Best Sealer for Trailer Deck

[BHopkins]

The food pantry where I volunteer has a flatbed trailer that is used to pick up donations from local businesses. The trailer is going on 3 years old, and the decking has never been sealed. I am going to take on the task, but am looking for advice on what is the best option for sealing a trailer deck.

I was going to use linseed oil, but was curious if there are better options. Any personal experience with what keeps trailer decks in good shape?

 

[SwampSurvivor]

I know what I'd use but it may not be great for hauling food .....

Motor oil.

 

[Pablo]

What kind of wood?

 

[BHopkins]

I know what I'd use but it may not be great for hauling food .....

Motor oil.

This option is one of the reasons I've asked what others do. I've recently heard of using a 50/50 motor oil/diesel fuel blend.

I have no problem using motor oil on the deck of this trailer, as all the food we transport is well sealed, and typically palletized. For example, we have a breakfast cereal plant that donates a few pallets of cereal whenever we need it.

I'm curious how well sealing with motor oil holds up compared to commercial products, like linseed oil.

 

[BHopkins]

@Pablo, it is 2x8 decking. Not sure what type of lumber. It has greyed quite a bit now, so I can't take a guess by the color.

 

[cptbarkey]

I know what I'd use but it may not be great for hauling food .....

Motor oil.

diesel and oil mixed 50%. Its slippery for a few days but settles in. I've done a few trailers now. If you want to get fancy you could also buy some bedliner paint.

 

[RHALL]

I used K1 kerosene instead of diesel with motor oil. Works just as good and smells a lot better.

 

[#18FAN]

What about a good solid deck stain.

 

[BHopkins]

I used K1 kerosene instead of diesel with motor oil. Works just as good and smells a lot better.

I have some old kerosene on the shelf, so I could use that if I go with the motor oil blend.

What about a good solid deck stain.

I considered that also. But I don't know how it compares to linseed oil or the motor oil, as far as longevity. We could not care less about staining the trailer deck, so I hadn't put a lot of thought into this option.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

diesel and oil mixed 50%. Its slippery for a few days but settles in. I've done a few trailers now. If you want to get fancy you could also buy some bedliner paint.

Works great on my trailers!

I treated some wood last year for the flatbed on the truck and it"s doing pretty good so far

 

[97prizm]

The food pantry where I volunteer has a flatbed trailer that is used to pick up donations from local businesses. The trailer is going on 3 years old, and the decking has never been sealed. I am going to take on the task, but am looking for advice on what is the best option for sealing a trailer deck.

I was going to use linseed oil, but was curious if there are better options. Any personal experience with what keeps trailer decks in good shape?

Seal-once nono penetrating wood sealer. From my understanding it's a once and done.

 

[Nukeman7]

What about a good solid deck stain.

^^^^ This is a great and sanitary suggestion that will last for years. My wooden deck was stained with BEHR solid color stain in 2012 and it looks like it is two years old today.

 

[c502cid]

I always use Thompson's Water Seal.

 

[#18FAN]

^^^^ This is a great and sanitary suggestion that will last for years. My wooden deck was stained with BEHR solid color stain in 2012 and it looks like it is two years old today.

Many of them deck stains are darn tough and bonus is UV protection but of course Prep Prep Prep is key.

 

[Nukeman7]

Many of them deck stains are darn tough and bonus is UV protection but of course Prep Prep Prep is key.

Another key is using solid color deck stain and not the semi-transparent stain. The solid color stain has tons of pigmentation and looks opaque like watered-down paint.

 

[#18FAN]

Another key is using solid color deck stain and not the semi-transparent stain. The solid color stain has tons of pigmentation and looks opaque like watered-down paint.

Correct and more UV protection

 

[BHopkins]

Correct and more UV protection

That is definitely an advantage of using a deck & fence stain. I may run that past the food pantry manager, and see which way she wants to go.

 

[facility1]

use a clear deck wood sealer ,,like Ready seal or TWP,,sand wood till clean,,brush on ,,making sure wood is dry before application.

 

[Astro14]

Use a deck product that penetrates. Any film-forming finish, like paint, will get scratched up and fail to work. So, you want a product that penetrates. Any big box store will have it, and a quart will be more than enough. You can use a stain, if you want to change teh color, or just a sealer to protect the wood. Both will have some UV resistance, and both will provide water/rot resistance.

Please don’t use motor oil, diesel, or kerosene, they will not preserve the wood as well as linseed oil, which is the usual base for most deck products, and has nearly a millennium of good results behind it.

 

[TPK]

The food pantry where I volunteer has a flatbed trailer that is used to pick up donations from local businesses. The trailer is going on 3 years old, and the decking has never been sealed. I am going to take on the task, but am looking for advice on what is the best option for sealing a trailer deck.

I was going to use linseed oil, but was curious if there are better options. Any personal experience with what keeps trailer decks in good shape?