This is pretty cool. Other than looks, any advantages of a wood lined trunk? It seems like it would hurt gas mileage because of the added weight
How To: Make A Custom Wood Floor for Your Trunk (With Pictures)
How To: Make A Custom Wood Floor for Your Trunk
In this tutorial I am going to be teaching you how to make your very own wood floor for your trunk. Keep in mind that since I was also installing air suspension management there is some things in my photos that may not be applicable to you.
![Trunk Automotive exterior Vehicle Car Bumper]()
Note: I made a little "L" bracket to keep my subwoofer from sliding around my trunk.
Supplies needed:
For multi-piece hardwood floor:
· A table saw and a jigsaw (or a saw that fits your preferred method of cutting)
· Some form of cutting surface
· Hardwood of your choice 5’x5’ (preferably thin but with strong fitting tabs)
· A 5’x5’ MDF sheet
· Sharpie or another multiuse felt-pen
· Wood glue
· Appropriate sand paper for smoothing edges and assuring the perfect fitment
For single panel wood floor:
· One side good plywood 5’x5’
· A 5’x5’ MDF sheet
· Wood stain (choose your desired colour)
· Polyurethane to protect surface (choose your desired surface finish)
· Jigsaw (or a saw that fits your preferred method of cutting)
· Sharpie or another multiuse felt-pen
· Wood glue
· Various sandpaper grits for surface stain as well as wood edges for proper fitment
· Old disposable rag (MUST BE CLEAN)
· 4 C-clamps
Step 1: Preparing the trunk
Empty out your trunk and remove your carpet. You will be using this carpet for dimensions.
Step 2: Mock up
Lay MDF board on the ground, place your wood on top of it and then the carpet on top of that. Be sure to align the MDF, the wood, and the carpet as best you can.
Note: if using hardwood, assemble the hardwood on top of the MDF and then put the carpet in the direction you would like it to face. This will dictate which direction the boards go once installed in your vehicle.
![Floor Flooring Metal Table Wood]()
Step 3: Tracing the shape
Trace the outline of the carpet onto the wood. Be generous with the distance you give when tracing as you will not want this to show on the final product. Remove the wood and retrace the carpet on the MDF board. Now set the carpet aside for later.
Step 4: Cutting the wood
If using hardwood: Disassemble the wood and cut each piece individually just inside the lines you have drawn, preferably with a table saw.
If using one side good plywood: use a jigsaw to cut along the line you traced on the wood. Make sure to cut just inside the line so it does not show on the final product.
Now use a jigsaw to cut along the line you traced on the MDF board. The accuracy of this cut is much less important, but do your best.
![Cable management Electronics Floor Electrical wiring Flooring]()
Step 5: Staining and finishing the wood (skip this step if using hardwood)
Now that you have cut your wood, you will need to finish its surface:
1) Use the appropriate grit of sand paper to smooth out the woods surface (on the good side).
2) Once you have a smooth surface, use the shade of stain that you have chosen for your trunk and apply a thin coat evenly across the surface with the rag. Be sure to wipe off any excess. Let this dry for the appropriate time mentioned on the can of stain you are using.
![Laminate flooring Floor Flooring Hardwood Wood flooring]()
3) Repeat the above step as many times as necessary to obtain the finish you want. There will be a point when the wood will stop absorbing the stain.
![Wood Wood stain Hardwood Plywood Table]()
4) Once your final coat is dry, you will need to apply the polyurethane finish. The application technique is completely dependent on the product you use so figure that out when purchasing your topcoat.
![Floor Flooring Wood Table Hardwood]()
Step 6: Gluing the wood to the MDF
Begin this step by laying the MDF board on dust-free surface.
If using hardwood: Apply wood glue to the bottom a piece of hardwood and place it in its appropriate place on the MDF board. Repeat this step for all pieces to completely assemble the hardwood onto the MDF. Be precise with the alignment of pieces because once the glue dries you will not be able to shift it around. Wait for the glue to dry completely before moving the flooring as you want the glue to cure and keep the hardwood in place.
If using one side good plywood: Apply a consistent layer of glue across the MDF board and lay the wood panel on top. Use the C-clamps in each corner to keep the board from lifting while the glue is drying. Feel free to place some objects around the board to assure that the wood stays pressed against the MDF while the glue is curing.
![Floor Table Wood Road surface Architecture]()
Step 7: Finishing up
Now that you have glued the wood to the MDF board, the product will be much more rigid and durable. Place the carpet back into your trunk and set your new hardwood floor on top. If you are having issues fitting it in, you may have cut it too large. To fix this you can either trim up the edges with your jigsaw or sand them down depending on how much you need to remove.
Step 8: Enjoy your new trunk!
Take a step back and enjoy the product of your labor.
![Trunk Vehicle Car Automotive exterior Auto part]()
I hope this guide helps!
In this tutorial I am going to be teaching you how to make your very own wood floor for your trunk. Keep in mind that since I was also installing air suspension management there is some things in my photos that may not be applicable to you.
Note: I made a little "L" bracket to keep my subwoofer from sliding around my trunk.
Supplies needed:
For multi-piece hardwood floor:
· A table saw and a jigsaw (or a saw that fits your preferred method of cutting)
· Some form of cutting surface
· Hardwood of your choice 5’x5’ (preferably thin but with strong fitting tabs)
· A 5’x5’ MDF sheet
· Sharpie or another multiuse felt-pen
· Wood glue
· Appropriate sand paper for smoothing edges and assuring the perfect fitment
For single panel wood floor:
· One side good plywood 5’x5’
· A 5’x5’ MDF sheet
· Wood stain (choose your desired colour)
· Polyurethane to protect surface (choose your desired surface finish)
· Jigsaw (or a saw that fits your preferred method of cutting)
· Sharpie or another multiuse felt-pen
· Wood glue
· Various sandpaper grits for surface stain as well as wood edges for proper fitment
· Old disposable rag (MUST BE CLEAN)
· 4 C-clamps
Step 1: Preparing the trunk
Empty out your trunk and remove your carpet. You will be using this carpet for dimensions.
Step 2: Mock up
Lay MDF board on the ground, place your wood on top of it and then the carpet on top of that. Be sure to align the MDF, the wood, and the carpet as best you can.
Note: if using hardwood, assemble the hardwood on top of the MDF and then put the carpet in the direction you would like it to face. This will dictate which direction the boards go once installed in your vehicle.
Step 3: Tracing the shape
Trace the outline of the carpet onto the wood. Be generous with the distance you give when tracing as you will not want this to show on the final product. Remove the wood and retrace the carpet on the MDF board. Now set the carpet aside for later.
Step 4: Cutting the wood
If using hardwood: Disassemble the wood and cut each piece individually just inside the lines you have drawn, preferably with a table saw.
If using one side good plywood: use a jigsaw to cut along the line you traced on the wood. Make sure to cut just inside the line so it does not show on the final product.
Now use a jigsaw to cut along the line you traced on the MDF board. The accuracy of this cut is much less important, but do your best.
Step 5: Staining and finishing the wood (skip this step if using hardwood)
Now that you have cut your wood, you will need to finish its surface:
1) Use the appropriate grit of sand paper to smooth out the woods surface (on the good side).
2) Once you have a smooth surface, use the shade of stain that you have chosen for your trunk and apply a thin coat evenly across the surface with the rag. Be sure to wipe off any excess. Let this dry for the appropriate time mentioned on the can of stain you are using.
3) Repeat the above step as many times as necessary to obtain the finish you want. There will be a point when the wood will stop absorbing the stain.
4) Once your final coat is dry, you will need to apply the polyurethane finish. The application technique is completely dependent on the product you use so figure that out when purchasing your topcoat.
Step 6: Gluing the wood to the MDF
Begin this step by laying the MDF board on dust-free surface.
If using hardwood: Apply wood glue to the bottom a piece of hardwood and place it in its appropriate place on the MDF board. Repeat this step for all pieces to completely assemble the hardwood onto the MDF. Be precise with the alignment of pieces because once the glue dries you will not be able to shift it around. Wait for the glue to dry completely before moving the flooring as you want the glue to cure and keep the hardwood in place.
If using one side good plywood: Apply a consistent layer of glue across the MDF board and lay the wood panel on top. Use the C-clamps in each corner to keep the board from lifting while the glue is drying. Feel free to place some objects around the board to assure that the wood stays pressed against the MDF while the glue is curing.
Step 7: Finishing up
Now that you have glued the wood to the MDF board, the product will be much more rigid and durable. Place the carpet back into your trunk and set your new hardwood floor on top. If you are having issues fitting it in, you may have cut it too large. To fix this you can either trim up the edges with your jigsaw or sand them down depending on how much you need to remove.
Step 8: Enjoy your new trunk!
Take a step back and enjoy the product of your labor.
I hope this guide helps!
