Any ideas on how to lighten beams?

[JamesWH]

Hello everyone,

We've recently moved into a barn renovation that was completed around 25 years ago. There are plenty of beams on show and I think there's a mix of new and old beams. A lot of the beams are stained quite dark. We wondering if anyone has any suggestions for ways we could lighten the to give them a bright natural look. I've attached a photo of the current beams along with an image of the look we are trying to achieve.

Any advice on how we could do this (or if this is even possible) would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks

James

 

[CliffordPope]

I remember years ago reading an account of someone who was restoring his Scottish castle. The original beams had darkened through centuries of smoke, bats, dirt and age, and those that had had to be replaced stood out in their pale pristineness. But he reflected that over time the new ones would age too. He was only the costodian for his lifetime, and in due time the owner would appreciate the work too!

 

[Cubist]

Short answer is - don't even try. The fastest method would be media-blasting and that will strip the timber to the point where it can look like driftwood found on a beach and destroy the plasterwork surrounding them. Also, as the room houses a kitchen, the bare wood will attract and absorb moisture and oils in aerosol form produced by cooking processes which will turn produce unpleasant stains - AND you'll never get rid of the fish odours.

If you must do it then only by hand, which won't be easy/cheap if a coloured stain has been used, and then it must be sealed to reduce unwanted moisture/oli penetration.

 

[LadyArowana]

Around the various “Decorating my Old House” rather superficial online groups you will come across the Frenchic Hack, or other description of the same process involving painting beams with their special paint and then putting wax on. I wouldn’t do this in a million years, even if I had beams. However it exists, and you will no doubt find it anyway, so ……… https://frenchicpaint.co.uk/blogs/f...Vmp5Sse5GFoWQ4WUNllfWXTh9pjG932vzaUAJWGlbtAU5

 

[JamesWH]

Hi everyone,

Thanks for all your comments. It seems like there's no simple solution so we might consider a painting or lime wash instead. I'd come across the frenchic method and was sceptical believable this would look. Sandblasting sounds quite disruptive and the quote we received seemed very high.

Thank you for all your advice.

James

 

[Kearn]

Hi everyone,

Thanks for all your comments. It seems like there's no simple solution so we might consider a painting or lime wash instead. I'd come across the frenchic method and was sceptical believable this would look. Sandblasting sounds quite disruptive and the quote we received seemed very high.

Thank you for all your advice.

James

Abrasive media blasting is costly and messy. Both facts. There are also a lot of folks out there doing it who should t be allowed near historic timbers.

There are also some good ones though, one of whom I’ve just used. But that’s more expensive than the cowboys.

For a barn, limewash would be the traditional option. If you don’t fancy full opacity, then go over with a wire/churn brush to take some of it off once drying. You’ll get a nice natural chalky pale colour. It’s also cheap and does no harm to the timber, unlike that frenchic fad found on live, laugh, love ‘Reno’ blogs…

The target image you will never achieve. That’s new timber which will darken in time.

Even if yours are cleaned up, what you’ll find by doing just enough, is the patina of history which will have left its marks in the timber. To achieve anywhere near that pale, you’d need to remove a significant amount of surface timber and reduce the size of beams.

Personally, I’d leave them be, they look a non offensive dark brown rather than a black gloppy coating. If it’s a stain rather than a surface covering, you’ll have to do more damage to remove it as it impregnates the timber. That said, it won’t go deep if it’s oak.