Very old barn beam help

[Susanjoyce]

I live in a pre-1866 barn repurposed (badly) into a house. The original hand-hewn hickory beams form the 'bones' of the house--some still have the bark on them. I want to highlight them without altering their nature (I.e., no sanding, no gloss, etc.) Right now they just look dirty and dry, and their cracks collect dirt. I started brushing them with boiled linseed oil, but I really don't like the final effect. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks, and Happy New Year!

 

[dave1949]

Maybe a very lightly done air blasting with ground corn cobs? Would be a messy job, but it would clean the wood and down into the cracks too.

 

[retiredmgn]

I live in a pre-1866 barn repurposed (badly) into a house. The original hand-hewn hickory beams form the 'bones' of the house--some still have the bark on them. I want to highlight them without altering their nature (I.e., no sanding, no gloss, etc.) Right now they just look dirty and dry, and their cracks collect dirt. I started brushing them with boiled linseed oil, but I really don't like the final effect. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks, and Happy New Year!

You're not going to get away from 'dirty and dry' unless you're willing to sand and seal. This activity, when handled properly, can result in an aged look.
I agree fresh oil based finishes can produce a greasy look. If you can, get a copy of, "Adventures in Wood Finishing", by George Frank. When I was in the antique refinishing business that book was my bible. He developed a method to emulsify carnuba wax in water. It would produce a, 'dry luster', on wood which was unique to any other treatment I came across.
If your aversion to sanding is loss of patina have your MD give you a subscription for Potassium Permanganate. It oxidizes the wood and provides patina. A comprehensive list of chemicals and their use for aging wood can be found in Wallace Nutting's books, "Furniture Treasury".

 

[dmccarty]

I had to look up Potassium Permanganate since it sounded interesting. And it is. Looks like Lowes and other places have it for sale.

Later,
Dan

 

[JD 4520]

I live in a pre-1866 barn repurposed (badly) into a house. The original hand-hewn hickory beams form the 'bones' of the house--some still have the bark on them. I want to highlight them without altering their nature (I.e., no sanding, no gloss, etc.) Right now they just look dirty and dry, and their cracks collect dirt. I started brushing them with boiled linseed oil, but I really don't like the final effect. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks, and Happy New Year!

Pictures of this beauty would be great to share. Shoulda like you have a real beauty in disguise. The right kind and pigment of stain would be the best with a little prep work. The referenced book is a great start.

 

[forgeblast]

Pictures would be awesome! love to see what it looks like. Did they try to seal it at all or is it bare wood?

 

[Fossil Farm]

If you can, get a copy of, "Adventures in Wood Finishing", by George Frank

Looks like Amazon has this book available in various price categories if it is the correct one.

 

[retiredmgn]

I had to look up Potassium Permanganate since it sounded interesting. And it is. Looks like Lowes and other places have it for sale.

Later,
Dan

Interesting. I haven't bought any in 25 years. Back then it required a note from your doctor.
Still have a jar in the finish cabinet. Big scary red skull and crossbones on the label.

 

[Cliff_Johns]

Personally, I'd wash them. Let them Dry. Then I'd put a light coat of wax on them, without buffing it out too much (otherwise they could get too shiny.)

That should keep them looking nice and allow them to be dusted instead of washed in the future.

You could also use compressed air to clean them rather than washing them if it's mostly dirt rather then grime.

Cliff

 

[Susanjoyce]

Thanks for the suggestions! I've ordered the book and will be checking out the potassium at Lowe's my next trip there.

I'll post pix as soon as the camera battery recharges.

I love these old beams, with every saw stroke showing. The barn was originally a threshing barn, later remade to use as a dairy barn. I heard from the town historian today, who seems to believe that it was built in 1817, but I'm pretty sure that's not right--he said it was used as a Baptist meeting house, and I think that place was two farms down. I've got this place pretty well documented, and it was always described as the old Shufelt farm, with no mention of Baptist meetings. But I hope he's right--more research at the Recorder's office after New Year's.

My problem with the linseed oil is that it immediately darkens the wood and makes it look blotchy. Months later it looks better, but I don't want to wait months. I've been scrubbing the beams with water, but even too harsh scrubbing can remove some of the bark and saw marks. And of course, the beams are two stories high and there are lots of them.

I was reading today about using a 50/50 mix of varnish and linseed oil, which I'm going to try on one beam. I also thought of Val Oil, my father's old standby,--it's not even made any more.

 

[retiredmgn]

Thanks for the suggestions! I've ordered the book and will be checking out the potassium at Lowe's my next trip there.

I'll post pix as soon as the camera battery recharges.

I love these old beams, with every saw stroke showing. The barn was originally a threshing barn, later remade to use as a dairy barn. I heard from the town historian today, who seems to believe that it was built in 1817, but I'm pretty sure that's not right--he said it was used as a Baptist meeting house, and I think that place was two farms down. I've got this place pretty well documented, and it was always described as the old Shufelt farm, with no mention of Baptist meetings. But I hope he's right--more research at the Recorder's office after New Year's.

My problem with the linseed oil is that it immediately darkens the wood and makes it look blotchy. Months later it looks better, but I don't want to wait months. I've been scrubbing the beams with water, but even too harsh scrubbing can remove some of the bark and saw marks. And of course, the beams are two stories high and there are lots of them.

I was reading today about using a 50/50 mix of varnish and linseed oil, which I'm going to try on one beam. I also thought of Val Oil, my father's old standby,--it's not even made any more.

You can mix up all sorts of concoctions. Some may offer a desired effect but it is going to be 'hit or miss' untill you get your feet under you with an understanding of the materials you are working with. I have heard of many 'home concoctions' that were deemed by the user to produce a supperior result as compared to a commercialy produced product. It should be noted a large company, take Minwax for example, spends oodles of dollars on product development and they are not going to put something on the shelves that produces less than anticipated results.
You might want to be carefull with your fathers recipe. Varnish is simply modified linseed oil. It does have the advantage of additives to increase solids content and metalic driers to ensure a hard finish. Straight linseed oil is a different critter. Here's the rub. Varnish is made to produce a hard film on the surface of the wood. Linseed oil, once applied, must have all vestiges that are not absorbed into the wood wiped off clean. Any remaining oil on the surface will become a gummy, dirt/dust attracting mess. So you see the two, while closely related, can be at odds with each other. It can happen the varnish has enough metalic driers to affect the added linseed oil - but good luck with that.
What finish application you choose comes down to how smooth you are willing to make these beams.
If left rough, forget linseed oil.
If it were me? You are trying to save the hand hewn marks so hand sanding is in order. 120 grit aluminum oxide - 'Norton' if you can find it. Hand vac in one hand, 1/2 sheet 120 grit folded in thirds in the other. And don't worry about loss of patina. It can be replaced.

 

[studor]

In my 1860's log cabin I used water based matte varathane sprayed on the beams supporting the second floor and many of the exposed wood surfaces -- no blotch and no shiny surface -- dust and dirt do not stick either -- the oil finishes will be difficult -- JMHO

 

[Susanjoyce]

In my 1860's log cabin I used water based matte varathane sprayed on the beams supporting the second floor and many of the exposed wood surfaces -- no blotch and no shiny surface -- dust and dirt do not stick either -- the oil finishes will be difficult -- JMHO

I wasn't even aware that a flat urethane was available. Just checked Lowe's website and found some. I think that's going to be the answer. Did you prep the beams in any way? And when you say sprayed, did you use a paint sprayer? (I've got a Grayco handheld that would be perfect, I think, but I'll have to do a lot of taping.). If so, how much did you thin? How many coats did you go? Thanks for the great idea--I liked the idea of an emulsified wax, but this would be so much easier!

 

[Egon]

A good brush, warm water and soap to clean it all up. This shouldn't change the patina.

Finish of with a liquid wax sprayed on.:thumbsup:

 

[Susanjoyce]

Well, I went to Lowe's last night. It was a dirty, nasty fight--the paint counter clerk (who had previously told me they didn't sell Floetrol, until I found the bottle) said he'd never heard of matte polyurethane, that there wasn't any such a thing, and they certainly didn't carry it. I finally found it on a top shelf, only in quart cans, so I bought all they had. Can't wait to try it.

 

[jimmyj]

Isn't potassium permangenate purple? We use it in our iron remover and it stains whatever it touches big time. Maybe there is more than 1 kind.

 

[studor]

As I said in my previous post, I used a matte varathane (water based, I think it was called Diamond Elite) sprayed on with a cheap HVLP gun run off a small compressor. Since the entire inside is wood and at the time was empty of furniture, I sprayed everything including the new chinking -- no thinning required but your results may vary. It could also be rolled on with a stipple ceiling roller which might be neater in your situation and touched up with a brush. My only difficulty was that sometimes I had to double check where I had sprayed versus where I had not because the appearance from everwhere except really close up does not change. I tried to apply two coats everywhere. Almost forgot -- I brushed the wood with nylon brushes to get any dust or dirt off and in some particularly knarly spots used a handheld sandblaster with walnut shells to remove things like creosote beside the old chimney -- otherwise I figured it anything would be sealed in by the varathane and I just let it be
P.S. -- next time you are in Lowes, make an appointment to see the store manager - a paint clerk who doesn't know the products and says they don't sell something they do should either be cleaning the yard, unloading trucks or fired. With employment levels what they are,it should not be a problem finding a replacement!

 

[Egon]

Just a supposition-- Paint and all the support products may be a rather large broad base of knowledge. Lets not play loose with a fellows livelihood.

I did spend twenty five years of my life living in a log house built by myself. The last real estate had it listed at four hundred and fifty thousand dollars.

 

[studor]

Lets not play loose with a fellows livelihood

Why not -- he seems to!
I have had very similar recent experiences twice at the same Canadian Tire store --- they have signs up that say "not to be abusive to staff" etc and that if you have a problem to see the manager so I did rather than arguing with incompetence. Since the manager also owns the place he listened and asked what I would do -- I told him to I thought his people needed training in product lines and customer service. He agreed -- one clerk is now gone and the other is actually helpful.
If paint and support products are too big a knowledge base for someone maybe they should say something like" jeez let me ask another" instead of the implied "you dummy I know much more than you and why would you possibly want to buy something like that from this lousy place that pays me!

 

[Egon]

What would you consider an adequate knowledge base based on salary?