12valve@heart

I have an 8'x18' tilt-deck equipment trailer that has a 2" rough-sawn oak floor that's never been treated. I considered treating it w/ linseed oil but at $12/gal, ouch. Deck treatment is not much better at $10/gal. Anyone have an economical solution that they's care to share? Whatever I decide to do, I'll probably also do to my 16' car-hauler trailer floor as well since it was new pressure-treated lumber about 2 years ago and hasn't been treated since.

BEHRMAN

When you say "treatment", what are you trying to accomplish? Waterproofing and stain resistence, UV fade protection, resistence to wrapping and cracking? FYI, I work for the largest stain and waterproofer company in the US.

If you want it all, it will cost you about $20-$25 gallon for year round protection for a couple of years.

wannadiesel

Jay- I'll talk to my dad about it tomorrow. He was trained as a paint chemist, and he's worked in technical support for the last 20 years for a company that makes all the stuff (pigments, dispersions, defoamers, UV absorbers) you need to make any kind of coating.

RAM2940

If you dont care about looks, how about a light coat of used motor oil, it should soak right into the wood and i would think it would work as a water protectant. The best part its free.

12valve@heart

I had wondered about waste-oil but figured that there were some down sides to it that I hadn't considered. All that I'm looking for is to make the floor last as long as possible and to reduce/eliminate rot. On the equipment trailer, looks make very little difference since it gets chewed on by dozer tracks and front-end loaders, etc. anyway. On the car hauler, I may want to stay away from something that would leave a lot of residue on the surface since I sometimes haul boxes and furniture on it if I have to help someone move. Used motor oil on their moving boxes may reduce the number of people who ask me to help them move - {but that may not be a bad thing}. Used motor oil on the floor of the car hauler also makes chaining down the car a rather nasty job. Nah, better stick with something that doesn't leave a transferable residue on that one.

99 cummins

I use kerosene on fence post and after a couple of days there is no residue left to the touch. Keeps bugs out to.

spunbearing

I've seen guys use diesel fuel. Personally I'd just spend the $10 per gallon. Maybe a gallon of diesel with a quart of new oil would be a decent mix.

BEHRMAN

Since your goal is to prevent rot. Use some that has copper-napthenate in it. It can be purchased at most hardware stores. It is in the wood presevative areas usually near the deck finishes. Comes in Clear, Green and Black. Stay away from any oil, kerosene, diesel. They have too many side effects. One for example is on a warm day, the oils will seep out of the lumber on to the surface and could get on to something you don't want to.

99 cummins

If it seeps out it just makes unloading the trailer that much easier. Back up, hit the brakes and it's beer time.

wannadiesel

Jay- What my dad had to say goes along with Behrman's first post. Use a deck stain. Dad says that the water based ones still are not quite as good as the solvent based ones, so look for one that says to use paint thinner for clean-up. He said that if there are any oil or grease spots you need to scrub them down really good, and also to wash the whole thing with a deck wash product a few days before you lay down the stain.

spunbearing

The best stuff I've ever seen was cabot stain... the type fortified with teflon. Awesome stuff! I've used it on many jobs but it's $30+ per gallon. In fact I did a deck about 7 years ago with the teflon fortified cabot stain. The lady chose the white stain. Looks almost like paint and she has dogs so it has had alot of traffic on it and she said that it still looks great. Some products cost more but they also last longer.