Exposed pine beams- varnish/oil/other?

[Crofter]

I've been reading various old threads about the oil vs varnish question, and seeing a lot of praise for Osmo products. Thing is, most people praise its hardwearing qualities and moan about the price! So maybe I can get by with something cheaper, given these beams will see nowhere near the abuse(or even direct sunlight) that floors and skirtings do.

 

The beams are 'dressed all round redwood' from the BM, and in no sense are they red in colour- what's that about then?

[billt]

If they're inaccessible (and I would have thought beams were out of reach) so not subject to wear why coat them with anything? They will change colour with time whatever fairly clear finish is used.

 

Redwood should be wood from a Sequoia, but in Europe it's a generic name for timber from one of many pine species, but probably Scots pine. IOW it's more or less meaningless. In theory it might be slightly more dense and stable than what is sold as whitewood, which could be timber from a number of other conifers.

[Crofter]

They are indeed out of reach. But I think bare wood looks rather dull. I suppose it's personal opinion really!

 

I'm not sure what species the wood is- it's not as red as Scots pine, nor is it pink like Douglas. Wouldn't surprise me if it was just the same stuff as used for framing, but it cost more because it's relatively clear grained and a planed all round finish.

[Jeremy Harris]

I'd be inclined to just give them a coat of the cheapest oil you can find locally.  Even a thin coat of oil will make the beams easier to dust and keep clean and will bring out the grain.  If you want to be really cheap, buy some linseed oil and boil it to drive off most of the volatile compounds, so that it dries, or just buy boiled linseed oil.  It used to be available cheaply from the sort of marine suppliers that deal with fishing boats, as boiled linseed is a cheap and effective anti-corrosion treatment.  I used to use it on the spliced eyes on the galvanised rigging of my old boat, for example.

Edited July 15, 2017 by JSHarris

[Jimbouk]

@Crofter I'm just about to have the same decision, have some very large gulam beams. Leave or treat? I've been converted to Osmo products over the years on other properties, and am in the process of treating all my cedar cladding with Osmo UV protection oil, so far it is doing a fantastic job. Really bringing out the colour and grain of the cedar. Have used their polyx oil on some oak floors for the last decade, so suspect I'll be using that on the inside here.

 

I agree the price is painfully, but at least the products seem to deliver!

[Temp]

I also like Osmo but agree they can be expensive.

 

The advantage that many "oils" and "waxes" have over "varnish" comes when you need to recoat them. Typically if a patch of varnish deteriorates or wears through then when you sand and recoat that patch remains visible or more visible than it does with oils and waxes.

 

24 minutes ago, Jimbouk said:

am in the process of treating all my cedar cladding with Osmo UV protection oil, so far it is doing a fantastic job

 

I'm in the process of sanding off a lot of Danish Oil on oak that has been neglected. I'm replacing it with one coat of Rustins Danish to darken the white oak to a light honey colour and then two coats of the Osmo Clear UV Protection Oil.  Does look great. Hope it lasts longer than Danish oil as it's about four times the price. 

Edited July 15, 2017 by Temp

[Russell griffiths]

Osmo oil, has anybody looked into the makeup of this product to see exactly what it is, to find if it can be brought under a different banner. 

[Crofter]

3 hours ago, JSHarris said:

I'd be inclined to just give them a coat of the cheapest oil you can find locally.  Even a thin coat of oil will make the beams easier to dust and keep clean and will bring out the grain.  If you want to be really cheap, buy some linseed oil and boil it to drive off most of the volatile compounds, so that it dries, or just buy boiled linseed oil.  It used to be available cheaply from the sort of marine suppliers that deal with fishing boats, as boiled linseed is a cheap and effective anti-corrosion treatment.  I used to use it on the spliced eyes on the galvanised rigging of my old boat, for example.

 

I thnk I've got some boiled linseed kicking about somewhere, so I'll give it a try on an offcut.

[Jeremy Harris]

The only downside with boiled linseed oil is that it can take a fairly long time to dry.  I believe that a lot of the commercial wood oils use boiled linseed as a base, but they add drying agents so that you don't have to wait so long before recoating.