Roof rack decking troubles and griefPlus (1 Viewer)

[ander42b]

Plywood decking after two months

i have a custom made roof rack frame that I had for years. I love this rack !!!!! I have LED lights, Hi lift jack mount, axe/shovel mount and ladder on this rack. This is where I put a bunch of crap when going out hunting/camping with the family. It also makes a great place to sleep during the summer. Only flying bugs can get me.

Last summer I removed the rack for some welding painting and clean up. At that time I removed the old plywood deck to put a new plywood wooden deck. The last deck gave me 1 year of looking good then another 4 years functionality. It just looked like crap. So last summer I got a 3/8 burch covered plywood. I then cover the plywood with some super duper anti UV rated sealant. Did a about 2 coats on the bottom and 6 on the top. Made sure I got the edges just as good as the top. It lasted two Damm months before the wood started to bubble and peel. Thomason water sealer sucks !!!!!!

So my question is the great Land Cruiser family how can I treat plywood so it will last for years and put up with all the UV A, UV B, and all off the other cosmic space rays. Plus handle the coldest temperature of 0 - 110 F.

I'm open other materials expect for metal. It rattles and is hot to sleep on.

 

[ander42b]

Here's another shot of plywood decking peeling and blistering. THOMPSON WATER SEALANTS SUUUUCCKKKK !!!!!!!!

 

[Output Shaft]

I used plywood on top of my ARB rack. It lasted for maybe 8 years or longer. Could have lasted longer before I replaced it.

3/8" (11/32") CDX plywood you can get at any Home Depot cut to size.

Prime, then paint (roller) 3 coats with outdoor water resistant paint. I used gloss black at Home Depot. Just looked for good quality weather resistant paint.

After paint is dry. Glue on some gray indoor/outdoor close pile carpet to the board with carpet glue (contact cement) & trawl (Home Depot).

I glued 1" strips of carpet on the bottom of the plywood where it rests on the cross bars to prevent rattling and wearing off the coating on the rack.

I/O carpet is great because it keeps things from sliding around and makes for a tiny bit of padding when sleeping on it vs bare wood. It lasts a loooong time outdoors in the sun. My car was never garaged.
I used to sleep on my rack all the time.

 

[ander42b]

Output shaft,

Thanks for the reply.........got any pictures ??????? Jason

 

[Output Shaft]

No pics. (rack is now off the car).
But this is the carpet type I used.

[ Paint BOTH sides of the plywood. Equal number of coats each side. ]

TrafficMASTER Seafront - Color Gunnel Gray Marine Indoor/Outdoor 6 ft. Carpet 7DD4N470072FT at The Home Depot - Mobile

 

[CuCruiser]

I think the CDX is the part you need to pay special attention to.
Plywood rated for roof sheathing is very water resistant. Probably the best you can do, maybe some marine grade stuff out there might be better.
But looks like delamination to me. glue failed, not finish. Carpet will keep it looking good!

 

[Biggunns]

A trick from the teardrop world is to thin marine grade spar varnish (25% spar, 75% thinner) and coat the plywood with the mixture until it stops soaking in. Then topcoat the plywood with full strength varnish a few times. Shop Rust-Oleum Marine Coatings Clear Gloss Enamel Oil-Based Marine Paint (Actual Net Contents: 32-fl oz) at Lowes.com

The thinned varnish soaks in deep and stops the wood from soaking up moisture.

It's also important to use plywood that has waterproof glue and no voids, Baltic Birch or Marine Grade plywood are the best options I've heard of.

 

[lcwizard]

I must be made of plywood..I noticed at about 50 everything started looking like that plywood. Maybe i should try a little of @Biggunns
secret recipe to get rid of some of the wrinkles

 

[lcwizard]

@ander42b

I've used products like these for racks and seat bases in lieu of wood which doesn't like the Az sun mixed with rain and snow.
This is just an example of a vendor. There are a few plastic vendors in Phoenix I've used, like Century Plastics and Professional Plastics.


##HTMLENCODE[Cut to Size Black King Starboard Plastic Sheet]##

 

[2mountainfish]

What about using Composite Deck Planks? I have seen decks built out of them that seem to last forever.Why ChoiceDek? Reasons to Choose ChoiceDek Composite Decking. Just one example, no affiliation.

 

[roadstr6]

Also Hardie Board (cemetaceous board) can be bought in 4x8 sheets and cut to fit and will never rot...ever. Costs around $32 per sheet. Cover it with I/O carpet if you want something soft.

 

[tmxmotorsports]

Why not use decking boards they should last for quite awhile. Composite decking like said before more expensive.

 

[gilamonster]

Not to derail this thread, but I was just looking at the carpet listed above, to cut my own cargo carpet. Do you think it's thick enough to be used for that?

 

[micruz60]

It's also important to use plywood that has waterproof glue and no voids, Baltic Birch or Marine Grade plywood are the best options I've heard of.

^^^^this.
Could also place the hardiebacker cementitous sheet onto the marine grade plywood.
All stuff expands and contracts, just physics.

 

[Spike Strip]

American made CDX Plywood was bomb-proof and I'd leave that crap out in the So. Cal sun and it would never delaminate. But like everything else that has moved to China for manufacturing, it's pretty much gone to s*** with the cheaper adhesives used.

Marine-grade plywood is still USA made, if you can find it. I personally would use a UV rated plastic or 1" composite decking.

 

[FishTown]

Composite decking would be way too heavy in my opinion. I don't have direct experience with hardie board, but I imagine it's pretty heavy as well. I'd just go with a good marine grade piece of plywood and coat it as mentioned earlier.

 

[lcwizard]

@Spike Strip

Didn't California mandate water soluble glues for environmental reasons? I know Al ( man-a-fre ) had to go to Nevada for cabinets when he remodeled his home. Anything made in Cal had inferior glues. It's gotta be hard on the glue sniffers there

 

[Spike Strip]

@lcwizard

Kalif may have, but I missed that one. So many ***ing new nanny-state regs every year it's hard to keep track. Water-soluble glues for exterior plywood.... Now that's an environmental hazard, but 25 million people here illegally is not. I guess it's because plywood can't vote.

I can't wait to get out.

 

[doug720]

Aluminum! Zero maintenance, keep the roof cool in the summer, and is strong and light weight.

I use 0.65" aluminum diamond plate in 60" widths. Cost is about $100 for a 60" X 120".

 

[CarolinaFJ]

If you use it for sleeping and want some padding I wonder if you could put a layer of hydrophobic melamine foam between the plywood and the carpet. Seems like it would further protect and provide some good cushion for sleeping. I've used it for sound proofing but wonder about other potential uses given its water repelling properties.