Cleaning of Oak Beams

[Chris Griffin]

Hi there! does any one have positive solutions to cleaning up painted/stained /what have you , oak beams? we are moving into a 1750's cottage which has these beasts and we need to lighten up the ambience. All suggestions greatfully received

 

[Nemesis]

Chris - the easy answer is limewash.

The hard answer involves stripping and a great deal of work.

 

[Gervase]

Aye, limewash is what the beams always had, and it looks nice.
If you're tempted to strip, don't use sand-blasting, steel wire brushes or any such abrasive methods as they will irrevocably damage the beams.
Have a look at these earlier threads from the archive:
http://periodpropertyshop.co.uk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3729
http://periodpropertyshop.co.uk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=5057
http://periodpropertyshop.co.uk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=5630

 

[dinglem]

Hi all,

We too have just purchased an old farmhouse - approx 350 years old. We are now looking at stripping the black paint off our beams, but are unsure of the way forwards.

Our local reclaimation company merely suggested the use of paint stripper, but i am reluctant to go ahead until i have received advice - hopefully from this forum. From the above postings and the archives it appears as though blasting is a no-no, but wire-brushing has been recommended by some (tho not all).

Any comments appreciated. We are TOTAL beginners so any advice will be of use.

 

[Becka]

theres loads of threads on this knocking about, best advise I can give is if you want to strip it get various testers of the different paint strippers and give em all a go.. lots of people seem to recommend kingstrip which is a poltice stripper but i couldn't get on with that at all, I really liked homestrip which is an eco friendly stripper (to be found in focus and online at the greenstore/greenshop, i forget which) which i felt alot happier having above my head than i would with nitromors etc but someone else posted a whole thread about how useless it was a while back so i guess it depends alot on what previous owners decided to splash all over your beams.. which ever way you go its not easy as I don't think theres a single method that isn't messy and requiring a fair amount of elbow grease, but if they're good beams they'll look gorgeous once its done.. :O)

 

[Penners]

I've always had good results with Klingstrip, from Strippers of Sudbury. However, remember that they make several different types of formula, according to the type of paint you want to strip.

There's a useful page on their website that suggests different formulae for different materials, or you can give them a call for advice.

Sorry I sound like one of those forbidden adverts, but I'm just speaking from personal experience.

 

[Anys]

Alas it's too late, the anti-woodworm expert told me to get the oak beams in my 19th century barn conversion wire-brushed before effective spraying. They don't look much different though there's some mess on the floor. Wondering how best to seal them after spraying, thinking of a neutral sealer or near colourless matt varnish ...

 

[middi]

:shock: :shock: :shock:

Chris wants advise as to how to get staine and varnishes off of oak beams.

Anys wants advise as to how to put it back on.

The easiest and quicker way in chris's case is to lime wash the lot, as already suggested, if the lengthy and laborious task of paint removal is too much trouble or imgrained stain is well soaked into the uneven pitted beams.

In Anys situation the best solution is to use a mix of pure bees wax mixed with turpentine, warmed up and brushed on the beams.

 

[biffvernon]

Alas it's too late, the anti-woodworm expert told me to get the oak beams in my 19th century barn conversion wire-brushed before effective spraying. They don't look much different though there's some mess on the floor. Wondering how best to seal them after spraying, thinking of a neutral sealer or near colourless matt varnish ...

Effective spraying of oak beams - there's no such thing. What sort of 'expert' was that?
Seal them - why?

 

[Anys]

Point taken, see reply about woodworm, but we prefer the oak beams in a bedroom to be lightly sealed, like the idea of beeswax and turpentine, SPAB told us about this before when we uncovered beams in the much older attached cottage.

 

[ajbaker]

Without wanting to hijack this thread, I have a related question. I have just had my new ceiling lime washed, and unfortunately there are brush marks on a nearby oak beam in the ceiling.

Is there a sensible way to remove this? It is not so bad I could not live with it, but it would be nice to remove. Would water work, or would that just make it look worse?

Thanks.

Andrew

 

[biffvernon]

we prefer the oak beams in a bedroom to be lightly sealed, like the idea of beeswax and turpentine,

Oh, I see. I wouldn't have said beeswax really 'seals' the timber but it does give a nice finish. The tins of Real Beeswax from Liberon, quite commonly available in the better hardware stores, is just what it says on the tin plus a little turpentine to make it squidgy enough to be worked into the wood easily. Smells good too.

 

[Penners]

I wouldn't have said beeswax really 'seals' the timber but it does give a nice finish.

No, it may not seal it, as such, but it does largely stop any dust drop, which is probably what you're trying to achieve, Anys.

 

[Anys]

Thanks for the information, Andrew, our painter on rainy days, is on a steep learning curve ...