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Wood treatment


Araucaria
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We're having shutters installed in an opening that was the original barn door, and we're hoping to make them look as much like a barn door as possible.

The shutters have an oak frame and are faced on the outer surface with chestnut. They do have to be treated pretty soon (before they get wet!)

We want to avoid the high gloss look that you get with ordinary varnish - not very barn door-ish. Is there a waterproofing treatment for wood other than a normal vernis, that doesn't leave you with a mirror finish - and which works? Is there anyone who can comment on lasure for sealing (as opposed to protection against insects etc). Or will I just have to settle for a mat varnish?

I'd be grateful for suggestions.

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You might want to consider Danish Oil - several coats - matt finish and works well for our external oak door although depending on weathering, you'll need to re-apply at intervals.

Odinary "satin" incoloure lasure has also worked for me on some external oak beams - the weather will dull them down pretty quick.

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Thanks John

Shortly after I put up the original post, the menuisier who had made and was fitting the doors said that he always used a mixture of 2/3rds linseed oil and 1/3 turps ("terebinthine") with a drying agent ("siccatif"), so we've been sloshing that on for the last couple of days. He said we should heat it up and apply it hot with a brush, then rub it in with a cloth.

The finish looks very nice, still rather slippery though, and I have no idea how long it will last. But it's no problem to apply, and not expensive.

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One of the problems with Danish oil is that it isn't available here in France or not that I have managed to find. That combo of linseed oil and turps sounds good and an old type of preserver, but be careful when you warm it because it could become a good starter for a BBQ.

Give us a couple of photos of your doors, they sound delightful!!

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The stuff that you can get here is similar, but not the same and in my opinion not as good.

The last time I used some of my Danish oil was today on a couple of serviet rings that I made from some box wood as a 'petit rien' for our neighbours comming to dinner tomorrow evening. It gives such a lovely finisg!

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[quote user="Araucaria"]Thanks John

Shortly after I put up the original post, the menuisier who had made and was fitting the doors said that he always used a mixture of 2/3rds linseed oil and 1/3 turps ("terebinthine") with a drying agent ("siccatif"), so we've been sloshing that on for the last couple of days. He said we should heat it up and apply it hot with a brush, then rub it in with a cloth.

The finish looks very nice, still rather slippery though, and I have no idea how long it will last. But it's no problem to apply, and not expensive.
[/quote]

We teat all our wood that way but without the drying agent - give it time it will dry out.

Slap it on yearly or when the wood looks dry. It's cheap slosh it about.  It is also a good mix to clean old furniture .

Lighter coloured wood we stain with walnut juice first. Cheaper and more natural than painting.

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I'll post a picture shortly.

We took the doors off to treat them, and it was quite a job getting them back on. It was a lot easier to slop it on flat (probably less wasteful too). I liked working with the mixture as it has a good smell, and it's oily rather than sticky - I hate sticky. I very dimly remember the smell and feel from treating new cricket bats 45 years ago.

The hardener/drying agent says it's "nocif", which I think is one step down from poisonous. But the menuisier said it was a good idea, and it's only a small quantity - two soupspoons of hardener to a litre of mix.

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This is what the doors/shutters look like, closed and open, after three, possibly four coats of linseed oil.

[IMG]http://i585.photobucket.com/albums/ss293/Vanman15/doors001.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i585.photobucket.com/albums/ss293/Vanman15/doors003.jpg[/IMG]

The upper part hasn't been treated at all, but it is exactly the same wood (chestnut), so the colours give a good idea of before and after. The uprights have been varnished, and the colour is a good deal darker (and they are shinier too). The older the wood that you apply the oil to, the darker it becomes, so with age and sunlight I expect the finish to get a bit darker.

I'll be up a ladder this evening putting on the first coat on the upper part.

 At present we don't have hooks to hold them open, nor are there any sockets for the bolts to hold the doors in the open position. That will have to wait until after I've done the tiling outside.

They don't look absolutely the way the old barn doors did, partly because of the visible hinges - the original doors opened inwards and the hinges were big pivots right at the inner edge of the door, with no metal straps at all. But I'm quite pleased with the result.

The blog linked to below has other pictures of the building works since February this year - but it's been work in progress since 2006, and nearly finished now.

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