also mixed on all the previous coats also.

[slick4x4]

good suggestions
i did not want to paint the wood, just preserve it
as far as the strips go, probably go primer brown

[Greg D]

You mean you don't want the chromed ones they sell?

[slick4x4]

that would be like putting a pink bow on a pit bull

[61 Merc]

Tou what Pat, next Slick Stock when you pull the valve cover off for the races, we will let it drip dry over your wood deck to preserve it that way, instead of it dripping all over the pavement.

Dean

[64 litl un]

I am a flintlock longrifle enthusiast. My research and experience with all things longrifle has taught me that BLO Boiled Linseed Oil finishes offer little protection unless top coated with wax.
Tung oil, on the other hand offers far better protection.
Both finishes will never dry and be gummy if too much oil is applied to the wood. This is especially true with BLO.
For a truck bed if you want a show quality look but will haul the occasional load I recommend stain followed by Tung oil. Every six months or so I would apply a light maintanence dose of Tung oil cut with mineral spirits or kerosene. BLO can be done the same way. Its better than nothing but keep in mind it is not water proof.
Used oil and kerosene would be a good finish for a " knock around truck".
Polyurethane are good waterproof finishes that will need touch up from time to time.
Varnishes look good but require upkeep even more so than oil finishes as the varnish dries and flakes away.
Body paint is really not a bad finish if the wood is prepared. In the factory they did not prepare the wood. It basically got one even coat of over spray while the metal panels were the true target. Multiple coats of body paint applied and sanded between coats would turn out nicely.
One warning with finishes that contain BLO. Rags soaked with linseed oil
will spontaineusly combust if left in a pile or thrown in a trash can. They will catch fire, not might, not could, but will.

[don luster]

May I respectively disagree with you about linseed oil. One thing I failed to mention in the previous post was you do NOT USE American linseed oil . I order mine from overseas and It does not do the things that you said in the previous post. It is the way it is processed. Get on the internet and look up pure linseed oil from the Scandanivian co. They have protected their homes for hundred of years with pure linseed oil. And the part about Poly has not worked for my natural horse drawn buggies or atleast the types that I have tried. They have all peeled and turned white after about two years and the only way that I have found to renew is to sand them off which is a huge amount of work. Maybe you could tell how you prevent this. The old time varnish for boats worked great but the gov had to change it and I have not been able to get to work. If you cover the wood with a bed cover then the other will work better. If anyone wants the linseed I use let me know. The linseed will wrinkle if applied too thick and not wiped off. It must penetrate and do this in several applications.

[don luster]

The name of the linseed varnish is Le Temkinois and is made in France but still go to the scandivians co and see how their homes last for hundred of years The web site for this material is www.solventfreepaint.com/linseed_varnish.htm If you follow the directions I think you will be happy. It does not turn black like american linseed oil will do in certain situations

[cdherman]

I would agree that for really fine work, there are probably higher quality linseed oils out there -- I use a floor finish from sweeden that is just plain better then the stuff we can get here in the USA.

However, I use linseed oil for my trailer, plain old Lowe's off the shelf stuff. Probably costs 20% of what the good stuff from France does. If I was finsihing a gunstock or buggy, I'd agree, I bet there is better than Lowe's, but for the $$$ good ole' american is good enough.

When I was a kid, we used to move cattle with trucks that had wood beds -- once or twice a year, they got a good scrubbing and a coat of linseed oil. My job. To this day the smell of linseed oil gives me good memories of my childhood.

What's been said about the wood getting sticky in spots is true. Cutting it with turpentine sounds like a good idea, especially with the first coat. The mix should penetrate deeper. Wiping off excess with the last coat should avoid sticky spots. I think that would be a very good look -- not too shiney and polished, and can be touched up when needed.

Now, I do a good bit of wood working experience and the boards you get will have mill marks. Those mill marks look horrible to me, so remember to use a belt sander (or better still, a hand scraper for a real nice patina) to knock the mill marks off BEFORE you put the boards in.....

What might look really cool with the metal strips would be to use some rustoleum metal reformer on them after sandblasting -- this paint reacts with rust and metal to make a hard black matte finish. Then, take a sanding sponge and sand them back to bare metal on the high spots. Finally, I'd seal the strips that had been "distressed" with some matte laquer. In the end the bed would look old and used, but it would no longer be rusting....

The more I think about this, the more I get the itch to find another truck and start over.... Pardon the long replies -- I had knee surgery earlier this week and so I have lots of time on my hands.