In the process of replacing some radiators in my 350 year old cottage some
beams will be exposed which are not normally seen. I understand they should
be treated with linseed oil, but am unsure as to whether that should be
boiled or just regular linseed oil - or whatever?

Keith

Not sure it matters much as both sorts will soak in. Boiled oil will "dry"
more quickly than raw. Be aware that it will darken the colour quite a bit.

On Tue, 30 Oct 2007 19:55:15 GMT, "Keith Dunbar"
wrote:

I understand they should
be treated with linseed oil, but am unsure as to whether that should be
boiled or just regular linseed oil - or whatever?

Use a commercially blended finishing oil, like Liberon's. Easier to
apply, more predictable drying (especially in this weather!) and it
won't stink of fish.

If you do use linseed, use boiled. Raw linseed won't fully cure (ever!)
and will always remain slightly sticky. Neither will "soak in" worth
mentioning on exposed wood of this age.

If the timber is that old, especially if it's oak, then a bit of oil
isn't going to darken it appreciably.

On 30 Oct, 19:55, "Keith Dunbar" wrote:
In the process of replacing some radiators in my 350 year old cottage some
beams will be exposed which are not normally seen. I understand they should
be treated with linseed oil, but am unsure as to whether that should be
boiled or just regular linseed oil - or whatever?

Keith

We are in the process of doing up an equivalent age building and my
builder is talking about wax. I was going to see if I could find any
in a liquid form to make it easier to apply to fairly rough oak beams.
Does 300 year old oak need any treatment at all? Does anyone know?

Joanthan

Jonathan wrote:
On 30 Oct, 19:55, "Keith Dunbar" wrote:

In the process of replacing some radiators in my 350 year old cottage some
beams will be exposed which are not normally seen. I understand they should
be treated with linseed oil, but am unsure as to whether that should be
boiled or just regular linseed oil - or whatever?

Keith

We are in the process of doing up an equivalent age building and my
builder is talking about wax. I was going to see if I could find any
in a liquid form to make it easier to apply to fairly rough oak beams.
Does 300 year old oak need any treatment at all? Does anyone know?

Joanthan

It doesnt, even for outdoor use. However if you do use something
to improve its appearance its preferable to use something in
keeping with the character of the property. These are the people to
ask:
http://periodpropertyshop.co.uk/phpB...wforum.php?f=1


NT

Jonathan wrote:
On 30 Oct, 19:55, "Keith Dunbar" wrote:
In the process of replacing some radiators in my 350 year old cottage some
beams will be exposed which are not normally seen. I understand they should
be treated with linseed oil, but am unsure as to whether that should be
boiled or just regular linseed oil - or whatever?

Keith

We are in the process of doing up an equivalent age building and my
builder is talking about wax. I was going to see if I could find any
in a liquid form to make it easier to apply to fairly rough oak beams.
Does 300 year old oak need any treatment at all? Does anyone know?

No it does not. I shoved a bit of linseed mixed with a stain on mine,
but that was more to try and achieve a match with newer timber nearby.

Oak, if left to its own devices will go silvery over time. A coating to
keep the air out seems to stop that.



Joanthan

On 31 Oct, 10:39, wrote:

These are the people to ask:
http://periodpropertyshop.co.uk/phpB...wforum.php?f=1

Have you actually tried that URL?

"Jonathan" wrote in message
oups.com...
On 30 Oct, 19:55, "Keith Dunbar" wrote:
In the process of replacing some radiators in my 350 year old cottage
some
beams will be exposed which are not normally seen. I understand they
should
be treated with linseed oil, but am unsure as to whether that should be
boiled or just regular linseed oil - or whatever?

Keith

We are in the process of doing up an equivalent age building and my
builder is talking about wax. I was going to see if I could find any
in a liquid form to make it easier to apply to fairly rough oak beams.
Does 300 year old oak need any treatment at all? Does anyone know?

Joanthan

Sikkens do interior wood finish - see
http://www.sikkens.co.uk/NR/rdonlyre...5E/0/BRIAR.pdf
for a claimed suitability on internal oak

Peter K

On 31 Oct, 10:00, Jonathan wrote:

We are in the process of doing up an equivalent age building and my
builder is talking about wax.

Why? What does wax have to offer here that he thinks is so preferable
to oil? Or is he just claiming this because he's seen floor waxes
offered for sale and knows where to buy them.

For real "period" work, it would be left bare. However we want a
little more finish than that, so oil is now popular. Wax though is a
finish for furniture, not carpentry. The intention of wax is to
provide a layer that can be polished - that's hardly appropriate.

Wax is also hard to apply to rougher surfaces, such as oak beams. You
probably wouild need to apply it as a liquid, rather than a paste.
Water-based emulsions would be easy, but they're hard to get a
reliably good finish with. Many other wax solvents have a really
serious fire hazard if used in this quantity.

Andy Dingley wrote:
On 31 Oct, 10:39, wrote:

These are the people to ask:
http://periodpropertyshop.co.uk/phpB...wforum.php?f=1

Have you actually tried that URL?

Hope they get it sorted out, place has been a great resource for
these sort for things for years. If they dont get it back up I should
have the info stored somewhere - with the right treatment oak can
give a really rich finish.


NT