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trollbridge
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# Posted: 19 Aug 2011 12:33
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We salvage some old barn boards to use on our cabin for siding and would like to know the best way to seal them. We like the rustic look so we really don't want to paint them. Any suggestions?
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Anonymous
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# Posted: 19 Aug 2011 13:45
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thompson water sealer~~~~~~~~
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trollbridge
Member
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# Posted: 19 Aug 2011 17:43
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We have never used that...is it water or oil based?
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PlicketyCat
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# Posted: 31 Aug 2011 15:43
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Thompson's is water-based. It comes in clear or tinted. It soaks in better if the wood is sanded, and it does clean weathered wood a little when you apply it, so it might not be the best product if you want to keep the weathered aging on those old barn boards.
Another product you might be interested in is Lifetime Wood Treatment which is non-toxic and allows wood to age normally while still protecting it from water damage and rot. It can be used on old wood or new wood, and can even be used to age new wood. It's a powder that you mix with water as you need it, and you can mix any water-based pigment you want with it if you want a bit of color.
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trollbridge
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# Posted: 31 Aug 2011 19:33
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Thank you PlicketyCat. The Lifetime Wood Treatment sounds like what we may be looking for. I don't want to clean the boards at all, I just want them to look the same only preserve them. I don't want them to get too shiny either. Wasn't sure if something oil based was better or would last longer. Any thoughts? Oh and since we are in the woods I was hoping to find something that would keep them from mildewing or growing fungus-if that is even possible.
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hattie
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# Posted: 31 Aug 2011 21:29
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Have you ever heard of a product called Penofin? http://www.penofin.com/products_exterior.shtml
We used it on the wooden fence we built up at the old cemetery and it is holding out quite well. It is oil based and is supposed to last a long time. The only downside is the cost. It was quite expensive.
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PlicketyCat
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# Posted: 31 Aug 2011 23:53
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Trollbridge -- the Lifetime should keep your wood from getting any rot or water damage, it's not technically a sealer but it alters the wood fiber structure so it won't get damaged. As for mold/mildew and moss (and termites and carpenter ants/bees) the Lifetime should protect against those, but if you want extra protection you can treat the wood, before the Lifetime, with a borate wash like the ones they use for log cabins - PeneTreat, Timbor, etc.
Hattie -- Penofin is great if you don't want the wood to weather naturally. It's an oil-based sealer and will keep new wood looking bright nearly indefinitely (you may have to retreat at some point, several years down the road). The park benches near my old house were treated with Penofin and they looked great and water just sheeted right off.
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PlicketyCat
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# Posted: 31 Aug 2011 23:58
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As for which is best, water or oil... Water-based treatments suck deeper into the wood than oil, but are less durable surfaces. Oil-based don't normally penetrate as deeply unless they are assisted by some form of alcohol thinner, but they do leave a much harder surface. If all you want is a sealer for brand new wood that want to stay bright, I'd personally go with a durable oil-based sealer. If you want a treatment that allows the wood to age naturally while still being protected from damage, then I'd go with a deep penetrating water-based treatment.
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barry1111
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# Posted: 4 Sep 2011 14:17
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a product that works better is called eco wood treatmentt www.ecowoodtreatment.com home depot has it lowes as well ,
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PlicketyCat
Member
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# Posted: 4 Sep 2011 15:34
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Eco Wood Treatment and Lifetime Wood Treatment are very similar products, so whichever one you can find locally should do the trick. Both result in a rapid weathering process, leaving the wood with a silver patina that continues to deepen as the wood ages. If the wood cracks or checks in the future, both products will migrate to seal it without reapplication. You can tint both these products, after mixing the powder with water, to add a colored hue to the weathered gray.
Another, slightly different, but equally non-toxic and effective solution is CedarShield. This product does not change the color of the wood, but it does drive all damage-causing moisture from the wood and begins the petrification process. So it's great to use where you want to keep new wood bright or old wood that perfect amount of aged patina. Because CedarShield chemically changes the physical structure of the wood, you can paint over the treated wood without worrying about it peeling (however pre-stains may be driven out and post-stains may not penetrate).
In any case, I'd feel comfortable using any of these products to treat new or old wood. I'd use any of them for my cabin and deck, but definitely would prefer this type of treatment for playground equipment, picnic tables and garden planters since it 100% non-toxic and works as/or more effectively than chemical pressure-treated lumber.
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trollbridge
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# Posted: 14 Sep 2011 10:33
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PlicketyCat,
Here is another barn board question. We have some of our barn boards that we set aside to use in our bedroom(the non painted side). These particular boards are maple we think. We would like to put them on the wall behind our headboard and use what is left for "faux beams". Here is the problem---we put a poly finish on one board to see how it would look and it looked beautiful indeed---however it dried and we moved it into the garage where there is a lot less natural light and it looked very dark. Our bedroom is on the front of the cabin and only gets the morning light and since we are in the woods it is kinda dark when the leaves are on the trees. Ok...finally the question---would it be worth using one of the products you suggested above to clean the boards? Would that lighten them somewhat? Or should we let the original patina of the wood remain? Would they lighten the wood or would they need to be planed? I really am not interested in planing them so would probably just leave them be.
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bigfoot5678
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# Posted: 14 Sep 2011 11:27
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Kerosene is what we used to use on const trailer boards to delay rotting in humid Houston climate. Diesel was also used but today's diesel is more like gasoline than the old oily diesel.
Another option for interior/exterior is boiled linseed oil, maybe 2 -3 coats. Works great to keep moisture out and brings out some graining. Can redo every year or two as needed.
IMHO
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PlicketyCat
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# Posted: 14 Sep 2011 18:02
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trollbridge Maple should be pretty darned light on it's own, but you could probably hit it with a sander to lighten it up the aged exterior a little before applying poly. That would help the poly adhere better as well if you really wanted a smooth finish for the interior.
The CedarCide treatment would lighten it up a little and then seal it at the brighter finish. Or you could scrub the boards with an oxygen bleach and a stiff bristle brush/broom if you wanted to really get it lots lighter (prefer oxygen bleach to the toxic oxalic acid wood bleaches).
Another "cheat" for lightening the board while preserving the grain and some of the patina would be to pickle them. Just water down some cheap white paint and roll it on, then wipe it off until it's the shade you like best. Just make sure your paint and whatever ploy sealer you're using are compatible.
You mentioned that you wanted to use these boards a faux beams. What's the rest of your ceiling made of and how are you finishing that? If the rest of the ceiling is really light, the beams may not actually appear that dark or darken the room much. So, if your ceiling was painted white/off-white (esp with a bluish undertone), the room would probably still feel pretty light and airy even if the beams were dark cherry or mahogany, so aged maple shouldn't be a problem.
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trollbridge
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# Posted: 15 Sep 2011 21:41
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Thanks! Actually I screwed up-I guess they are pine not maple but I think we may just sand a little and see what happens. They are pretty even real dark. Who knows how long they were hanging in the barn they came from.
As for the ceiling treatment I'm not sure what we are going to do yet. The thing with drywall is it is so cheap but we don't want to tape and sand the joints but if a beam happens to cover in the appropriate places then we will definitely do that in our bedroom. Otherwise I was thinking painted beadboard.
I really appreciate your good advice and your suggestions make a lot of sense. Thank you!! How is your cabin coming along? I would love to see more pics. Did you get moved in? Hope so :)
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PlicketyCat
Member
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# Posted: 16 Sep 2011 17:44
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Having just finished the ceiling drywall in our gambrel cabin, I'd advise ANYTHING else unless your ceiling is flat and you rent a lift. Putting drywall on a vaulted/angled/cathedral ceiling, even with a lift, is a major PITA... in fact, the lift we rented was useless since it didn't lock to the angle of the ceiling.
The bead board sheets may still be an issue on a vaulted ceiling, but less so since it's normally a lot lighter than drywall. Tongue & groove or board & batten are probably the easiest to work with above your head, on ladders, on any kind of angled ceiling even if they are a little more expensive at the register (although less expensive time & labor IMO).
But a flat ceiling at normal height, drywall and a lift is probably the least expensive, even factoring in the mud and tape... but mudding and taping is time consuming and can show flaws horribly without texturing of some sort.
Whatever you decide to use for the ceiling or how you decide to finish it, try to keep the majority of it light colored and on the cooler side of the spectrum (blue undertones rather than yellow/red undertones) in any room that doesn't have a flood of natural light or it can end up feeling dark and cave-like. Even bright buttercup yellow can feel dark and heavy in a room without a lot of light.
Most pine brightens up really well, even if it's aged. It's a pretty light-grained wood to begin with except for the knots. Sanding should work to remove a little of the darker aged surface, and you can either pickle or bleach it if you still want it a little lighter while retaining the aged character. Most pines do have a yellow/red undertone though, so you might want to consider a light pickling with a pale blue or bluish off-white to knock it down a bit. But definitely use a non-yellowing finish sealer if you can, or it will just get dark again.
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trollbridge
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# Posted: 19 Sep 2011 20:27
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Thank you...yeah, we pretty much decided against the drywall-the seams just don't fall in the correct spots any way you start or were to cut it down. Pretty sure bead board strips is what we will be doing. I want something cheap cause we plan on painting it anyway. On our cathedral ceiling we will probably do tongue and groove pine and stain it. The flat ceiling will be anywhere under the loft so dining,kitchen and bedroom. Thanks for the color/undertones to watch out for!
We put up more barn boards outside this weekend and while I was thinking about everything you said about sealing them I wondered if where there is still paint left- I assume it doesn't absorb the new product, but the new product also will not affect the paint-am I right?
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PlicketyCat
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# Posted: 20 Sep 2011 07:51
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If you use a penetrating treatment, any existing paint could slow down the absorption or possibly cause the (latex) paint to bubble. Probably a good idea to do an inconspicuous test area first. I know you can definitely paint over CedarCide, but not sure on the others.
If you're going with a poly or varnish, or even repainting, you need to make sure that the new sealer will stick to the old paint. If you're completely painting it out, then it's advised to give a light sand, use a primer and then your new paint. But if you don't want to paint it, just seal it with a clear finish, you should test to see whether the remaining paint/stain is latex or oil. They say that you can paint one over the other as long as you sand it flat, but that has never given me good results... primers are nearly always required unless you sand down to bare wood.
If you're looking at painting out the beadboard, you can get some pretty inexpensive engineered sheets or boards these days. They're just thin pressed MDF and usually 1/2 the price of wood or plywood. 3/8" or 3/16" thickness should be plenty for a ceiling since they don't don't normally take the same beating as walls.
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trollbridge
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# Posted: 20 Sep 2011 09:49
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Thanks! When we are ready to seal the outside boards we will have to test some areas. As you can see from the photo above there is still quite a bit of paint on the boards. We don't really want to repaint. Just don't want the existing paint to totally bubble up when a sealer is applied. Gotta give these boards a little longer life :)
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marlor
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# Posted: 6 Aug 2012 17:57
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We r using old hemlock barn boards for a headboard and we sanded them but my husband wants to put a finish on it so they feel smoother but everything he has used turns it much darker I want to keep the gray, would linseed oil do it or tungsten oil?
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