# need help with making cabinets out of barnwood



## sissy (Jul 1, 2007)

getting ready to make the plunge and build up in the mountains. Need some advice though. We are tearing down an old barn in GA and want to use the outside boards for the cabinets. However we were warned about the splinters if we do not seal it in some way. (they say they are a pain to dig out of little hands) We don't want to lose the worn and weathered color so sanding is out. Can anyone reccommend a finishing process that will seal in the wood but not change the color. Especially do not want it to look glossy. thanks a bunch…..sissy


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## dennis (Aug 3, 2006)

sissy…splinters are not stopped by a finish. A finish is a very very thin coat of material. Scrape, sand, brush the wood depending upon the look you want. You can do a lot of work without losing the look. A finish will help you keep the wood clean. Every wood is different so what will work for pine looks crudy on maple.


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## Hawgnutz (Mar 29, 2007)

I use Varathane semi gloss to seal soem of my barnwod frames. It seals the wood from minor splintering, but cabionets will get much more use than my frames. Maybe sealing it with spray Varathane, then try brushing a coat or two or three of eitehr semi gloss or satin Varathane.

I suppose you could seal it with shellac and then finish coat it with semi-gloss or satin poly. You want to keep the final finish as a seni-gloss or satin finsh, though, to keep that old, weathered look. 
Try and experiment with a scrap piece, just as you would with "regular" wood.

Good luck! I will look forward to pictures of project!

God Bless,
Hawg


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## Dadoo (Jun 23, 2007)

*You might also want to "fumigate" the boards too. The barns around here usually fall down because of carpenter ants, termites, etc.
The hardest thing I encountered with "aged" barn boards was where and how to hide a fresh saw cut. That nice ash gray plank looks just awful with a brown edge!
Sometimes it's best just to plane the whole kit and kaboodle and eliminate not only the color variations, but the splinters as well.*


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## MsDebbieP (Jan 4, 2007)

there is a product that we have here that "ages" the look of the wood to that grey colour. You wipe it on, let it dry, and then sit it in the sun for a day … (I think that is all it takes) and you get the grey effect.
It's an environmentally friendly product and I guess the Provincial Parks all use it .. I can't remember all of the details.


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## Frank (Nov 19, 2006)

Hi Sissy;
--so many variables you are not including here with your question.

Can you tell me how old would you say those barn boards are? I'm asking this since the older the barn boards are, the more 'punky' they become with age.

When you say; "*the worn and weathered color*", are you saying those boards are brown and golden with age, with what I call 'ruts' in the faces or are they weathered grey?

What is the thickness of those boards, since as time goes on they will go from 1'' and 3/4'' in thickness on down to 1/2'' and less. I have some two hundred plus year old barn boards which are coming in at around 1/2'' - 3/8'' in thickness, which I use for wainscoting in old houses….sitting rooms and library's. The thickness of the wood when working with old barn boards has a lot to do with strength and stability, since you will be attaching hardware and then what about the factors of wear and tear?

Scotch-Brite can also be used for cleaning the surface along with an air compressor for blowing off the accumulated dirt and grime….just be sure you are using and wearing a good dust mask system. The Scotch-Brite pads will also take care of and remove those splinters….but then that's half the fun of woodworking. Ha!....splinters also make for great conversation pieces.

Concerning the cutting and truing of those board ends and then the white pine look of fresh cut wood against the face of weathered grey or dark and brown….well you can get around that also. This just depends on the amount of effort you are wanting or willing to put into your project. I get artist colors from art stores and mix my own tints and dyes for color, and on boards such as these, you can mix a blend of color that will match the face or if you so decide, you can also mix a color that will highlight the ends and bring out much color all over in the boards. You must decide how much time and effort you are willing to put in….but then no-one ever said working with old barn boards wold be easy.

Concerning the how to's of finishing the wood, I do believe that Dennis has given you some very good advice up there in his comments of your situation; "A finish will help you keep the wood clean." If you are going to use those boards for cabinets, (kitchen, bathroom, study, den or library….?) and each environment you decide to put those cabinets in, can also use a different type of finish. Finishes with 'sheen' for kitchens and bathrooms, while rubbing oils and waterborne's work well for others, and then you can also mix up some boiled linseed oil and beeswax,....tung oil, gumturps and varnish mixed in a three way cut makes a great rubbing oil and is an-other way to go….ah yes, so much to consider when one starts working with old barn boards….

When you say you don't want a glossy look, I am assuming that means you don't want the plastic look that comes from high gloss finishes? This is what is also known as 'sheen'. The higher the 'sheen', the harder is the protection level of the finish….that's why you will find high gloss on wood floors. And that's also why wood floors with high sheen gloss will also reflect any mistakes or scuff marks as time passes, since the higher the sheen, the more is the reflected dents and bangs of use . I'm saying this, so that I now can say that if high gloss is used at the start, you can then dull down the sheen at the end by going to semi gloss and flat sheen….make sense?

I don't know if this helps or not, but when it's all done….old barn boards sure make nice looking cabinets!
GODSPEED,
Frank


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## doyoulikegumwood (Jun 21, 2007)

not to throw a wrnech in here but save thos timbers inside the barn if you can too thier worth a fortune.


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## MsDebbieP (Jan 4, 2007)

http://www.valhalco.com/

here's that stuff I mentioned.


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