Rejuvenating a Hardwood Cill

[wanderer]

I'm in the process of replacing the personnel door on my garage. The frame seems to be fine, although the hardwood cill looks very tatty. It's been painted at some time in the past, although most of that has now flaked off.

Any suggestions for the best treatment to bring the cill back to life, so to speak. Is it a case of sanding down and treating with Sadolin, or is an oil treatment best? I'm a little dubious about oil, coz I've seen oiled wood that is still quite sticky some weeks after the event. Could just be that the wrong sort of oil; was used, of course.

[stuart noble]

Linseed oil dries eventually, as anyone trying to get the cap off an old can of it will verify. Anything that forms a quick drying film over the surface will break down in time and be a bitch to refinish.

[Michael Mcneil]

Sadolin or similar seems to be the in thing these days. Nitromorse the paint off. You could just use clear preservative -I think I would, then let it rest for a few months before giving it a coat of Sadolin.

Oil is not a preservative despite what has been posted on threads here recently. It may serve as a waterproof until it seeps away. Stickier oils such as vegetable oils react with the air to form a stable film. This is how varnishes work. Fast acting oils such as lin and tung are used as well as man made esters. By themselves they will not stop fungal or insect attack.

[N. Thornton]

Engine oil is very effective indeed, and has a long history of use.

50/50 with paraffin or diesel, and dont smoke! If you oil wood, stickiness is to be expected. What happens when depends on what oil you used.

Regards, NT