The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Bedwood Woes

Have given up on the first set of bedwood I purchased and just ordered a second set. First set I was told to apply Thompsons Waterseal liberally, I used right at 1/2 gal, then prime with Kilz and topcoat with a good house trim paint. I used the oil base Kilz and for the top coat I decided to use Rustoleum Satin Black oil base enamel as this was the finish I found closest to original. The boards set up in my shop a week with no problems but after sitting them in the summer sun a couple of days I discovered blisters in the finish. To make a long story short I was told that the Thompsons had not completely dried and was gassing which caused the blisters. The primer was not adhering to the sealed wood. Stripped it all down and let it sit outside for about three months, back in the shop to wash down with ethanol several times and sanding. Felt it was ready for another try but second attempt resulted in the same problem with blistering but to a lesser extent.
Don't want this to happen the second time around but would like to hear from anyone who has painted their bedwood. I would still like to use the Kilz but am wondering if I would be better off using the oil base or latex, and I like the final finish of the Rustoleum Satin Black. The wood is the yellow pine from Mar-K. Any help or hints would be appreciated.
The truck will be garaged and will not be a daily driver or a trailer queen but will not be a work truck either. I am just looking for the original look and a durable low maintenance bed.
Thanks in advance,
Bruce

There's really no such thing as "low maintenance" painted wood. If there were, the vinyl siding people would be out of business.

My advice would be to forgo the paint and put on a good grade of marine spar varnish. Be sure and put the varnish on all surfaces of the wood, not just the exposed surface. Otherwise the wood will absorb moisture unevenly and the boards will warp. If you really want the black look, then I suggest applying a black aniline wood dye, then varnish. You probably won't find the analine dyes at your local hardware, but many places on the internet sell it. I buy mine from Woodworker\'s Supply . Get the smallest quantity you can - it goes a looong way.

I painted the wood (white pine) on the sides of my bed with spraying enamel , tinted the same color as the duco on the cab .
I sprayed the enamel straight onto the clean timber !
It doesn't chip under abuse and looks good when washed .
Check the link to a pic of my truck in the gallery .
The bed floor is hardwood , with teak oil.
I took 18 loads of firewood in the last 2 weeks , several loads of old truck parts , lots of treasures from cleaning out an old shed , this is very much a work truck , the inside of the deck is easy to keep looking like the outside , with just a little care and attention .

hello wb. i just finished the wood on my 55 first. the wood was a replacement kit that the previous owner covered with polyurethane and it needed refinishing. i sanded the wood on all sides down to the bare wood. then i painted the bottom surfaces and sides with black gloss rustoleum [brushed on two coats]. then i apllied two heavy coats[without wiping] of ebony stain to the top, and then three coats of polyurethane sanded in between coats. from an angle it looks black, but looking straight on you can see the grain of the yellow pine.the dark wood is a great contrast to the stainless bed strips and bolts. if you look in the archives you will find many great ideas on how to finish the wood. good luck.

I am on my 4th bed restoration, on 4 trucks.
Don't put Thompsons Water Seal on, and then try anything else, nothing will stick. It is like putting Armorall on metal before you finish it, nothing will stick. On yellow pine I stain it, and then use an outdoor varnish. I put one coat on, and then put it together. After it is altogether I lightly sand it and do more coats. If you want a black finish, don't use Rustoleom on wood. Kilz is
to stop stain bleed through, which isn't a problem. I use Dunn Edwards Syn Lustro. They will match any color, and any gloss. It is better and smoother than Rustoleom. If you prime the wood use an oil base, then oil finish. I have Dunn Edwards
match the color of my truck, and I use it to paint
the bed walls, metal strips. If you damage the paint, you do an easy sand, and paint it with a 4"
weenie tot roller. If you thin it right, and use
Pentrol you can make it look sprayed. Right now I am doing a '58 pickup. The color is Tartan Turquoise and I have a quart matched for the metal strips and the bed sidewalls if needed.I rebuild
a lot of old houses by the beach and this product holds up the best. No latex, no water base, no Thompsons.

used thompson water seal stain on pine wood dark finish seems to be holding up Good.. They can mix any colour you need.