To protect the wood deck of a utility trailer Which one you figure might be the best Thompson’s water seal or used oil on the wood ? I have had a logger of many years tell me that old oil mopped on the wood would protect the wood better than anything .
Either will work, but I'm putting my money on oil. I'm following this thread to read other's experiences.
If you do oil, do it on a hot, sunny day when the wood and oil are warm to hot.
24HCF in its entirety, is solely responsible for why my children do not have college funds, my mortgage isn't paid-off and why I will never retire early enough to enjoy the remainder of my life.
My utility trailer has treated wood on it's deck and I just let that weather which has stood up for years. I will say that I'm a big fan of Thompson's Water Seal because I put two coats on our weathered dock up north after I pressure washed it and it gave it a new lease on life and sheds water like a duck's back.
My other auto is a .45
The bitterness of poor quality is remembered long after the sweetness of low price has faded from memory
I'm interested in hearing input on this also. Mine has treated wood and the place I bought it from last winter told me to use oil on it periodically and I'd like to get something on it before this winter. A friend of mine uses Thompsons Water Seal on his and swears by it, but I haven't decided which way I'm going to go.
I use Thompson’s Water Seal in mine. Seems to work well.
"Allways speak the truth and you will never have to remember what you said before..." Sam Houston Texans, "We say Grace, We Say Mam, If You Don't Like it, We Don't Give a Damn!"
Oil does work, but the deck will be slick as snot when wet, IME. If you can live with that, it is tough to beat.
If I were going to paint, I've been pretty impressed with Rodda Sharkskin paint on the floor of my enclosed trailer. I put some non-skid (basically sand) in the paint when I applied it, and it has held up quite well and is a nice finish.
TWS on wood that's been allowed to dry. New wood often has to much moisture and it doesn't take the treatment well. Respray every 3-4 years using a hudson sprayer.
JMO
Never take life to seriously, after all ,no one gets out of it alive.
I built a trailer with a 2x6 deck 14 years ago. I painted the wood, all 4 sides, with a good deck paint. It held up very well. The top side needs a paint job now.
“In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” ― George Orwell
It's not over when you lose. It's over when you quit.
Wood always has a moisture content... It will be high or low depending on how new the wood is (wood is pressure treated with water (and CCA) at pressure)... or a recent rain... humidity of your zone etc.
If the wood is new (not dried) not much of anything will work well because the capillaries of the wood are occupied with moisture... which is exactly where you want your chemical to penetrate.
When I used to varnish teak wood on boats I had a system.
One quart varnish and one quart VM&P naphtha.
Mix like this...
First coat 20% varnish - 80% naphtha... this soaked in DEEP and the naphtha flashed off.
2nd coat 30% varnish - 70% naphtha... this soaked in kinda DEEP and the naphtha flashed off.
3rd coat 40% varnish - 60% naphtha... this soaked in some and the naphtha flashed off.
4th coat 50% varnish - 50% naphtha... this soaked in barely and the naphtha flashed off.
5th coat 70% varnish - 30% naphtha...
6th to 10th coat straight varnish.
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It is a trailer... not a yacht, but you get the idea.
Thompson is a junk product, but better than nothing.
Polyurethane or enamel paint would be better... cut it thin (like above) for max penetration. Japan Dryer to aid in drying speed and hardness.
Slop it on with a big paint roller... or even a mop.
Paint the coats right on top of each other. Drying time should be minutes not hours.
5-8 coats in 2-3 hours. Walnut tumbling media if you want grip.
If you are not actively engaging EVERY enemy you encounter... you are allowing another to fight for you... and that is cowardice... plain and simple.
I've heard about a 50/50 mix of diesel and used or new motor oil. I'm going to try some on my flat bed trailer.
I have 20ft Flatbed with 2ft dove tail. Last summer the wood was 3 yrs old and starting to check badly. I made a mix of used motor oil and diesel thin enough to spray out of a cheap 2gal sprayer. The first coat I put on, the wood was dry by the time I got from one end to the other. Over a couple of weeks, I put on approx 3 gal Contrary to belief, the deck is not slick.
Farmer I worked for in high school and college had us treating the boards on his semi scale and a few creek bridges with used motor oil at the end of every summer.
hyd. oil works good also . I use a roller and do it once year. got 20 yr out of one trailer and still good
I hauled a small tractor with a broken hydraulic line on it for a neighbor. It leaked all over my flatbed so I went ahead and used it on the entire deck. It still looks good and was about 15 years ago. I have never touched it up but the trailer is stored in the barn so it is seldom outside in the elements.
