Plywood Trailer Deck

[Dougryan]

Hi,
I just bought a sheet of 3/4" pressure treated plywood for my trailer deck. I suppose I could just bolt it on and call it done. However, I would like to paint or stain it.

Looking for recommendations...
Should I worry about the underside, or just leave it as is?
Better to paint or stain?
Is epoxy paint a good choice for the topside of the deck?
I've heard of people using spray-on bedliner on trailer decks. Would that work on wood, or is it only designed for steel surfaces?

I've also heard mixed opinions about how long PT wood should dry out before staining or painting. I plan to let it sit until it feels dry. We're having a hot/dry spell here in western NY, so it shouldn't take long.

Thanks,
Doug

 

[zzvyb6]

I used a garage floor paint which has sand in it for traction purposes. Its gray but I wasn't looking for the knotty pine rustic cabin look. I wanted to reduce slip and fall action on it when I unload stuff. I suppose it would be easy to sprinkle sand on any thick paint in order to accomplish the same purpose, but mine was a garage sale find.

 

[2manyrocks]

Apache campers coated the underside of their plywood floors with some kind of black coating. I'm not sure if it was a diluted roofing tar, an asphalt sealant or something else. But you see these campers and they still have this stuff stuck to the plywood so whatever it is must be durable.

Stain on the exposed side won't flake off like paint eventually will. Wet plywood can be slicker than greased ice so it's wise to think about what you can do about that.

Throwing this out only for discussion as I don't know if it would work, but I suppose you could spray adhesive on the plywood and sprinkle sand on it even if you used stain. There are various spray adhesives --some are used for crafts, some are used to hold auto headliners....

Then there is that peel and stick antislip material, but it seems to be pretty pricey when I see it.

No idea if bedliner stuff will stick--sort of expensive anyway.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Any real paint store will have a sand additive that can be mixed with any paint. When I say real paint store I am not talking Home Depot or Lowes although they may have it also.

That said I would not do anything to it. Plywood is not terribly expensive so for the cost of the paint and sand additive you could just replace the wood in 5 years or so and be ahead in the long run.

Chris

 

[Bird]

Of course I don't really know what's the "best" thing to do, but I bought one of the trailers with the mesh floor this Spring, so just to have a more or less solid floor (well, most of it anyway) primarily to haul a ZTR lawnmower, I bought the cheapest untreated quarter inch plywood Home Depot had. And I happened to have some Thompson's Advanced Water Seal in the Honey Gold color on hand, so I put the plywood on sawhorses, applied the Water Seal with a paint brush, let it dry, turned it over and applied it to the other side. I reckon only time will tell how well it holds up left out in the weather all the time.

 

[Marveltone]

Most information I've seen recommends not painting or staining any treated wood products until it has "seasoned" in the weather for a year. This gives it time to dry out so the finish will penetrate the wood and adhere better.

Joe

 

[2manyrocks]

Well, this link in another thread suggested putting a used bed liner on a trailer and I suppose you could also use a truck bed mat. The bed mat would be nonslip and could be bolted down to the plywood with a few bolts and good sized washers to hold it there.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...214501-ever-line-x-trailer-2.html#post2453049

 

[ray66v]

Having used plywood for a deck on my 4x8 for the last 25 years, I have found the only thing that works out well, is to use 7 or more layer, marine grade plywood.

Regular treated plywood buckles and warps, and often does not stay flat.

The marine plywood is expensive, but in the end it is cheaper than buying new treated all the time.

I glue it down with urethane construction adhesive, and put some screws in the corners.

I apply a coat of tinted waterproofing sealer, to the top side annually.