treatment for splitting wooden beams?

[martin]

Hi everybody,

new to the Forum (and house renovations in France!)  - we have old hay barn conversion in Western france and have been renovating an outside Gite for last 2 years so have neglected the house to some degree,  we have noticed that the main ceiling beams (3 x tree trunks) have over the last two years noticeably split - leaving deep crevices and we are wondering a) what is causing it b) what we can do to resolve c) what preservative/remedial work we can do.

For ref - the house is a holiday home only used every 4-6 weeks only for long week-ends/summer hols etc - winter mainly locked up - [:)] no heating etc.  2 wood burners on the go when we are there or calor gas fires provide much of the heating requirement.

Any suggestions who be greatly appreciated.

thanks

 

Ann/David & co.

[Dick Smith]

You need Chris Head or one of the other expert carpenters for a full answer, but I imagine the cracks are opening up as the beams dry out. There isn't much you can do about it. I would suggest that you check that nothing is moving upstairs as a result - we had a beam (a new one) bow in the middle due to a fault (the builder replaced it under his guarantee) and we got some cracks in upstairs walls as it settled, and it wasn't a lot of movement. All of our older beams (100 years +) have got many cracks and it hasn't compromised their strength, although that must be a matter of degree.

[Ty Korrigan]

Hello,

 I am neither a semi-evolved simion nor a carpenter but I do have wooden beams that I bought 'seasoned' and that evenually split in situe...

It is a perfectly natural phenonemon and unlikely to cause a problem... but there is no 10 year guarrantee on my advice or experience...

Don't worry too much though...

 Ty

[martin]

thanks Dick,

appreciate your coming back with the response.

 

Ann

 

[martin]

Ty

 

thanks for coming back with your response

 

Ann