Rejuvenate Dried out window frames

[benmc]

Hi All,

I hope someone can help me.

In the church we have a number of hand made iroko windows that have not been treated for many years and are in good condition but have turned grey and slightly dry.

I was intending to refinish them with Linseed Wax but I have just tried a section and they are simply still coming up grey and the redish colour of iroko is not coming out. Short of giving them a very good sanding is there anything else I can do to rejuvenate them?

thanks in advance
Ben

 

[skier-hughes]

Grey is the natural colour of the weathered wood.
Sanding may remove the top weathered layer and you can polish underneath, but do you want to be doing this every year or two until you have no wood left......... or no hands? I'd appreciate it as it is and get on with another more worthy job needing doing

 

[benmc]

I could do that but I have also got some nice new iroko windows and with Linseed wax they are coming up to a wonderful redish natures wood color. Just trying to get them all to match. Then keep them looking nice with a Linseed wax topup every other year.

Ben

Grey is the natural colour of the weathered wood.
Sanding may remove the top weathered layer and you can polish underneath, but do you want to be doing this every year or two until you have no wood left......... or no hands? I'd appreciate it as it is and get on with another more worthy job needing doing

 

[skier-hughes]

I think you might be hoping for a bit too much, but hard work never killed anyone......so they say :wink:
I tried to keep on top of my Oak bridge, but the weathered look is far more easy to maintain. By the time you get the other windows to match the originals will be matching the weathered look

 

[88v8]

Iroko, endangered species which we should not be using... says he with his 1990 iroko conservatory... mote and beams.... as has been observed, iroko and other members of the teak family weather to a soft grey. Other than sanding it, that's how it is. You can keep the inside polished and brown if you wish, but the outside? Nooooo. The grey is 'patina' , be glad of it.
But yes to the linseed, or rather teak oil. Teak oil will penetrate better. It will still be grey, like old oak... we like old, don't we. :wink:

Ivor