Seeking advice on restoring/oiling solid redwood paneling - Pics included

[Tidybuoy]

My family room has solid redwood paneling. It's 16" wide x 3/4" thick and it's been showing it's age for some time. I would like to restore this paneling as best as I can. As you can see in my photos below, it's looking faded.

In the past, I've oiled with orange glow but I was thinking that to get it right, it needs to be deep cleaned and something like teak oil applied. I've also thought about light sanding but I'm worried that that would make it too smooth and ruin it's texture.

Any advice would be appreciated.



To show its fading:


To show its fading:


To show how thick:

[Scott Douglas]

Can you experiment behind the the TV where it won't show?
I'd sand it with a belt sander using a rough 80 grit to get the old layer of oil/color out of it first. Then try finer grit until you reach a texture you like.
Coloring can be done with oil or something like Formby's.
That should turn out beautiful when you're done.

[drcoastline]

It's definitely faded. They only way to restore and get an even color is to sand the surface. My first question is, is there a finish or is it just oiled?

If it's oiled you can just sand the surface. It's hard to tell the final smoothness but you can start with 80 then progress with 100, 150, 200, etc. Until you get to the final smoothness you are looking for. Then use an oil with UV inhibitors to oil the surface. Of course vacuum then wipe down with a tack rag before oiling. If you have any dings you can dampen a rag and rub the spot that will raise the grain. Really bad spots you can use an iron over the damp rag to steam the grain.

If there is a finish the first thing you need to do is determine the finish before proceeding.

I would be EXTREMELY cautious with a belt sander and advise against anyone with out experience using it. You can do a tremendous amount of irreparable damage real fast. I would opt for a good orbital hooked to my shop vac.

[Tidybuoy]

Thanks all! The finish is a natural finish and probably just oil. I will avoid the belt sander because with my luck, I would end up gouging or going too deep. I will use an orbital vibrating sander.

I guess this will be my summer project.

[LEAKYSEALS951]

I don't have enough experience to say which grits to start with, but if you go orbital, try to figure out how big of a project you are creating before you get too far.(and yeah... I would trash the wall in two seconds with my belt sander skills )

My 0.000002 cent advice is this- That is some really straight grain softwood which will really show sandscratch in any sanding motion that is not parallel with the grain- the orbital sander of course making scratches in a 'circular motion' (cue some frank zappa song from college I can't remember)

If you sand it, go with the finest grit paper you can which will strike a balance between getting the job done and scratching the surface. Test sand an area and test refinish it to make sure you aren't inducing any orbital sandscratch which you might not see on the bare wood, but will show when you finish it. The redwood is soft and the gut instinct is going to be to pick a course grit and blast through it, and you might think you are off scott free, but when you go to finish it, the finish will show the sanding damage You need to have a plan of the finer grits you need to go through (and test it) before you tackle the whole thing so you don't go crazy. You may even decide to not mess with it once you find out how much work will be really involved. I wouldn't have the patience!

Now that I think about it, if I had to do this, I would experiment with a cheap in-line pneumatic sander like they use on automobiles to get the straight sanding stroke parallel to the grain (like a belt sander) but not have the tendency to gouge as much as a belt sander would when it catches an edge. It might be too narrow, but you could apply a softer touch and it has the soft backing without the belt sander's hard edges. Who knows...

Good luck...

[MBAtarga]

IMO, 80 grit against redwood is ripe for disaster, especially with a belt sander. I'd start at 220 or 180 with a random orbital sander.

[carambola]

Can't you sand it or plane it smooth and use some water to re-raise the grain.

[drcoastline]

Starting with 80 will be just fine. A few quick passes to take the top layer off. You could start with 100 if you are iffy, it will just take a little longer to strip. The dark lines in the grain are harder than the lighter lines. Redwood is very similar to cedar in it's softness. A random orbit sander is the way to go with a detail or a multi-tool in corners using the same sanding pattern. My guess is finish up around 220. Starting with 180-220 will first clog very quickly, but most likely will burnish the wood rather than sand it due to the oils on the surface. You need to remove the top 1/32" before you can start to restore the surface.

[LEAKYSEALS951]

Here's another 0.000002 cent idea:

It appears that the redwood is 5 strips glued together to make up a single plank, which were sanded flush, then the planks were then nailed to the wall side by side. They appear to be nailed to the wall with finishing nails which have been puttied over with filler. Looking at your original pics, I can swear I can almost see the original drum sander marks where these planks were originally finished. maybe, maybe not.

If the redwood is indeed pieces glued to make large planks, then it "might" make sense to see if you could remove the planks as the original large pieces, and take them to have them run through an industrial sized belt sander, which could effectively solve your problem right there. That would give you control of uniform reduction and no sandscratch. You get to re-stain them yourself out in the garage or something, and put them back into place.

The key is if you are able to get them off the wall in single pieces without damaging them. If you can get them off, this might go much quicker than trying to sand in place. I think if you were able to get one off, you might be able to coax the adjoining ones of by accessing from behind/side

There's my second wacky idea for the evening. If they could be coaxed easily, it might be easier and better than spending your summer sanding. I guaranteeif you do this, you will be amazed at how long even an industrial sander takes while all the while you think "thank #$% I'm not doing this by hand"

[peppy]

Have you tried cleaning it with Murphy's oil soap?

I would not sand it, I don't think you could keep it even and smooth.

[herr_oberst]

Originally Posted by peppy

Have you tried cleaning it with Murphy's oil soap?

I would not sand it, I don't think you could keep it even and smooth.

This. Small to big.

I cleaned a hardwood floor with Murphys and I was flabbergasted by the transformation.

At least try it. If you like the effect, it could be done and done in a weekend. Sanding is going to be a huge, messy project.

(No matter what you do, it is going to look great!)

[look 171]

Looks hazy? Is that what you like to remove? I can't tell by the photo, but oil generally do not haze up, top coats usually do. Is the top left, upper corner the color you are trying to achieve? What happens when you take a damp rag and rub it on the haze, do es it go away? How long has it been like that?

If all your answers are yes, then you need to remove the very top layer of the finish and re-apply top coats. I like an oil based or lacquer base finish to bring back the reddish hue from Redwood. Waterbased finish will make everything milky, whitish similar to what you have now with the exception of it being clear. Tinting water based finish maybe necessary to get that rich amber hue from Redwood. Its very difficult to get oil based finishes in LA county, so that's trick to get the amber hue. That's beautiful vertical grain Redwood you have there.

Forgot about the sanding. It is necessary but not with a belt sander. I really don't think the entire layer of finishing need to be remove, 80 grit with a machine will cut through the finish fast, too fast. Like Dennis said, use 180 grit to remover the very top layer of dirty finish and go from there. I like 3M's Trimite sandpaper. it doesn't clog up when sanding finish. Handing sanding is all it needs.

[speeder]

Some of the advice here, like taking a belt sander to your walls, is a really bad idea. That is some beautiful paneling and redwood should only be oiled, never covered with a plastic sealer or other clear. You will ruin it with aggressive sanding and it will be crying time.

It needs a good clean/prep treatment and re-oiling. It will be beautiful. Hell, it's beautiful now. Experiment in an inconspicuous place with some mineral spirits maybe or other cleaning technique. If you do want to sand, I'd use a DA random orbital sander and really weak paper, like maybe 180 or smoother. You would want to just barely scuff the surface, than re-oil.

Once again, that's beautiful paneling.

[rammstein]

All I can go by is my experience refinishing a mahogany table- 80 grit seems really over the top, if you even need to sand at all. That's all I have.

[drcoastline]

This project is wood refinishing 101.

No amount of Murphy's soap, wiping, washing, smearing or smathering of any product is going to restore the discoloration due to fading/UV damage. You may mask it a little with something with a pigment but that isn't restoring to the original.

The process to refinish the walls isn't a whole lot different than trying to restore a paint job. I am sure many of you have seen a spot on a car paint job where maybe a bumper sticker was removed after a few years? The paint that was protected from the sun/elements is a different color (usually darker) from the rest of the car. To even out the color (without repainting) You remove as little of the top layer of paint as possible (wet sand) to get to the good paint below, on the good and bad surfaces. Then you level the surface with ever finer grits of wet paper and then polish. This is a similar process. Suggesting that cleaning and wiping on some goop is going to fix this issue is like suggesting washing and waxing will fix the paint job.

The objective is to take the least amount of the damaged top wood off to get to good wood. The good wood is identified by the green arrow. A 6" or 8" orbital with 80 (100 if you are more comfortable) will work and make quick (but safe) work of the top layer. It has a flat pad and works at a relative slow speed so no risk of gauging unless you force an edge into the wood. The key is to keep the sander moving at all times. DO NOT stay in one spot. When 95% of the yellow is gone you can switch to the next lower grit. Not to much material is removed at one time, so it will take several passes to achieve a 95% removal at 80 grit with an orbital sander.

You do need to be cautious of one thing, there is a V groove highlighted by the red arrows. You do not want to sand these away, unless you want a flat panel. They appear to be about 1/8" deep so if you do start to sand them away you are sanding WAY to much. Second, bridge the V so to sand it evenly, keep the V in the middle of the pad. You do not want to sand one panel on one side, then the other panel on the other side, to much risk of dipping into the groove and softening the edge.
Your entire sanding start to finish 80/100, 150, 200, 220 should not remove much more material than the nicks in the wood highlighted by the black arrows.

[look 171]

If you decide to sand to bare wood, then the whole thing has to be sanded to bare lumber not just sections. Newly sanded lumber (patches) will never match the sections covered with finish. Patina can never be match and blotchiness will appear. I disagree with sanding with 80 grit paper. Remove a very slight layer of finish and see what happens. Go from there and if it needs to be removed completely, then go ahead. Why remove everything from the beginning? I really thing 220 grit with a small block will bring back 80-90% of the original color with the correct finish.

[speeder]

Originally Posted by look 171

If you decide to sand to bare wood, then the whole thing has to be sanded to bare lumber not just sections. Newly sanded lumber (patches) will never match the sections covered with finish. Patina can never be match and blotchiness will appear. I disagree with sanding with 80 grit paper. Remove a very slight layer of finish and see what happens. Go from there and if it needs to be removed completely, then go ahead. Why remove everything from the beginning? I really thing 220 grit with a small block will bring back 80-90% of the original color with the correct finish.

Exactly. Belt sanding this or using 80 grit is retarded, IMO and considerable experience refinishing wood. This paneling is barely oxidized.

[1990C4S]

http://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Wood-Finishing-Charonne-woodworking/dp/091880406X

A very interesting book on chemicals and wood restoration....

[speeder]

I'm also seeing really nothing wrong with the paneling in the OP photos, especially the first one. That's just redwood that's aged a little. It's not paint or metal that you polish back to new.

[craigster59]

What about using good old naptha to clean. I've used it to clean grimy fretboards and guitar bodies.