Oak Beams

[Triassic]

Our oak beams were installed during the wettest month of the year, consequently they need cleaning.

 

Once clean, what is the best option for sealing them?

[nod]

Osmo is as good as anything

i cleaned the water damage off ours with Oxcylic Acid 

Brings them up like new

[Temp]

If these beams are external you need to decide if you want them to go silver or stay honey colour. We wanted them to stay honey colour so...

 

12 years ago I started with Danish Oil but found it needs far too much maintenance. Ideally you need to recoat it every year if you want it to stop it going grey. I was typically only managing two coats every other year and found it too much work.

 

Some years back someone recommend Osmo UV Protection Oil...

https://www.wood-finishes-direct.com/product/osmo-uv-protection-oil?gclid=Cj0KCQjw9tbzBRDVARIsAMBplx_N4V-DSbaWxJpKb09f-mvyNTdk_iFW8WHAZvnDZ6BQlDv9jNxTJxgaAmAnEALw_wcB

 

And I've found that way better than Danish Oil. Costs double but lasts at least twice as long.

 

Only thing is... Freshly sanded Oak is a bit white. When you apply Danish Oil it darkens to a nice honey colour. If you just use Osmo it may stay a bit white, at least to my eye. So on freshly (re)sanded oak I've been using a coat or two of Danish followed by two of Osmo. The Danish changes colour as it dries so wait before deciding it's still too white.

 

Neither Danish or Osmo need sanding required between coats, just slap it all on with the largest brush you can get in the tin easily.

 

For internal oak we used Danish Oil on beams and doors and Osmo Hard Wax Oil on floors... 

https://www.wood-finishes-direct.com/product/osmo-polyx-oil?gclid=Cj0KCQjw9tbzBRDVARIsAMBplx-9_aKFxpq53rfCnwQWaogoySRDTIAi_fOwSe0BWnNC37Da9gOL6M4aAmemEALw_wcB

 

 

 

 

Edited March 21, 2020 by Temp

[Temp]

PS: If you need to clean up a lot of heavily weathered oak I found a  cheap Silverline MOP with a 36 grit disc to be the best method.

[Triassic]

They’re inside, lots of black marks and water stains, so a light sand blast is in order.

 

[JFDIY]

Oxalic acid is surprisingly effective in cleaning and also pulling out the black marks.

[Temp]

As they are inside I suggest testing both Danish Oil and Osmo to see which you prefer. Small samples of Osmo are available cheap but I think you might prefer Danish on beams. Each to his own.

 

https://www.wood-finishes-direct.com/product/osmo-polyx-oil?gclid=Cj0KCQjwmdzzBRC7ARIsANdqRRnRo1NrZzs1M4x_1LbrIgptE1XQdZWINWjsKFIzKNfbu-v3ErOg73MaAmvqEALw_wcB

 

 

[Triassic]

On 21/03/2020 at 22:00, JFDIY said:

Oxalic acid is surprisingly effective in cleaning and also pulling out the black marks.

Any idea how much acid is required per metre ?

[JFDIY]

Not much. I bought a £10 tub off eBay a couple of years back, probably done 10m of a 300x200 beam on two sides and only used a couple of table spoons worth.

[Redoctober]

23 hours ago, Temp said:

As they are inside I suggest testing both Danish Oil and Osmo to see which you prefer.

 

 

We have oak beams internally and although they have been treated with Osmo when installed two years ago, I haven't touched them since. Not that they need doing but is there a general rule regarding treating them again every so often, or do I just leave them? Thoughts welcome.

[Jeremy Harris]

I treated all our oak joinery (doors, skirtings, architraves, staircase etc) with Osmo about 5 years ago, and the only thing I've rubbed back a bit and re-coated has been the treads on the staircase, just because of a bit of scuffing from foot traffic.  The doors etc all still look the same as when I did them, and probably won't need anything for years, I suspect.

[Temp]

1 hour ago, Redoctober said:

 

We have oak beams internally and although they have been treated with Osmo when installed two years ago, I haven't touched them since. Not that they need doing but is there a general rule regarding treating them again every so often, or do I just leave them? Thoughts welcome.

 

Our interior beams were done with Danish Oil 12 years ago. Only maintenance need since has been to remove dust and cobwebs. 

 

Floors were done with Osmo. Only had to recoat a WC so far.

Edited March 23, 2020 by Temp

[Ferdinand]

Does anyone on this "oak" thread need a 0.9m or 1.8m high oak barleytwist chandelier?

 

Promise it won't turn into walk-on glazing at midnight, like Cinerellla's pumpkin !

 

Ferdinand

 

[Delicatedave]

As a french polisher I would suggest clean them as you like - you can see them I can - but the option are chemical, sanding/blasting or scraping.

As for finish that depends on the look you want, a weak water based stain like Van Dyke is nice. Then wax if you want them to age or a 50-50 clear varnish or button polish then a wax. Whatever you do don't pledge them. If you want a deeper texture think about wire brushing them along the grain. Another option if you do that is lime wax. All very nice finishes imo.

[Triassic]

Having done some further research in my spare time! I read that one of the large oak frame manufacturers suggests that oak does not need any treatment and can simply be left in its natural condition. What do you think, Oslo oil or not?

[Triassic]

On 17/04/2020 at 08:29, Triassic said:

Having done some further research in my spare time! I read that one of the large oak frame manufacturers suggests that oak does not need any treatment and can simply be left in its natural condition. What do you think, Oslo oil or not?

Anyone got any thoughts on leaving them  in the buff?

[Temp]

We have an oak gate between garden and paddock. Left if bare. Took 10 years to get through the black and horrible stage to get to the silver/grey stage. 

 

Personally I think your house needs to be designed for either the honey/brown colour of treated oak or the silver/grey of weathered oak. Bit like some cars look better in some colours.

[Russell griffiths]

Our neighbour has just cleaned his whole newly erected oak frame using oxalic acid and the finish is outstanding, looks cleaner than when it was first unwrapped on the truck. 

I don’t know how it will darken but certainly the acid clean worked brilliantly. 

Probably lots of work   

[Ferdinand]

13 hours ago, Triassic said:

Anyone got any thoughts on leaving them  in the buff?

 

I think it depends on the surface.

 

If it were smooth I think I would do it with Osmo.

 

If natural sawn or whatever I would leave it.

 

Also dependent on what it is - beams and posts I might leave. Floors I might do with something.

 

Thinking back to our house with centuries old oak, we had treated all of it for woodworm, and all the floors and some of  the beams had a slighty glossy finish - not sure what it was.

 

Also consider potential stains, and how easy to remove they will be. What does eg red wine or frying fat do to untreated oak?

 

I would be oiling not polyurethane-ing or varnishing.

 

F

Edited April 22, 2020 by Ferdinand

[Temp]

Just to add to my post above...

 

Which Osmo makes a difference. Osmo hardwax oil used indoors is fantastic stuff for floors. Osmo uv protection oil (clear) for outdoors is also very good but leaves freshly cleaned oak a bit too white. I prefer a coat of Danish Oil followed by several of the Osmo on external oak

Edited April 22, 2020 by Temp