I have just finished cleaning through every little crevice in the barn in the part where I am going to build a gym that will mostly stay cold. I thought it would be cool to have the timber exposed as one of the walls. I would like to oil it, though, if that's okay? Here's a picture of the wall:
This is the oil I was thinking of using:
Here's a picture behind the timber (chicken and pig house that I have restored)
Wood breathes, etc., you don't want to trap moisture inside. This timber has been drying for 140 years and has cracked in many places.
It should be okay to oil it, right?
Then I have a somewhat less important and maybe silly question.
I’m going to insulate this wall. I will remove the facade and create an air gap since it is nailed directly onto the studs.
Is there any advantage to oiling the studs and planks? Or does this only cause problems or unnecessary work? I am inclined to think it's unnecessary, but I thought I would mention it here since I am making a thread. Thanks in advance!
I hope all members have had a nice weekend!
Regards,
Velinga2002
Yes, you can oil the wall of the barn if you want to. It will probably require quite a lot of oil.
As for the wall you plan to insulate; why? There's no point in insulating that wall when it looks like the rest of the barn, including the roof, is uninsulated. Just adding some kind of paneling on the inside will make it windproof, at least.
(With the caveat that 'fähus' and 'loge' might be called something else in your dialect.)
Always a bit puzzled when I oil with that type of oil in places where there might be airy materials that could spontaneously combust when the linseed oil oxidizes.
Always a bit puzzled when I oil with that type of oil in places where there may be airy material that, if things go badly, can self-ignite when the linseed oil oxidizes
That oil seems to be somewhat water-mixed, shouldn't be a major problem. Linseed oil on plane shavings feels worse.
Always a bit concerned when I oil with that type of oil in places where there might be airy materials that could spontaneously combust when the linseed oil oxidizes
Good that you mention it even though it might not be a very high risk. I'm thinking of using paraffin oil. It's used in saunas. That should work, right?
Yes, you can oil the wall of the barn if you want to. It might take quite a lot of oil.
As for the wall you plan to insulate; why? There's no point in insulating that wall when it looks like you have the rest of the barn, including the roof, uninsulated. Just putting some kind of panel on the inside will make it windproof, at least.
(With the reservation that 'fähus' and 'loge' might be called something else in your dialect.)
Hope you also had a great weekend!
I plan to build a room in the barn so everything will be insulated except the log wall (because it looks cool). I was probably a bit unclear. I've talked to a couple of guys and paraffin, which I also purchased, should work well. They use it in saunas, and it's non-toxic, even at high temperatures. There's even "paraffin oil preparation" used for patients. It's not like we're talking about rubbing alcohol... so no risk of ingesting it. I'm mostly worried that the wall will rot because it doesn't breathe, which is probably silly, but it's fun to get some tips!
I hadn't heard 'fähus' before. You learn something new every day. Thanks for taking the time with the post. Feel free to give input if you have any thoughts on paraffin oil. I'll start oiling soon!
That oil looks like it is somewhat water-mixed, shouldn't be a major problem. Linolja on wood shavings feels worse.
kashieda said:
That oil looks like it is somewhat water-mixed, shouldn't be a major problem. Linolja on wood shavings feels worse.
I mostly want to remove dust and the wood is very dry! I don't care much about the color of the oil. As I've written to the others, parrafinolja is used in saunas. It's non-toxic and looks natural. It should work, right?
I would probably have preferred applying a bit of matte varnish on the wall.
Thanks for the tip! I'm thinking of using paraffin oil since it's non-toxic and withstands high temperatures. Might also build a small dry sauna there.
What do you think?
Thanks for taking the time to respond, raveper!
Take care
I am planning to build a room in the barn so everything will be insulated except the log wall (because it looks cool). I was probably a bit unclear. I've talked to a couple of guys and paraffin, which I also purchased, should work well. It's used in saunas and it is non-toxic, even at high temperatures. There are even "paraffin oil preparations" used for patients. We're not talking about medical alcohol here... so there's no risk of ingesting it. I'm mostly afraid the wall will rot because it won't breathe, which is probably ridiculous, but it's fun to get some tips!
Fähus is something I hadn't heard before. You learn something new every day. Thanks for taking the time with the post. Feel free to offer input if you have any opinions on paraffin oil. I'll start oiling soon!
A little terminology first; fähuset is the part of the barn where the animals lived. Logen is the space outside where grain sheaves were handled in the past. (Above the fähus is the hayloft in standard Swedish; I live in Småland, so I store hay on the rännet instead.)
Where are you going to build your gym? Fähuset is definitely the easiest, as you already have fairly tight walls and a smooth concrete floor.
Paraffin oil will likely work, but it is a fossil product. Boiled linseed oil is vegetable-based. If you oil a log wall with linseed oil, the risk of the wall spontaneously combusting is practically zero.
A little terminology first; fähuset is the part of the barn where the animals lived. Logen is the space outside, where they used to handle sheaves of grain in the past. (Above the fähuset is höskullen in standard Swedish, I live in Småland so I store hay on rännet instead.)
Where are you going to build your gym? Fähuset is definitely the easiest, there you already have fairly dense walls and a flat concrete floor. Paraffin oil probably works, but it's a fossil product. Boiled linseed oil is vegetable. If you oil a log wall with linseed oil, the risk of the wall self-igniting is basically nonexistent.
Fähuset has too low a ceiling for a gym. Logen has a lot of slanted roof and stores a lot of stuff up there. Fixed up logen and fähuset. They had half collapsed and fähuset hadn't been painted in 50+ years.)
The part of the barn that is logged:
is in the "regular part" of the barn. I don't use it at all as the floor is trash and the barn is big enough as it is. It's an old layered floor built like a plank over another (uneven), think of it like laying battens between panels. Completely useless so it's perfect for my purpose.
Maybe I'll build a small dry sauna as well. Paraffin is used on saunas and does not emit toxic fumes and does not seem to be toxic otherwise either. So it'll probably work well even if it is a "fossil product," haha.
Called an "expert" guy who ran a large paint/oil company who was nice. He said:
1. Paint with paraffin, generously.
2. Wipe off the excess with a cloth.
3. If it's hard to wipe off, use a little turpentine on the cloth.
Now I know what fähus and loge mean too! Actually wondered what loge is. Then I know what fäbojänta means, hahaha.
Slightly poor image but from my personal taste, it turned out well. The phone died just as I finished. I might apply another coat of oil. The wood absorbed it thoroughly. It was very dry.
The oiling was easy but the preparatory work: removing nails, boards, and pins that were hung up, sanding some surfaces, but especially the brushing and using compressed air to remove all the dirt from the wall, especially the cracks where the wood was split, took a hell of a lot of time.
I got a good impression of paraffin oil. Very little smell. Non-toxic etc. This is just my personal opinion. I know everyone has different opinions.
After the next oiling, I will break up the planks (these will be used for a woodshed that I had to tear down as my father didn't lift a finger and only drank beer, hahaha. RIP. He would probably be very pleased.
Here is the 'good' part of the floor::
There are small dangerous holes you can fall through here and there.
I will lay down construction plastic with gravel and ballast on top of the soil, as a vapor barrier.
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kashieda said:
That oil looks like it is somewhat water-mixed, shouldn't be a major problem. Linolja on wood shavings feels worse.raveper said:
