Recommendations for sealer for old barn wood

[voodoowagon]

This is a little workshop I built out of barn wood from 1901 a few years back. All the wood exposed to the elements came from the second floor so I am worried the elements are a shock to it. I have seen old furniture made out of old wood that has almost a wax type seal on it and was wondering if any of you guys know what might be best used for this large of a application?

Thanks

 

[Falcon67]

You might be able to spray it with a flat poly clear and have it still look "right".

 

[voodoowagon]

What do you mean by right?

 

[jake00]

he means looking like barn wood,

use Flat, you dont want a glossy sheen

 

[Bull]

First of all, that place is awesome! I love the car hood being used as an overhang above one of the doors. Very cool.

Have you considered linseed oil? It's natural and will protect the wood, as well as giving it a nice warm tone.

If you use linseed oil, this is the best stuff. It is expensive, but worth it IMO.

http://solventfreepaint.com/cleaned_linseed_oil.htm

 

[v12man]

30% linseed oil, 70% turpentine - this will probably make it a bit darker (try it on an inconspicuous piece first), but does dry after a couple of days.

I use this on my jetty (over a salt water river estuary) once or twice a year and the wood has survived more than 20 years of pounding (gets splashed with sea water almost daily).

You can wipe it on with a cloth, brush it on, or spray it, as you like - I use an ordinary floor brush on the jetty.

 

[voodoowagon]

Thank you for the compliment on the shop, I took 63 caddy hoods and cut them down for those awnings.

OK I will have to try that soon. I see a lot of rustic furniture that has a wax/oily look to it so maybe this oil will give me that look I am after

 

[hetkind]

I am currently using linseed oil on all the exposed woodwork of my "bark and tree" style mountain cabin, using either a spray bottle or a bucket and brush. Be aware that the raw, aged wood will soak up a large amount of oil...I couple of five gallon buckets should be a good start for you.

Howard

 

[rieferman]

Hmmm.. I plan on siding over my old barn (see signature picture to left) as it's mismatched and not weathering so well these days (100 years of total neglect didn't help). I'm not willing to scrape/prime/paint ever couple years for the rest of my life.

Will this oil protection give me some more time until I need to really do anything about it?

 

[hetkind]

yes, it will. It will also really soak into the old wood, so several coats might be needed.

On the other hand, we put over 80 gallons of preservative coatings on our house and shop in Texas, the vast majority opaque stain on siding that hadn't been painted in 20 years since house was built and had faded. Some of the areas needed three coats to look good. When we went to sell three years later, the work REALLY paid off.

Howard

 

[voodoowagon]

Great, thank you very much guys.

 

[Bull]

rieferman, why would you have to scrape/prime paint every few years?
The company I linked to also sells linseed oil based paint. All natural, and they claim that if applied over a well-prepared surface, it will last 50 years. If it starts to look dull, you just apply pure linseed oil over it to bring the color back. I've painted 1/2 of my house with it so far, and I really like working with it.

 

[rieferman]

I've just seen so many old barns around here that get painted and then look horrible within 2-3 years. But I admittedly haven't talked to the owners to see if they've done it properly (and I'm sure most have called in cheap painters that simply spray a basic exterior paint on). I would certainly be cheaper to paint! More research is needed on my part.. Luckily I have to finish rebuilding the damn thing first

 

[hetkind]

Now I have used Valspar red barn paint (latex based, iron oxide pigment) on many old barns and it has done VERY well. However, it was applied by hand with a thick napped roller.

Howard

 

[vinylguy]

love the workshop. i have to use the kids playhouse they no longer use for mine. i used a plant based sealer/preservative since it was for the kids. did a great job. it was a bit expensive but has lasted 8 years so far and no rot. the product was seal it green. they said it was low voc and plant based. www.sealitgreen.com

 

[rburke65]

OMG....I love...Love....love your work shop. 101% cool. Love it.