Stabilise soft, powdery oak beams - What to use?

[Paul Downham]

Hi everyone,

I am restoring my place in Suffolk, part of a Guildhall, and some of the oak bracing beams in the bedrooms are a little soft and powdery. They aren't too bad, however, need treating with something.

I have softly brushed away the loose debris, but do not want to take them back to hard timber as I will destroy their look/shape. Before I eventually paint and carpet, etc. I would like to stabilise them with a product that hardens the external part of the beams so as to prevent dust etc. falling into the room, but I don't want the colour to change or the current finish.

Can anyone suggest a product?

Many thanks

 

[Cubist]

I've used wood hardeners from both Ronseal and Rustin's but only to treat timber exposed to Wet Rot and mostly outdoors. To treat internal timbers I would be considering a two stage treatment. The first to combat any concerns regarding woodworm and the second to address the need to stabilise and strengthen the wood and particularly its exposed surface. There are a wide range of Permethrin based anti woodworm products available and you will hear both Pro and Anti arguments from other members here regarding whether these should be used at all or are at all effective. Assuming though that the timbers in question are in well ventilated rooms and are not exposed to large volumes of atmospheric moisture generated by your activities then you could choose to omit this first stage of treatment.

Personally, rather than using a proprietary wood hardener from one of the major suppliers, I would suggest you use a solution of White Spirit and Linseed Oil applied in two coats. This works in exactly the same way as the proprietary products insofar that the white spirit operates as a carrier for the linseed oil to transport it as far as possible into the wood. The WS quickly evaporates to the surrounding atmosphere leaving the LO behind where it can then polymerise to stabilise the tissues of the wood. A first coat of 75:25 and a second of 50:50 has worked for me in the past. However, linseed oil will slightly darken the oak and highlight some of its redder elements but that is largely unavoidable even with the proprietary products in my opinion.

Some may suggest you consider Shellac as an alternative to linseed oil in this solution BUT whilst this too can work admirably to stabilise the wood it can also, if applied too thickly, produce a high/low gloss final finish.

 

[phillc]

I have no idea if it meets your needs but could wood hardener be an option - obviously, test on an inconspicuous area first?

Ronseal Wet Rot Wood Hardener 500ml

This no fuss wet rot wood hardener from Ronseal gives interior and exterior wood a new lease of life. Harden wet wood and stop nasty rot from spreading, whether it's your garden furniture or a water damaged window frame. The fluid seeps deep into the wood and sets rock hard, which reinforces...

www.toolstation.com

 

[Itchinfilth]

I used linseed oil on its own. Now much more stable.