Treating Old Wood Beams

Open the bag and smell the wood.

Treating old wood beams. I can find old barn wood wood from urban demolitions like gym flooring and even the scraps from local shops. Place a few pieces of the salvaged wood in a plastic bag for 48 hours. Most of the beams in our house are probably around 180 years old. There are even a few shops cropping up that take the tree trunks from.

Before using reclaimed wood for your next project there are steps that you should take to ensure the wood you are using has been completely rid of bugs. To restore the rustic authentic look it is always advised to strip back and remove paint and other old finishes from wood beams where possible. If you smell the odor of animals or other offensive scents use the wood for outside projects only. We started with a spray pump product called woodworm destroyer.

It s only been in the last month that we ve noticed signs of woodworm appearing around some of the beams so we ve had to starting treating beams for woodworm. Old barn wood can retain the smell of a farm for decades. Properly treating old oak beams will add heaps of character giving your home the traditional rustic farmhouse look it deserves. Just like any material when exposed to the elements it can slowly degrade.

Wood is an extraordinary building material that can last hundreds of years especially old growth wood when given a little care. It s also gives this old growth wood new life rather than just bulldozing these old structures and burning the wood. I ve also made friends with a local shop that specializes in tearing down barns and selling the wood.