Very old barn beam help

retiredmgn · Dec 28, 2012

Susanjoyce said:
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 · Dec 28, 2012

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 · Dec 30, 2012

studor said:
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 · Dec 30, 2012

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 · Dec 31, 2012

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 · Dec 31, 2012

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 · Dec 31, 2012

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 · Dec 31, 2012

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 · Dec 31, 2012

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!