# finishing reclaimed lumber



## sledhed (Aug 14, 2010)

New member and novice woodworker. I recently acquired a lot of reclaimed pine barnwood. My problem is the patina, a light grey, is not very deep. I've experimented a little with sanding and clear coats on some samples. Sanding easily removes the rough dry patina and clear coats darken it. Another problem, when the wood is cut, I end up with "new" edges. Any advice on finishing techniques that will protect the wood without drastically altering the patina appearance or how to hide the fresh cut edges other than miter joints?


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## barngeek (Aug 24, 2010)

*finishing reclaimed wood*

The best finish for barn wood is no finish. There really is no way to maintain the weathered gray appearance when applying finish. The gray color is a result of ultraviolet light from the sun. You really don't need a protective finish on barn wood anyway. It will last a very long time with no finish on it. I have reclaimed a lot of old barn wood over the past few years. Even after 100 or more years the boards are still very solid. Having had no paint or finish on them their entire life. 

There is a way however, to replicate the weathered gray color. 

You will need ferrous sulfate. It comes in a powder. You can dissolve it in warm water and apply it with a foam brush. Be sure to use a scrap piece of wood to test it on before you brush it on your project. 

If you want to quickly add weathered character to the fresh cuts. Put a wire wheel in your drill and wheel brush the cut ends with it. (this will replicate the rain grooves) Again be sure to experiment on a scrap piece. Then coat it with your ferrous sulfate solution. 

I hope this helps. If you want more tips about re using old barn wood visit this site. 

http://www.barngeek.com/old-barn-wood.html


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## Reclaimed Wood (Dec 31, 2010)

*Reclaimed Wood*



barngeek said:


> The best finish for barn wood is no finish. There really is no way to maintain the weathered gray appearance when applying finish. The gray color is a result of ultraviolet light from the sun. You really don't need a protective finish on barn wood anyway. It will last a very long time with no finish on it. I have reclaimed a lot of old barn wood over the past few years. Even after 100 or more years the boards are still very solid. Having had no paint or finish on them their entire life.
> 
> There is a way however, to replicate the weathered gray color.
> 
> ...


Very useful information, I was searching for a way to get that gray look on some leftover Reclaimed Wood from a friends project.
To the OP - Let us know how the project turns out and be sure to post up some pictures.


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## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

I play with a LOT of reclaimed cypress and normally I'm not trying to presserve that grey patina... 

But, I built some "barn wood" picture frames for a bank and what I did on "new" edges where cuts were made was pass the wood following the grain throught a wire brush and fence on my drill press... 

What this does it eat away the some of the softer grain leaving a lifted grain look. I then air brushed it with dark grey stain and lightly brush spattered with black... 

It worked awsome!

I imagine it would work just as well on some old pine... Good luck~


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## jgibney_83 (May 9, 2011)

I have been making some crafts out of reclaimed barn wood. I've been having a problem with the polyurethane soaking right into the wood. It takes about 6 to 7 coats before it looks good. What can i put on the wood to help with the problem?


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## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

jgibney_83 said:


> I have been making some crafts out of reclaimed barn wood. I've been having a problem with the polyurethane soaking right into the wood. It takes about 6 to 7 coats before it looks good. What can i put on the wood to help with the problem?


You could try a conditioner... But either way your doing the right thing by allowing it to penetrate and seal the wood. 

I'm not the best on this topic though. Hopefully c-man or another who has more experience with that can help?

~tom


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## Blur (Feb 1, 2011)

jgibney_83 said:


> I have been making some crafts out of reclaimed barn wood. I've been having a problem with the polyurethane soaking right into the wood. It takes about 6 to 7 coats before it looks good. What can i put on the wood to help with the problem?


First, a caveat, I haven't worked with reclaimed barn wood myself. However, the problem of "thirsty" wood applies to many more situations than just barn wood. There's a couple things you can do to reduce the amount of top coats the wood will soak up; but probably the best approach if you're trying to minimize the change to the rustic character of the wood would be to use a de-waxed shellac seal coat on the wood first (two coats would probably do the trick) before applying the poly. If you use this technique you MUST use dewaxed shellac as poly doesn't bond well to the waxed stuff. 

It would be best to buy dewaxed shellac flakes and mix it to a three pound cut yourself. I don't usually use that heavy a cut, but given the material you're working with, it may be necessary. You could always experiment and see if two pound cut works as well if you want. The shellac will stop up the pores of the wood and your poly top coat will build normally from there. Sand back the second coat of shellac with 320 grit sand paper to level it and give the poly a bit more mechanical tooth to bond to. You'll get a better bond and less orange peel. The rest of your process depends on the look you're shooting for (do you want to color the wood, etc.) but I suspect you're trying to keep as much of the natural character of the barn wood as possible. 

Good luck and let us know how it works out!


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