# HOW DO I SEAL DOUGLAS FIR BEAM?? HELP!!



## ranger

Hello everyone,
I am new to this but I sure need some good advice. My wife and I are adding on to our home. We ordered douglas fir beams out of S. Dakota. The beams are hand hewn and were cut out of standing dead timber. I received the beams last August and stained them. I stacked them in my garage and they have dried and checked. Some of these beams will go inside the house and some will go outside and be exposed to some weather on the porches. How do I seal the beams so that they look like they are 100 years old and at the same time prevent the outside beams from deteriorating in the weather. Restaining the checks is not a problem, I just don't know how to seal the beams. I have read about a 50/50 mixture of boiled linseed oil and turpentine. Is this the best to use?

Thanks in advance,
Tom


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## patron

tom

first 
welcome to LJ's

this is what i have found
it is like the stuff
(maybe the same)
they pressure treat with

i get it at the local hrdw. store
there is another brand
called woodlife
but it only has half as much copper in it
it's good for termites and mildew

the deck has had 4 coats
with a sloppy mop put on it
it is green for about a month
but turns to barn board in the sun
or clear inside


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## ranger

Dan,
Thanks for the information. I have never heard of this preservative.


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## Tennwood

We have a timber frame house built out of doug fir, built 3 years ago in Eastern Tennessee. The inside and outside were stained and then finished with poly. Not sure what kind but I think Sherwin Williams. Except where the sap continues to bleed out and needs to be cleaned (steel wool) off, we shouldn't have to deal with the interior timbers for a long time, if ever. The outside posts and beams for the porches are starting to wear down where the sun beats on them and will need to be refinished next year. Otherwise it is holding up pretty well. The only other problem is the carpenter bees have taken a liking to the taste in places. I talked to reps at local the Sherwin Williams store and a local painter, and they said there isn't a lot you can do about either. No stain or finish holds up to the sun for more than a few years, and the bees will acquire a taste for the wood eventually, no matter what you put on it. As far as keeping the antique look of the wood, not sure, other than not to stain them.

If you have a log home or timber frame dealer in the area, you may want to talk to them.

Good luck


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## MrRon

Boiled linseed oil and turpentine would probably work, but I don't like the idea of having this flamable mixture associated with a house. Any finish will eventually deteoriate in the weather, something that wooden boat owners have had to contend with forever. Some kind of preservative that soaks into the wood would be my guess, like the one suggested by Tom


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## hObOmOnk

When I work with beams, new or aged, I cut a Japanese-style kerf, called a sewari, the length of the beam. This is a sacrificial split that relieves the natural splitting tension in the wood. The sewari is usually cut on the side that does not show.

For outdoor finishing, I use Sikkens Cetol products.

Hope this helps…


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