Uses for barnwood

[Erin]

OK, so I have about 5 or 600 square feet (and more, if I want) of "barnwood"-- standard weathered-grey, and RED.   
The red is only about 150 square feet and I'm going to leave it as-is, and use on the rail/half wall of the open loft above our living room.

But the grey? 
I want to use it for interior walls, but grey is so dark, not to mention, it's hard to clean "barnwood" walls.  I don't have a planer, though I suppose I could track one down...
Poly would make it easier to clean, but would make it even darker.  Paint?  Is there some way to milk-paint it maybe that would let the gray kind of come through?


Someone give me some suggestions here!  I'm completely at a loss...

[Don_P]

You can brush it, a few minutes with a wire brush would show what a drill mounted cup wheel could do. There's always deck brightner. Planing... I'll make you buy a set of knives, be prepared. As far as interior paint, i've thought about it... after doing it of course. It's probably lead paint.

I usually dip used wood in borate... in fact going down to dip new porch timbers now, keeps the insects and fungi at bay.

[MountainDon]

Are you wanting to retain some of the character of the weathered wood? Seems to me getting a planer involved is going to put the weathered character on the floor in the shape of shaving.

I'd try deck brightener as Don_P mentioned. One or two boards to test how it works. I have bleached wood using Baquacil pool oxidizer that is just 27% hydrogen peroxide. Proper cautions need to be exercised with it.

Once the color is lightened then a clear coat would seal it and prevent / slow down re-aging.

[SkagitDrifter]

How 'bout using it as is- but in a wainscot application.  Maybe 3' up from the floor and use something light in color for the rest of the wall.  I have seen it done with sheet rock painted a light color above the barn board wainscot, with a chair rail in between- nice juxtaposed look if done properly.

http://www.levannarl.com/barnboard.htm 

[Erin]

Are you wanting to retain some of the character of the weathered wood?

Yeah, and while planing would take the color, the lumber itself would still retain that not-new look. 

Ideally I'd like to retain that weathered grey look, but just not quite so dark.  Especially after I put poly over it to protect it and make it easier to clean. 
That's why I was thinking a milk-paint or pickle paint, if I were to go that route.  That way it could maybe show some of the original color...

This is something I can use extensively through my house because it's freely available, as well as because it's something that gives a rustic look. 
I think I might get some deck brightener first and do a little experimenting with that..


The red, on the other hand, I truly love.  I'm trying to figure out how to poly that, too, without changing the color.  Most of the paint itself has long since flaked off, but it's still stained that nice barn-red color. 

[rick91351]

A friend makes high end furniture from barn lumber.  I have hung out in his shop a little.  He always told me never plan it, you can not afford the knives.  He would pressure wash it at the car wash let it dry and start out after it.  You can darken it where you need to with a weed burned or propane torch.  He used a belt sander and a drum sander and that worked better than a planer.  I have done some with it.  It looks real good, but not like unfinished barn lumber.  He also stressed a good respirator or real good dust masks.