Pine or not pine?

[Abi Cott]

I've been doing a bit of stripping and I was bored of doors so I turned my attention to the banister.

It's in a poor state of repair, wobbles and appears to be cobbled together from mismatched parts.

Could anyone tell me if this is stained pine or some other timber.

 

[MikeG]

Pine, definitely, but a slow-growing probably Baltic or Scandinavian pine, rather than the modern fast growing plantation pine. It won't be stained, either. That's a combination of yellowing with age and possibly absorption of oils from hands.

 

[88v8]

. It won't be stained, either. That's a combination of yellowing with age and possibly absorption of oils from hands.

So you reckon it was originally bare? I always thought pine was routinely painted or stained.

Ivor

 

[MikeG]

That's why I said possibly. It's definitely pine. It has definitely yellowed with age (that happens even under paint). It was possibly stripped at some stage, and the colour further darkened by skin oils.

 

[Abi Cott]

It definitely had less layers of paint on it than the doors.

They are thick with paint completely obscuring the mouldings in a range of colour schemes including two shades of green right at the bottom. At one point the panels were painted black on the side facing the landing. Inside the loo has been both royal blue and pink.

The banister ball only had 3 or 4 coats of white on it. So the idea it may have spent some of its life stripped is a definite possibility.

 

[MatthewC]

It definitely had less layers of paint on it than the doors.

They are thick with paint completely obscuring the mouldings in a range of colour schemes including two shades of green right at the bottom. At one point the panels were painted black on the side facing the landing. Inside the loo has been both royal blue and pink.

The banister ball only had 3 or 4 coats of white on it. So the idea it may have spent some of its life stripped is a definite possibility.

Or else being the place where hands naturally go, it might be that layers have been worn away?

 

[Abi Cott]

It definitely had less layers of paint on it than the doors.

They are thick with paint completely obscuring the mouldings in a range of colour schemes including two shades of green right at the bottom. At one point the panels were painted black on the side facing the landing. Inside the loo has been both royal blue and pink.

The banister ball only had 3 or 4 coats of white on it. So the idea it may have spent some of its life stripped is a definite possibility.

Or else being the place where hands naturally go, it might be that layers have been worn away?

I've stripped the sides as well and same approximate amount of paint.

 

[CliffordPope]

It looks like real pine to me - pitch pine?
Definitely something superior to the common "pine furniture" we keep being invited to buy, which is just some sort of cheap deal.

The test is if you can saw a bit, or sand it. Real pine has a characteristicly lovely resiny smell.

 

[Toby Newell]

100% softwood 'pine' quite old too as late wood resin rings have oxidised very dark.