Finishing old oak? joists.

[RogerS]

..Oiling makes the wood look better ....

It doesn't. YMMV

 

[ED65]

I know tastes vary Roger but I'm struggling to understand why someone would prefer a matt grey to a rich black ;-)

 

[RogerS]

I know tastes vary Roger but I'm struggling to understand why someone would prefer a matt grey to a rich black ;-)

It was the Victorians who started painting beams black. Before then they were left to age naturally.

 

[ED65]

I think you're missing the point here Roger, chaoticbob is going ahead with treating the oak with an iron acetate solution which means the wood will be a dull grey unless some finish is applied to 'wet' the surface.

 

[custard]

chaoticbob is going ahead with treating the oak with an iron acetate solution

I hope for his sake he doesn't! It's an entirely impractical technique for dealing with a large expanse of heavily fissured, overhead woodwork.

Here's a Bubinga desk with iron stained Oak legs that I delivered a couple of weeks ago, I do quite a lot of this stuff so I know what I'm talking about when I say I'd really hate to be perched up on a ladder making multiple applications of heavily staining chemicals which are dripping down on both me and the floor!