Trailer Deck Preservative

[mswyka]

After a lot of years I finally broke down and bought new marine plywood for my trailer deck.  Does anyone have experience with wood preservatives who can recommend a particular product?  I used Thompson's Waterseal on the pressure treated side rails, but I was not impressed enough to want to use this on the marine plywood.  I am interested in your experience.

[mswyka]

Has anyone every rebuilt a trailer?

[Lloyd (ljm)]

 I have rebuilt a trailer. It had a steel deck originally and I replaced it with steel.   If I had it to do over again I would use marine grade plywood

[mswyka]

Lloyd, thanks for the insight.  Why wood over steel?

[Lloyd (ljm)]

Paint scratches off the steel. And it is harder to keep stuff from sliding around. That being said it is easier to pull sleds off of the steel than it would be if it was wood

[jd440]

After a lot of years I finally broke down and bought new marine plywood for my trailer deck.  Does anyone have experience with wood preservatives who can recommend a particular product?  I used Thompson's Waterseal on the pressure treated side rails, but I was not impressed enough to want to use this on the marine plywood.  I am interested in your experience.

The age old gold standard was linseed oil, made from flax as I recall.

[mswyka]

I finally settled on Sikkens Cetol Dek.  We have used this on exterior wood in the past with good results.  I will post photos when I have something that is photo worthy.

[action]

When we built my trailer in 1997 we decked it with 3/4" Pour Form Plywood. This is plywood used to make concrete foundation forms. Its resin coated on one side, and the smooth side is soaked in some sort of oil product. When I rebuilt the trailer 10 years later the deck was 97% intact and strong. The bolts holding it down seized so I tore a lot of it up removing the deck to replace the steel ribs below. I re-decked it in the same product and it still looks brand new today, 8 years later using no preservative products.

For marine plywood I'd use end cut preservative available at most building supply centres and treat the entire piece. Some are green, a lot of the new ones are clear.

[mswyka]

Interesting.  I had never heard of the pour form plywood.  I am sort of surprised that the lumber yards didn't suggest it.

[dr1979-340]

I found an old can of blue paint at my Mom's house.  It sort of looks like Kawasaki blue.  It was oil based and has held up good so far.  It sat outside in the snow last year and was stored inside this summer.