How to treat trailer planks?

[indyjohn]

You'll find out soon enough. LOL

So far, so good. Sunday evening before the rain, the wood was smooth and not tacky. Today the water was not beading but was rolling off the bed. No indication on the driveway that it was washing off. So, I think I'm in the clear.

 

[DadSmith]

Used motor oil has been used for that as well as fence posts. Seems to last a long time. Brush it on with a 4" paint brush let it soak in.

 

[Butch627]

Used motor oil has been used for that as well as fence posts. Seems to last a long time. Brush it on with a 4" paint brush let it soak in.

I wouldn't go in the house wearing shoes after walking on a deck treated as such unless it had been on there for years, and in that case the deck would probably need to be retreated. For fence posts i would use roofing cement. Used motor oil is best used for recycling.

 

[DadSmith]

I wouldn't go in the house wearing shoes after walking on a deck treated as such unless it had been on there for years, and in that case the deck would probably need to be retreated. For fence posts i would use roofing cement. Used motor oil is best used for recycling.

Deck? I thought we were discussing trailer planks....

Guess you haven't lived on a farm much. Used motor oil was/is used everywhere for about everything.


Now Deck boards is Thompsons water seal.
I guess I messed were deck treatment entered the thread.

 

[Cameramonkey]

Deck? I thought we were discussing trailer planks....

Guess you haven't lived on a farm much. Used motor oil was/is used everywhere for about everything.


Now Deck boards is Thompsons water seal.
I guess I messed were deck treatment entered the thread.

We ARE talking about trailers. And you sometimes have to walk on the deck of a trailer, which is why it was mentioned not to use oil. Not talking about "porch" decks.

 

[DadSmith]

We ARE talking about trailers. And you sometimes have to walk on the deck of a trailer, which is why it was mentioned not to use oil. Not talking about "porch" decks.

Walked on many oiled down trailer planks. It soaks in after awhile and it doesn't track anywhere. However, we also have learned to take dirty boots off before entering the house.

 

[Butch627]

Deck? I thought we were discussing trailer planks....

Guess you haven't lived on a farm much. Used motor oil was/is used everywhere for about everything.


Now Deck boards is Thompsons water seal.
I guess I messed were deck treatment entered the thread.

Im not a farmer but I would have thought a farmer would have known about the roofing cement trick for fence posts.

Id rather not track used motor oil wherever I am walking just because it is free, be it on my house deck, car floor, garage floor or walkways.. Think about it, when it is no longer on the surface of your trailer deck to transfer to your boots it probably needs to be reapplied.

 

[indyjohn]

hey, Hey, HEY! My trailer project worked out great. I followed your recommendations and used a paint + sealer.

If I get a chance, I'll post a pic of the finished product. It looks better than I anticipated.

Thanks for contributing.

Sheesh.

 

[DadSmith]

Im not a farmer but I would have thought a farmer would have known about the roofing cement trick for fence posts.

Id rather not track used motor oil wherever I am walking just because it is free, be it on my house deck, car floor, garage floor or walkways.. Think about it, when it is no longer on the surface of your trailer deck to transfer to your boots it probably needs to be reapplied.

We have 3/4" untreated plywood we used oil on for our firewood trailer. It's been outside in the rain, snow heat and cold. It's scuffed up from hard use but it hasn't rotted anywhere yet in 15 + years.

To each his own I guess. Not going to argue over something I know and have seen work. Take it or leave it. It's your choice. Used motor oil help save money when you don't have the extra to spend on fiber roof coating for fence posts.

 

[Cameramonkey]

hey, Hey, HEY! My trailer project worked out great. I followed your recommendations and used a paint + sealer.

If I get a chance, I'll post a pic of the finished product. It looks better than I anticipated.

Thanks for contributing.

Sheesh.

Welcome to INGO.

 

[indyjohn]

Welcome to INGO.

I know! Right?

 

[ditcherman]

Im not a farmer but I would have thought a farmer would have known about the roofing cement trick for fence posts.

Id rather not track used motor oil wherever I am walking just because it is free, be it on my house deck, car floor, garage floor or walkways.. Think about it, when it is no longer on the surface of your trailer deck to transfer to your boots it probably needs to be reapplied.

Used motor oil doesn’t track anywhere after probably 10 minutes. And I don’t brush it on, I squeegee it on. Dump and mop. Soaks right in, lasts a year. Thompson’s water seal does nothing for my dry old old planks. Glad it worked for many!

Hydraulic oil on the other hand will track for a while and be extremely slick for a while. Ask me how I know.

This was on a slightly crowned gravel road with a light coating of frost on the trailer, a few days after treating with Hyd oil. Machine was just creeping into final position when it went off. Scariest thing I’ve ever done. ETA that’s a 52000 lb machine.

 

[ditcherman]

So, there’s an Australia thread around here, and here we are talking about decks….
It’s someone else’s turn to link that vid.

 

[gregkl]

If I ever get this trailer I got an eye on(owner needs to get a replacement title), I'll have to replace the deck boards. I'd like to let them dry out in the garage for a few weeks, treat them and then install.

Do you think the PT wood will move too much not being fastened down? Would I end up with a pile of warped pile of boards?

 

[ditcherman]

If I ever get this trailer I got an eye on(owner needs to get a replacement title), I'll have to replace the deck boards. I'd like to let them dry out in the garage for a few weeks, treat them and then install.

Do you think the PT wood will move too much not being fastened down? Would I end up with a pile of warped pile of boards?

Not sure why you woundn’t just put them on the trailer, let the PT wear out some and then treat? Treated might get you a year or more.

But to answer your question, they’re stored at the lumberyard somehow. Put some weight on the top one to be sure, but then, they’re not going to dry out…

I just did some work with some 16’ 2x12’s regular lumber and couldn’t believe how much they warped overnight.

 

[Butch627]

If I ever get this trailer I got an eye on(owner needs to get a replacement title), I'll have to replace the deck boards. I'd like to let them dry out in the garage for a few weeks, treat them and then install.

Do you think the PT wood will move too much not being fastened down? Would I end up with a pile of warped pile of boards?

Letting them dry out and shrink before applying sealant to all the surfaces of it is great. In a perfect world I would put slats between each board for air circulation and then clamp or screw them together. If I can plan I try to put the boards out in the sun for the summer and then install in the fall. It is amazing how much PT lumber shrinks and this also allows for a tighter fit when you install but you may need an extra board from your initial measurements. Sealing the end grain is very important as it is much more a sponge for moisture.

 

[indyjohn]

Not sure why you woundn’t just put them on the trailer, let the PT wear out some and then treat? Treated might get you a year or more.

I picked that trailer up in the fall of 2016, didn't put sealer on it until 2018. After 2 years sitting outside all the time the PT boards didn't look bad, I just thought it was wise to treat them so they'd last longer. Now that I've switched from the Thompson's to a product that has a paint component I'm interested what they will look like in 2023.

 

[ditcherman]

I picked that trailer up in the fall of 2016, didn't put sealer on it until 2018. After 2 years sitting outside all the time the PT boards didn't look bad, I just thought it was wise to treat them so they'd last longer. Now that I've switched from the Thompson's to a product that has a paint component I'm interested what they will look like in 2023.

I was responding to gregkl’s post and question

 

[Cameramonkey]

Not sure why you woundn’t just put them on the trailer, let the PT wear out some and then treat? Treated might get you a year or more.

But to answer your question, they’re stored at the lumberyard somehow. Put some weight on the top one to be sure, but then, they’re not going to dry out…

I just did some work with some 16’ 2x12’s regular lumber and couldn’t believe how much they warped overnight.

That bundling does wonders for holding shape.

A couple years ago I broke a bundle and pulled some really nice 2x's a week later I went to use them and several were hockey sticks. WTF?

 

[firefighterjohn]

We have 3/4" untreated plywood we used oil on for our firewood trailer. It's been outside in the rain, snow heat and cold. It's scuffed up from hard use but it hasn't rotted anywhere yet in 15 + years.

To each his own I guess. Not going to argue over something I know and have seen work. Take it or leave it. It's your choice. Used motor oil help save money when you don't have the extra to spend on fiber roof coating for fence posts.

I thought about the used motor oil route but decided to use some cheap Great Value 10W30 new oil from Walmart on my trailer planks. It soaked into my boards of my 2017 trailer immediately and looks great!