Thought I'd pay forward, came across an inexpensive bed repair. Forever I've had a piece of diamond plate covering the original weather beat wood. Since I regularly take to Home depot for projects etc I didn't want to go down the rabbit hole of having a "too nice" bed. So one day (while in Homedepot) they had an overage sale on lifeproof interlocking all vinyl flooring and happened to be oak stimulant. So I thought I'd give it a try. Laid it like flooring over the diamond plate but didn't want it to look like 70's paneling so put bought the ribs and screwed them over the seams direct to the diamond plate with stainless flange screws. My goal was for it, on walk by, to look better than diamond plate that had patinaed. Yet take on the frequent trip to HD. My thinking is that I can replace as necessary or try a different flavor as they wear. So far after 11 months outside it's held up pretty well, I think the sun will take them out before the weather, but we are in a moderate climate zone.
Thinking along those lines , and wanting something simple , durable and easy to install - I am looking into synthetic decking , like Fiberon. I may even skip the metal strips and space the decking a small fraction of an inch apart for drainage and ease of cleaning.
Synthetic decking does not have much weight bearing/span distance, Trex for example requires support every 9 inches if used on stairs. Something to think about if it is a working truck.
That's good to know , thank you. In the case of my truck , it will be expected to stand up to the rigors of carrying 1 -2 surfboards from my house to the shores of Lake Michigan , a distance of about 3 miles each way.
Hello, I was in the process of doing mine when I saw this, I’m using pvc boards stained with ink and clear coated. I don’t plan on hauling anything heavy, price about $200
It is 3/4” thick, 4 boards are available in correct widths and two can be cut down to be 1/2 a sawblade width narrow to make other 4 boards, the 1/2 sawcut can be hidden under the metal strips, the pieces cut off of 8’ length was used for practice
Practice run , videos on YouTube to wood grain pvc , use acetone to get stain to bind with plastic will take considerable abuse without showing white underneath.i work in a box plant so used box ink it didn’t like acetone at all, turned like cottage cheese but color transferred ok
Thank YOU for showing those who still work their trucks or are on a budget, how to make a nice bed without breaking the bank ~ when I was using my '49 3100 series as a daily work horse I had a slab of exterior plywood in the bed....... Other work rigs had plates of diamond steel or aluminum.... Now I see it's not terribly difficult to have an inexpe$ive yet good looking and hard working bed.... Once again I salute those who share their incredible knowledge here for FREE no less ! .
