hi there, need sone advise. I have an old house on my property and i want to use the siding off it to trim the inside of another house. The wood is cedar I think, but not sure, it’s at least 60 years old. It has what appears to be worm or some sort of bug holes in it. From what I can tell there doesnt appear to be anything alive in the wood. What I want to know is is it safe to use, do i have to treat it with something , will stain or paint work to seal it , or does it need to go to the burn pile. I live in Roseburg Oregon if that makes any difference.
Any info on the subject will be greatly apriciated,
Thanks Daventam.
Replies
Dave
Cedar that old should be fine to stain. The oils should be gone by now. Cedar that is new has resins that make it difficult to stain. Any wood that old should be clear of all resins yet I'd take a test piece and put the stain you consider using on it and wait a cpl of weeks. Bring it to your local lumber yard to inquire about the species yet anything that old should be clear of any issues. I'd keep it clear and just add oil to maintain and bring out the highlights. Test pieces with different products that you prefer such as Lindseed oil or whatever stains attract you. Personally I'd go with a penetrating stain. Be careful using Minwax because when they call it "penetrating" it ISNT! Making your own stain in my opinion is much more reliable and not all that difficult. Some artist tubes of colors and lindseed oil...JApan dryer and paint thinner, etc etc.....Its fun actually...Get a book about stains and experiment a little.
Have fun and create something no one else has ever!
Namaste'
Andy
It's not who's right, it's who's left ~ http://CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
I wouldn't bring anything with signs of bugs inside the house without being 110% sure that it is not a living colony and that no eggs are present. Spraying it with chemical might not be safe for an interior application.
I don't know what species you get out there and odds are 50/50 that these creatures were visiting the tree when it was alive and moved out long ago but a visit to the county extension expert is in order. If you import the buggers inside, they might make themselves to home since you gave them a golden invitation and provided the transportation. Paint or oil won't stop them, tho' it would help the wall look good.
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"The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit.
The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are."
--Marcus Aurelius
Ya, remember the story about the trojan horse. Check a pro to see if a good thick coat of borax would liquidate any living critter in there.
Let the thunder crack and the waves roar.
We're going on.
This isn't my area of expertise but I have heard many finishes will kill the critters inside any wood.
A guy I worked with had a bunch of similar sounding holes in some lumber he bought and called the county agricultural extension office on the off hand they would at least direct him to an expert. A day later an agent came out took a look for free. Most of the wood was uninfected or they had moved on. A small portion he advised spraying with some chemical to make sure the bugs were dead. As I remember it it was a mild water based insecticide.
I think he called them powder beetles.
Saw a house owned by a long time owner of a sawmill, had a room panelled with pine that was full of worm holes and blue stains, was really neat looking.
Alan