Treating Reclaimed Barn Wood

Make sure there are no insect infestations in your supply of barn wood.

Treating reclaimed barn wood.

The last step to clean and refinish your reclaimed wood is to properly seal the wood. The final step in treating the wood is the fumigation process. The process involves spraying a borate glycol solution onto the wood surfaces. If you already have a piece of reclaimed wood and just wanna get it cleaned up at home here are some methods to consider.

Consider how the wood will be used. Hose bristle brush and soapy water. The best way to do this is to scrub it with a nylon brush and soapy water. Check the wood thoroughly for decay and rot.

Make sure not to use too much. I used minwax polycrylic water based protective finish in clear satin. I washed down the old barn wood first then using the water hoes brush and adding 1 part bleach and 2 part water in the attached container i went to work. Since pressure treated wood is infused with pesticides to prevent rotting and bug infestation it is a common assumption that pressure treated wood is a good choice for reclaimed wood projects to avoid the insect issues.

You don t want the critters invading the inside of your home. It also preserves and protects the wood from any future risk of bug infestation. One of my sources kiln dries his reclaimed barn wood killing off any bugs and removing moisture from the material. Once the wood was dry from its cleaning i used a regular paint brush and sparingly applied the minwax finish.

If you suspect a piece of wood has bugs you ll need to hit it with some insecticide of your own. Got a teething toddler or puppy. You don t want to build that coffee table out of reclaimed wood just in case. Barn wood that has been in touch with the ground is more likely to have insect problems.

Next once the wood was dry i took it to the planer this cut the sanding process down 75. The borate solution penetrates the wood and kills any remaining bugs. Vintage lumber reclaimed barnwood and more. About tnt reclaimed lumber.

You forgo the chemicals and the heating kills off bugs. Within minutes the wood was looking much cleaner and i had lots of fun scrubbing that old nasty barn wood. Before applying renaissance wax on reclaimed barn wood it needs to be thoroughly cleaned first so as to eliminate micro organisms pollen and insects that might inhabit the wood. Heat treated wood also known as kiln dried wood is generally marked with an ht in terms of your health ht wood is preferable to chemically treated wood.