tigerwoodKhorns Posted June 9, 2022 Share Posted June 9, 2022 Anyone have experience finishing reclaimed redwood. I have no experience with this. I have several walls that I'd like to finish as accent walls and this stuff is for sale locally. I'd like to run it through a planer, or use a belt sander, sand it and put on a high gloss finish. I think that it also needs something to kill any larva that may be in it. Anyone do this before? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJkizak Posted June 9, 2022 Share Posted June 9, 2022 My experience with redwood is nothing can (bugs) live in it. In Ohio most woods decay rapidly but redwood is almost indestructible.even if stuck in the ground. My picket fence has redwood 4 x 4's as posts in the ground about 2 feet down. The white paint stops at ground level with all kinds of green stuff living on it. I had to relocate some of the posts in 2010 which were in the ground prior to 1971 and was baffled that they were in pristine condition with no bugs.Wolmanized and Douglas fir last about 20 years and then get eaten by bugs. No problem running it through a planer but make sure there are no nails in them. The raw wood will soak up a lot of paint, usually about 6 to 9 coats of polyurethane if you want a perfect finish.If you use about 3 coats of spray shellac it will fill all the grain but darken it too much. How do I know? Check the picture. JJK 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigerwoodKhorns Posted June 10, 2022 Author Share Posted June 10, 2022 On 6/9/2022 at 2:29 AM, JJkizak said: My experience with redwood is nothing can (bugs) live in it. In Ohio most woods decay rapidly but redwood is almost indestructible.even if stuck in the ground. My picket fence has redwood 4 x 4's as posts in the ground about 2 feet down. The white paint stops at ground level with all kinds of green stuff living on it. I had to relocate some of the posts in 2010 which were in the ground prior to 1971 and was baffled that they were in pristine condition with no bugs.Wolmanized and Douglas fir last about 20 years and then get eaten by bugs. No problem running it through a planer but make sure there are no nails in them. The raw wood will soak up a lot of paint, usually about 6 to 9 coats of polyurethane if you want a perfect finish.If you use about 3 coats of spray shellac it will fill all the grain but darken it too much. How do I know? Check the picture. JJK I love the finish, but that kind of effort is too much for walls. I just refinished a few sets of speakers and it is so time consuming to get a nice finish. My goal is a finish like the first pic that I posted, but maybe a nicer sheen or more smooth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelwjones Posted June 10, 2022 Share Posted June 10, 2022 The photo looks like my last project: a fence. While I've not done this on redwood, the clear, mineral spirit based Thompson's Water Seal leaves a sheen on cedar in one coat. Takes a day to dry and another day to lose the mineral spirit aroma. The water base was not nearly as attractive and dull when dry. Redwood is used for high quality fencing as it does not rot or attract bugs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Invidiosulus Posted June 13, 2022 Share Posted June 13, 2022 Depending on how much you plane off you may end up with a very bright natural wood color without any gray at all. I’ve had some hickory that I got from a friend who makes axes and it sat around for a while before I brought it in and ran it through my planer. iirc this was just a coat of shellac and then knocked down with some steel wool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khornukopia Posted July 22, 2022 Share Posted July 22, 2022 On 6/8/2022 at 9:25 PM, tigerwoodKhorns said: reclaimed redwood Did you get some of that redwood? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigerwoodKhorns Posted July 22, 2022 Author Share Posted July 22, 2022 3 hours ago, Khornukopia said: Did you get some of that redwood? No, it is listed on Craigslist. I have a bunch of trim and stone to install, and need something for some contrast walls and insets that I built. I am looking at options and the redwood looks nice if I can finish it without too much effort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khornukopia Posted July 22, 2022 Share Posted July 22, 2022 49 minutes ago, tigerwoodKhorns said: I am looking at options and the redwood looks nice if I can finish it without too much effort. The reclaimed wood might be a good project for some folks who like all the labor involved with the real thing. The rest of us might prefer the simplicity of installing some pre-finished flooring planks. I would be inclined to use flooring, because you can get any look you want and it is easy to work with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigerwoodKhorns Posted July 22, 2022 Author Share Posted July 22, 2022 15 minutes ago, Khornukopia said: The reclaimed wood might be a good project for some folks who like all the labor involved with the real thing. The rest of us might prefer the simplicity of installing some pre-finished flooring planks. I would be inclined to use flooring, because you can get any look you want and it is easy to work with. I have looked at that too. How to you account for expansion? Leave 1/4" around the edges and cover with trim? How do you attach? Latex and brads? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khornukopia Posted July 22, 2022 Share Posted July 22, 2022 11 minutes ago, tigerwoodKhorns said: How to you account for expansion? Leave 1/4" around the edges and cover with trim? How do you attach? Latex and brads? Normally yes, depending on the product, which will have its own instructions. Applying the planks on a wall, I might use Green Glue from a caulking gun tube, and an 18 gauge brad nailer to pin it in place at studs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigerwoodKhorns Posted July 22, 2022 Author Share Posted July 22, 2022 4 minutes ago, Khornukopia said: Normally yes, depending on the product, which will have its own instructions. Applying the planks on a wall, I might use Green Glue from a caulking gun tube, and an 18 gauge brad nailer to pin it in place at studs. I will probably go that way. Easy way to get a very fancy finish. This really changes the look of a house. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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