Kudos to MAR-K for sending the oak bed kit before the expected ETA. The craftsmanship, quality, and easy directions are excellent. Boards came predrilled , kit included all ss bolts (approx. 88), ss bed strips. I recommend following their advice, and do a trial fit. In my case the side steps had to be loosened to slide the outer boards under the side angle braces. The boards have been removed and are being coated with POR15 and then Behr glossy black exterior latex enamel. Here's a pic before the boards were removed to be coated.
Chuck, If you go to MAR-K's website, and look under installations II. They have done a five year test, with the POR15 and Behr paint, no signs of failure in the brutal Oklahoma weather outdoors. The spar varnish and tung oil and many others failed miserably! How log ago did you install MAR-K's bed kit? Your wood bed came out nice! Did you use a paint brush or foam roller?
I brushed it but I didn't use Home Chepo paint....I used Ben Moore....exterior of course. Yes I saw there test results and that's where I got the idea. In the rare times that I use the bed of the truck now I throw down a piece of carpet cut to the exact size of the bed.......the carpet is placed upside down
^^^^picture was taken at night. Did you also put 3 coats of POR15 with 3 coats of black enamel on the bottom side? Because MAR-K's instructions recommend applying a coat every 3 hours of Por-15 and then after 3rd coat, apply a coat of black enamel you have got to dedicate at least 8 hours at the beginning. Then, the next day, two more coats of black enamel 3 hours apart. How did you approach this? Because the back side has to be coated the same too? Guess do it right the first time so it doesn't have to be done again.
No, I painted the first coat of POR15...one side at a time, waited for them to dry(was probably over night) then did the 2nd coat. Wouldn't hurt to scuff sand the last coat of por15 to give the paint something to bite into. so I did 2 coats or por15 and two coats of paint
Chuck, The pix you posted: Are the chrome small bolt-on ledges above the rear fenders, inside the bed, intended to support a hard cover over the bed?
Previous owner stuff....but I believe it was for a soft tonneau cover. there were a few snaps I already removed from the top of the bed rails behind the cab. In fact you can see the last one I tried to remove on drivers side of the cab still there. The snaps going down the 2 sides and tail gate were encapsulated within long strips of sticky-backed velcro....Which Goo gone took care of.
No they don't! Read Mar-k's five (5) year tests. Look at the pix they posted. Oil-ing doesn't hold up!
Digging up an old post here but I was wondering approx. how much POR15 and paint it took to do two coats of each. I have a long/fleetside so it will be even more than your guys' stepsides.
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