woodworm in beams

[karaman]

hallo everyone,

have house - stood sad and lonely, cold, damp and empty for some years. lovely beams, currently painted dark brown in an attempt to hide the traces of woodworm (owner thought i am blind) that were its only inhabitants. fell in love with place, had to have it. woodburning stove will dry out the wood this winter.

i reckon beams are sound for a few more years until i can replace and no chance of getting outside firm to deal with issue (lack of funds) so looking at sites for inspiration of how to treat wood.

QUESTION am in process of sanding down the dark brown paint to make them look like proper beams BUT the small holes look horrible. what to use to cover them up before i varnish the beams?

thanks

karaman
the spirit never dies

 

[HERTS P&D]

As said before: pictures - pictures - pictures.

You will get far more replies. (with good advice/help)


Andy

 

[joe-90]

There are loads of wood fillers on the market 'Joy' are good. Buy a few and try a few and see which you like and are best match for your beams.

 

[JohnD]

give them a good poke with a screwdriver (not a bradawl) to see how damaged and weakened they are. Beams are not ornaments, you are depending on them to stop your house falling down.

 

[geraldthehamster]

QUESTION am in process of sanding down the dark brown paint to make them look like proper beams BUT the small holes look horrible. what to use to cover them up before i varnish the beams?

What kind of wood are they? Most wooden ceiling beams look better unvarnished, in my opinion. If they need a finish, you could oil them. Personally I wouldn't fill the holes either, you'll always see where they were filled. People pay for that kind of character in a beamed ceiling

Cheers
Richard

 

[karaman]

hallo everyone,

no pics as my 10year old friendly camcorder got stolen and im lost without it - camera pics turned out rubbish but i will try again.

no idea what wood the beams are - will try for better pics and post them

have done as suggested with screwdriver, beams feel solid and i've been tapping them, they do not feel or sound hollow or dodgy in any way.

i like the no varnish idea best but will experiment with the filler - oil them? what sort of oil? do you mean beeswax but thats not oil, is it? place gets very dusty, oily beams would be a magnet for dust and impossible to clean.

thanks for all the help but will be off air for a few days as all stuff getting removed, ready for damp proofing the main-beam-room floor.

thanks to all

karaman