Hi, Igard, I can save you a little time on the deck color.
US carriers before our entry into the war had their decks stained with a mahogany stain, and they had a reddish brown color. They also carried colorful ID and guide markings--ID markings, because sister ships looked so alike that pilots landed on the wrong carriers
In 1940, I believe it was, or earlier '41, as it became clearer that we were going to get involved in the war in the Pacific eventually, the Navy discarded the prewar color schemes (the "yellow wings" markings many of us are fans of), for more effective camo schemes. The carriers' flight decks were painted with a blue stain. It wore, of course, under the usual stress of carrier operations, and under the harsh weathering of the sea environment, but you wouldn't see much wood grain, except where the deck was repaired, say, from battle damage, and that only until the crew had a chance to apply the deck stain.
The deck stain was darker than the blue that made up the early cam scheme that was applied in '41. It was intended to hide the ship from high-altitude observers, in the Pacific. The Navy called the paint schemes "Measures" and there was a series of them.
A good online source is
www.navsource.org. You'll find good photos and articles, and it's laid out very nicely, too.
In my case, my
Essex is as she appeared on her first deployment in mid-1943, so she have Measure 21, I think it is, but it's blue-gray on all vertical surfaces, darker blue for the deck, and dark gray, I think it is, on the horizontal surfaces, ie, decks and catwalks/walkways. The aircraft will be blue gray over light gray.