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I have buit a fireplace with a 8′ * 14″ * 12″ rough cut ash mantel .I wanted an antique look with craks etc in the wood .After 1 year of fireplace use it now has a beutiful rustic look .My question is,should it be sealed now with a water based latex wood sealer or can it be left natural.Also if left as is will it substantialy contine to crack or will it likly remain as is ????
much thanks for any comments
mike
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Mike, I would rub your mantel down with danish oil preferably Watco if you can find it .This will retain the natural appearance and help to condition the wood to help prevent checking (cracking).You will probably want to oil it prior to each burning season depending on how much heat it is exsposed to .
*THANKS FOR YOR TIME & ADVICE MIKE
*May want to put the fire out first...
*Was your mantel seasoned wood or was it still green and did it contain the center rings of the tree trunk? That will determine the extent off cracking.
*Incidentally, it can take as much as 10 or more years for a slab of wood as thick as your mantel to season thoroughly.
*It was "kiln" dried.It was purchased from a small mill/farm in northern ontario. The kiln itself was simply a insulated garage type building . However prior to installation we let it sit in front of the fireplace (away from direct heat) for 3 months while the fireplace was used daily. I estimate that its weight went from aprox 175lbs to aprox 125 lbs.Secondly it is not the center but rather a quarter section of the log rough cut (rectangular from end view.)thank for your responsemike
*wow.thats a long time.I look forward to watching & learning.thanks mike
*If it was mine I'd leave it natural. If it was kilned and still lost all that weight it should be fine. I build rustic stuff and leave it natural, if it's planed nicely, I'll oil it up, but I prefer rough mantles to have the total natural look and feel.
*Mike I have used this method on quite a few occasions ,and have had no problems with leaving the mantles natural.I built one many years ago for afriend in New Brunswick,made from ash also,,and it is still there looking great.The fireplace under it is used as a princple heat source in a cabin that is used for a fulltime residence.The checking stopped after the first couple of seasons.The timber came from a tree I cut on the property,,and used within 3 months.It was quarter sawn on an old pto.style band saw.We have to be ready to experiment if we are going to create,,much like the carpenters and wood workers who came before us,,,,let's keep using our imaginations. Larry
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I have buit a fireplace with a 8' * 14" * 12" rough cut ash mantel .I wanted an antique look with craks etc in the wood .After 1 year of fireplace use it now has a beutiful rustic look .My question is,should it be sealed now with a water based latex wood sealer or can it be left natural.Also if left as is will it substantialy contine to crack or will it likly remain as is ????
much thanks for any comments
mike