Make sure not to use too much.
Cleaning old wood beams.
I ve lived in this civil war farmhouse since 1975 and in all this time i ve only cleaned the ceiling beams with a vacuum cleaner.
The last step to clean and refinish your reclaimed wood is to properly seal the wood.
If your oak beams are stained or blackened you can make use of chemical free blasting or soda blasting but be careful of the chemicals used to treat the wood.
Spray the solution.
And unfortunately i learned this the hard way.
If you want to go for a more natural way of cleaning your wooden beams you can create a vinegar and water solution by mixing two parts water and one part vinegar.
Give it a scrub or sand down.
The most important lesson i ve learned with reclaimed wood is when to lightly clean it vs.
Avoid using wire brushes as this can damage the timber s appearance.
Use the hose attachment and run over the beams following.
Pour the mixture into a spray bottle spray it on a clean rag and use the rag to wipe the surface of the beam.
Vacuum the beams when you notice dust accumulation.
Beam clean restore use a soda blasting and low pressure chemical free blasting method to safely effectively remove and strip paint varnish smoke damage graffiti and grime from timber oak beams.
Beware the little mouse.
How to clean wood beams step 1.
Fill a spray bottle with 2 cups water and 1 cup vinegar.
But i noticed recently the living room beams seem spotted with mildew or some kind of mold at least that s what it looks like to me so i got out a step stool and.
Once the wood was dry from its cleaning i used a regular paint brush and sparingly applied the minwax finish.
Soda blasting and low pressure chemical free blasting are non harmful processes to clean and strip wooden beams and timbers.
Soda blasting uses sodium bicarbonate and as baking soda is an extremely friable material it completely fragments on impact cleaning and stripping the timbers and beams.
Just be sure to turn the tool down to its lowest.
To clean your oak beams you can simply brush them down with a soft brush so you can remove dirt and dust.
I used minwax polycrylic water based protective finish in clear satin you guys this stuff is amazing.
Years ago when i started cleaning reclaimed wood i would sand it down with a hand sander which would get rid of that beautiful patina and some of the character.
The vinegar is a natural cleaning and disinfectant that.
There are two other possible techniques both of which ought to be approached.
Cleaning up beams and posts in your old barn more aggressive approach greater risks.
No matter what you do take some basic precautions when working around animal droppings.
