Treating Old Wood Beams

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.

Treating old wood beams.

Place a few pieces of the salvaged wood in a plastic bag for 48 hours. There are even a few shops cropping up that take the tree trunks from. Craigslist is a great place to look for reclaimed material. Most of the beams in our house are probably around 180 years old.

Old barn wood can retain the smell of a farm for decades. 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. If you smell the odor of animals or other offensive scents use the wood for outside projects only. 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.

Just like any material when exposed to the elements it can slowly degrade. I can find old barn wood wood from urban demolitions like gym flooring and even the scraps from local shops. Properly treating old oak beams will add heaps of character giving your home the traditional rustic farmhouse look it deserves. New wood beams used in a restoration project stripping wood beams.

We started with a spray pump product called woodworm destroyer. Open the bag and smell the wood. But you can bring old wood back to life by using boiled linseed oil and prepare it for a few more decades of service life.