Browse Forums General Discussion 1 Oct 15, 2014 1:25 pm I am very, very, new to this so forgive my inexperience. I bought this old house with shopfront 12 months ago and have been attempting to restore/renovate. The timber window frames on the shopfront have been neglected over the years. It is very dry and is ridged, as in it has grooves worn into it. I want to retain the timber, but am wondering the best thing to do to preserve it. It appears to only have ever had one coat of paint on it, and we think it was built around 1880. Where it has been protected from the weather the timber has a 'waxy' feel. Would anyone know what would have been used to preserve the timber, both inside and out in a small country town about 1880? Thanks for taking the time to read my story and any help at all would be appreciated. Re: Very old neglected timber 2Oct 16, 2014 1:00 pm The timber on the frames is ridged because the softer ( spring ) wood has been worn away with the harder ( autumn or winter) wood remaining. It depends on the look you are after but I don't think many heritage houses had clear oil or lacquer applied to the window sashes - they were usually painted as per the rest of the timber. They are probably made from red cedar as was a lot of joinery around that time. Quote: Where it has been protected from the weather the timber has a 'waxy' feel. Apart from asking a painter of a similar vintage I'd hazard a guess and say like kalsomine paints ( chalky feel ) of the same era, oil based paints were pretty basic to say the least and not the high tech paints we have now. There is a good chance over the years that the paint has re-emulsified somewhat and has broken back down to its basic constituents like whatever oil they used hence the waxy or oily feel. Unless a later owner has had a go with some other similar oil based product. Stewie Re: Very old neglected timber 3Oct 16, 2014 11:19 pm Hi Stewie, Thanks for taking the time to answer. Yes, I am pretty sure that it is local cedar, as is the timber joinery inside. After going down about 7 different colours on the interior timber it appears to have been coated with shellac. Could they have used that outside as well? I would like to keep the timber outside as original as I can. Thinking of using tung oil, but could really use some advice. Pam Re: Very old neglected timber 4Oct 17, 2014 7:08 am Quote: it appears to have been coated with shellac. Could they have used that outside as well? They certainly could have used it. Depending on whether it was a home-brewed job or store bought it may have broken down over time leaving the waxy residue behind. Tung oil is certainly a good preserver as it nourishes the timber by soaking into it unlike varnishes etc that merely coat it. I'm not sure about for architraves and jambs etc though as most of the experience I have with it is for internal polished wooden floors. Stewie Hi - thanks for your reply. Yes I think 'Ill go for whitish with very speckly bits rather than pure white something like this. PS was actually 2008 I built the… 2 11682 Engineering timber is certainly a less fuss option, times cheaper to supply and install and better withstands humidity. 1 15904 Is it possible to render an old corrugated iron shed.I have heard that it can be done if it is covered with chicken wire first.Not sure of the ratio of the render mix and… 0 4896 |