Wood Help Needed, Please

[Wolf mom]

I have 36 headboards, footboards and side rails from a bunch of wood bunk beds. The wood looks like a soft pine. I would like to make a fence by bolting them together.

This will be an outside fence, using inside(?) wood. My concern is the legs. I do not want to put the legs into the ground as they too short and I'd be concerned with water rot & the termites here.

If I put those 12 x 12 pavers under the legs, it'll be more money than I want to spend and I'd be concerned with water puddling under the wood. I suppose I could use bricks or pour little cement rounds for the legs to stand on, but again I'd have a water issue - I think. Never worked with cement, but there's always a first time.

So, what do I do to protect the legs? This will be a big project for me, so I'd really like the wood to last.

Any kind of waterproof paint I should use over another? It looks like there's already some polyeurathane on the wood.

All suggestions welcome.

[7thswan]

How about a flat rock underneath. Coat the legs with boat varnish,urethane. It sounds like it will be real cute.

[Johnny Dolittle]

Hi Wolf Mom
My 2 cents worth ..... be sure smaller narrower boards were not glued together to make wider boards .... interior glue used outside in moisture will not hold and eventually fail and separate at seam. Spar varnish good for outside or boiled linseed oil.

[ronbre]

what about taking 4x4 posts and cutting them into 8 1' long pieces and attach one to each leg for them to stand on..you can even bury the posts or nearly bury completely into the ground to anchor..you coul fasten together with dowels or rebar drilled in each.

i'd try to find out what finish is on the wood first..as most interior finishes will bubble and flake off even if coated with exterior paint and then you'll have a mess..

i'd spray prime them and then spray paint them with a good oil base paint

[Ray]

if you don't use treated boards you are going to have a fence that will most likely rot no mater what you do, so the fence won't last more than ten years on the outside. It will look nice and be ok for a while then nature will reclaim it, as it does all of us. use persimmon, it will only last one season. anyway its your time and money, we all have to do with what we have so best wishes, ray