Blasting Wooden beams

Many have tried it, many have regretted it. Does too much damage.

NT

Dont do it. You will end up with the crunchie bar effect. Use a poultice instead (brands are peel-away and strippers) which will be easier to transport too

Anna ~~ Anna Kettle, Suffolk, England |""""| ~ Lime plaster repair and conservation / ^^ \ // Freehand modelling in lime: overmantels, pargeting etc |____|

Or hire a disc sander of the type used in auto finishing. They usually have a flexible backing pad that minimises swirls.

:-)

One of the Grand Designs people who made a house in green oak sandblasted all the inside beams so they looked "nice and clean"; he seemed happy with it. Of course, that was new and unpainted wood.

"crunchie bar effect" is such a great description.

Owain

Yes. Or actually a stupid builders attempts to make new ones look old.

Ah. They are not part of a hoursse. That makes it easier. Mine were. Used calcium carbonate rather than sand..to reduce damage to surriunding areaes.

This is NOT something you do yourself. You get the boys to come out to you, or you take the wood to them,. The equipment is specialised and you need full masks and protective clothing.

However a good pressure washer may be able to get paint off.

Don't go there. Get out the yellow pages and get the job done by the pros. They know all the answers, have the kit and will have done it a zillion times before.

Usual crap from usual sources.

Which many people like.

If hey are old beams of course and are being re-used, you can plane them and then if you want an antique look, co over with an adze...

Probably a better DIY option.

Anyone who wants OLD oak beams BTW I still have about 6 tons of em rotting in the garden..

Are they newish and flat, or old and uneven?

cheers, Pete.

poor advice. Stripping them properly is less expense, and leaves behind the original beams in proper condition instead of a piss takingly poor pastiche of what was there to start with.

NT

Bollocks. They would have originally been squared off with an adze, so all you are doing is making them like they once were, less 200 years of woodworm, rot and overpainting.

If you want to live in a museum, that's your choice. It isn't everyone else's.

It's not "poor advice", it's just not *your* advice. I happen to agree with you here, but it is not your place to criticise the OP's taste. Not everyone is a hardcore conservationist

I'm not criticising the OP's taste, I dont know where you get that from. I'm criticising tnp's advice to make a complete balls up of the job at greater cost than doing it properly.

NT

In message , The Natural Philosopher writes

Where is the garden?

regards

West Suffolk.

Umm.. On my holiday route to the coast:-)

I have to go to Walsham-le-Willows in the near future and wouldn't mind a peek.

Do I have a valid mail addy for you?

regards