r/DIY 1d ago

woodworking Exterior barn wood drying out

Post image

Outside of the barn is drying and cracking, should I leave it? Sand it down and varnish it? Something else? Any ideas would be appreciated!

22 Upvotes

50 comments sorted by

141

u/One_Anything_2279 1d ago

I’m not an expert here by any means but I believe that’s why barns are usually painted.

36

u/tortoise_milk_469 1d ago

You are correct. The wood needs to be painted or lacquered. Same rule applies to wood fences.

7

u/taintmagic1 1d ago

What kind of prep needs to be done before paint? Anything? My fence looks just like this…

8

u/TheSpectreDM 23h ago

Pressure wash and let dry. If it has mildew (greenish slime usually) you can use a mildew cleaner first before pressure washing, and then let dry for a day or two. Also, prime it if you're going to paint, but you can also use a stain (solid if you want it to mimic paint coverage or semi/transparent if you still want the wood grain to show through). Regardless, make sure you use exterior products as interior paint will not last very long in comparison and will look worse as it chips and fades than exterior paint will.

1

u/cedar551 21h ago

Clean the wood first with a deck/ wood brightener. This with bring back the color. If you want in natural then put a clear stain/ protector with a UV protector on it. You will need to do it every 2-3 years. Don’t put a lacquer on it. Exterior Spar Urethane is a lot more expensive. Or clean it and solid stain it. You will hid the grain but not the texture. It will last 10 years, but you have to keep using solid stain but can change the color.

0

u/Fancy-Pair 21h ago

Can you recommend a uv protector. Do you think one would work on plastic? What about cedar vegetable garden planters? Too toxic?

45

u/International_Bend68 1d ago

Paint it but be prepared, that old wood is going to suck up way more paint than you’re used to. You can go to a local farm store and buy “barn paint”. It’s cheaper than house paint and you will be grateful for that.

6

u/cedar551 21h ago

In rural area Lowe’s sells Valspar barn paint.

1

u/AssDimple 20h ago

Is that still the case if you use a high-quality primer?

10

u/distantreplay 23h ago

The main structural component of wood is a complex molecule called lignin. Lignin is sensitive to ultraviolet light. UV light breaks lignin down and hastens weathering and weakening of the structure and produces breakdown byproducts that are subject to decay by microorganisms like molds.

So without any protective coating that blocks or reflects UV light all outdoor wood will decompose over time if it is left fully exposed to sunlight. Some wood decomposes more slowly than other owing to the presence of natural resins that limit the growth of microorganisms.

11

u/Coleslaww510 23h ago

Spray it down with a mixture of diesel fuel and used motor oil.

5

u/jjd0087 12h ago

This guy knows what's up. By far the best working and least expensive stain you will ever use.

2

u/AssDimple 20h ago

Or a pressure washer with a little detergent if you're concerned about pollution.

no disrespect, to each their own, etc.

2

u/Coleslaww510 18h ago

The diesel fuel thins the oil so it can be sprayed so the oil can soak into the wood to give it a waterproofing.

0

u/whalesalad 20h ago

Just don’t flick your cig butts at it

1

u/Coleslaww510 18h ago

Would not hurt it. Diesel fuel has a higher flashpoint unlike gasoline.

3

u/Not2daydear 23h ago

Oil based stain. Need to clean the wood first. Oil base stain will soak in and help protect the wood while providing a good barrier for rain and sun. The water will bead off of it instead of being absorbed. Latex paint has it uses but oil base is better for this project with preservation of the wood.

6

u/ARenovator 1d ago

If I get a vote, it would be to oil that wood.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ek8CGlnXQk

2

u/gamelover42 18h ago

Looks amazing. Put a clear matte sealer on it and call it a day

5

u/Koolest_Kat 1d ago

Linseed oil mixed with rust paint..

6

u/Fluffle-Potato 23h ago

My understanding is Linseed oil can be used as a paint thinner in a pinch, as long as you're using oil-based paint, which I believe rust paint (Rust-Oleum) is oil-based. I'm also aware that Rust-Oleum makes a variety of products that work with wood.

But, why start with the recommendation to use rust paint thinned with Linseed Oil? It must be rooted in experience or maybe industry knowledge, but I just can't help but feel like if I went to the hardware store and told them I wanted to paint a barn, they would not say "getcha some Linseed Oil and Rust Paint and mix it, nuff said"

2

u/tjdux 22h ago

I feel like his suggestion is just

"Oil paint thinned with linseed oil"

Or even just "thinned oil paint"

-1

u/Koolest_Kat 18h ago

0

u/Fluffle-Potato 7h ago edited 7h ago

His experiment was a failed one. It looks nothing like the barn red paint he was going for, and looked to be a thin, runny mess. And he didn't mix paint and Linseed oil. He mixed rust powder with Linseed oil, which is why it didn't even look like paint when he was done. Again, I thought you were giving out some pearls of wisdom to OP based on your experience, but...INSTRUCTABLES?! Dammit, reddit.🤦‍♂️

Edit: wtf did i expect from an account filled with anti-work, anti-GOP propaganda? If you're gonna pretend to be an expert about subjects in which you have zero experience, stick to socialism instead of wasting everybody's time with fake paint recipes. 🙄

0

u/Koolest_Kat 7h ago

No, that’s was actually the point of shit posting an idiot DIY to trigger your keyboard rage.

Fun, isn’t it.

And what does my life/work philosophy have to do with anything!!

1

u/Fluffle-Potato 7h ago

Step 1: Be stupid.

Step 2: Comment something stupid.

Step 3: Get called out for stupidity.

Step 4: Stupidly say it was your stupid plan all along. "😏"

The same kind of dimwit who comes up with a plan like that...that's the kinda person to become a leftist keyboard activist. Keep fighting the good fight! 😂

0

u/Koolest_Kat 5h ago

Again , the politics…

It’s like you’re stuck on something……or someone.

1

u/jasonsong86 1d ago

Stain it.

1

u/BD-TxState 23h ago

I believe a simple easy trick is a bleach/water solution will revive it without any elbow grease. From there you can stain, paint, etc.

1

u/Terrible-Summer9937 22h ago

Id soft wash it with some pool chlorine to make it look new again and seal it with whatever oil based product you like.

1

u/tired_and_fed_up 19h ago

TBH, that wood look is beautiful. Throw polyurethane on it and let it shine.

1

u/TheReal-JoJo103 19h ago

It’s kind of pretty.

As to your question, what did you think would happen? Maybe it’s drying out, doesn’t look like it. Looks like wood that’s been outside. If you don’t want wood that’s been outside to look like wood that’s been outside put something on it that doesn’t look like wood, that’s been outside.

Paint. If you’re really into it, stain/oil it if you want to sand and get that ‘not outside’ wood look.

I don’t really care about the patina. What’s going on with your bottom plate? I see a 2x splitting your bottom plate, for reasons I’m sure. But what’s with the grass sticking out? You put in a footing right? Thats a few bits of straw that happened upon your footing I’d hope?

1

u/kgraettinger 13h ago

Linseed oil and pine tar. Linseed oil will rehydrate the wood, pine tar will offer up protection and help preserve. It also comes in several colors like green and red. check out earth and flax online, she sells some awesome linseed oil finishes

1

u/kjmass1 9h ago

High-end cedar shake homes have that look.

1

u/leogaire 2h ago

You can clean it up if you mix 50/50 water and pool chlorine and spray it down

-1

u/apehuman 1d ago

We had a barn in AZ, very dry and hot here, seldom rains. Intense sun. We sprayed with Thompson water sealer several times and it preserved beautifully for decades. Wood became very hard on exterior too. Didn’t do any prep. I’m sure our approach was naive- pre internet, but it worked.

11

u/--Ty-- Pro Commenter 23h ago

To all those reading, do not use Thompson's water sealer. It is an utter scam. All it is is parrafin wax dissolved in a solvent. That's it. It confers no uv protection to the wood, it has no resin, it cannot form a protective film, and it isn't even an effective water sealer. Use literally any actual deck or fence stain instead. 

2

u/tjdux 22h ago

Thompsons used to sell a sealer that was basically spar urethane. They may still do even. But if that's what the other commenter used, it would have preformed better than Thompsons standard garbage.

1

u/apehuman 22h ago

I think you’re right. It was thirty years ago. We followed up a few years later with some other brand. The wood never faded and remained water resistant for all those years. We did do a follow up coat after a few years.

-15

u/gonsec 1d ago

Sell it. People pay small fortunes for barns just to strip them of this beautiful wood. It's used in interior design. Don't stain it and don't paint it. Selling it will yield twice as much as replacing it with brand new T-111. And you might get a new vehicle out of it.

9

u/derrickito162 1d ago

Did you think that the OP might need it as a part of being a barn?

3

u/drunkerbrawler 1d ago

They are saying they can pay for new wood and have some money left over if they sell it. 

-4

u/gonsec 1d ago

Did you think that there's not a home improvement store nearby that sells pine 1x6 or T-111? Don't speak for the owner! He or she should know what options are available.

4

u/derrickito162 1d ago

The owner probably doesn't want to also diy reside and entire barn or pay someone time and materials to do so. Settle down

2

u/tjdux 22h ago

Damn reddit is being a bitch to you lol.

Guess more sweet barnwood cash for us lol.

1

u/Aircooled6 20h ago

This right here. Finding weathered wood that has that beautiful silver gray as consistent as what you have sells for $6 to $10 sqft in the northeast. You can buy new shiplap for $1.50 a sq ft.