Thread: Pickup bed floor

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My '32 pickup bed has a plywood floor that I want to replace with boards and metal strips. Any suggestions on a source for materials? I've found several on the web but don't know if they are any good. Thanks.

Haven't done this for a few decades, but recommend oak and stainless.

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Depends on what kind of look you want. Bed Wood Parts has a lot of varieties of wood to choose, but exotics get pricey - Bed Wood and Parts I'd buy the stainless strips and bolts, and find a local woodworker to custom cut boards for you, using locally available hardwoods. Auto clear coat makes a fine finish for the wood, once you have it sanded and stained like you want it. Be sure to finish all sides of the wood equally, or the beauty will be short lived.

I've done it the way Roger suggested, and it worked well for me because I have many of the additional wood working tools that will likely be needed.......primarily a router and various bits. A '32 should be fairly simple and might work that way without a lot of time/effort/expense, but some bed wood will need a variety of reliefs cut (e.g. for the strips mentioned, sometimes for cross member/bracket clearance). The more of those needed adds up in time and cost for a local craftsman if you don't have tools/skill, so a "pre-made" kit might be more economical if that's one of the criteria.

Thanks for the suggestions. Oak and stainless is the look I want. I have a good assortment of wood working tools so I could probably do it myself if I choose to go that way. I'll price out local materials and decide if the savings over buying ready made boards is worth the time and aggravation.

I did some research found white oak has a closed cell structure that doesn't allow water to draw up the end grain. That's what I used for my bed. White oak is a little harder to find in the lumber yard. I found a hardwood supplier locally who had what I was looking for and had the material squared up and sized. Used 4 coats of marine varnish to finish.