Cleaning Old Wood Beams

Years ago when i started cleaning reclaimed wood i would sand it down with a hand sander which would get rid of that beautiful patina and some of the character.

Cleaning old wood beams.

To clean your oak beams you can simply brush them down with a soft brush so you can remove dirt and dust. If you want to go for a more natural way of cleaning your wooden beams you can create a vinegar and water solution by mixing two parts water and one part vinegar. I ve lived in this civil war farmhouse since 1975 and in all this time i ve only cleaned the ceiling beams with a vacuum cleaner. How to clean wood beams step 1.

Soda blasting uses sodium bicarbonate and as baking soda is an extremely friable material it completely fragments on impact cleaning and stripping the timbers and beams. And unfortunately i learned this the hard way. No matter what you do take some basic precautions when working around animal droppings. Beware the little mouse.

Give it a scrub or sand down. Use the hose attachment and run over the beams following. I used minwax polycrylic water based protective finish in clear satin you guys this stuff is amazing. The last step to clean and refinish your reclaimed wood is to properly seal the wood.

If your oak beams are stained or blackened you can make use of chemical free blasting or soda blasting but be careful of the chemicals used to treat the wood. Cleaning up beams and posts in your old barn more aggressive approach greater risks. The most important lesson i ve learned with reclaimed wood is when to lightly clean it vs. Make sure not to use too much.

Avoid using wire brushes as this can damage the timber s appearance. Just be sure to turn the tool down to its lowest. Fill a spray bottle with 2 cups water and 1 cup vinegar. Cleaning old wood beams.

The vinegar is a natural cleaning and disinfectant that. There are two other possible techniques both of which ought to be approached. Once the wood was dry from its cleaning i used a regular paint brush and sparingly applied the minwax finish. Soda blasting and low pressure chemical free blasting are non harmful processes to clean and strip wooden beams and timbers.

Beam clean restore use a soda blasting and low pressure chemical free blasting method to safely effectively remove and strip paint varnish smoke damage graffiti and grime from timber oak beams. Spray the solution. Therefore the first thing to do is give the salvaged wood a thorough cleaning. Vacuum the beams when you notice dust accumulation.