One of the things that drew me to love The Barn almost from the moment I walked through the door is the amazing oak that makes up so much of the frame of the house. I’ve written before about the beautiful beams inside and while the weatherboarding outside is painted barn black in keeping with style of Essex Barns, in the extension there is a considerable amount of oak which has weathered over time to a dull silver grey. Some people will like this look but we wanted to restore the warmth – and ultimately the health – of the oak. So here’s how to breathe new life into old oak in three simple steps.

Step #1 is to prepare the wood, sanding it down first with a coarse grade and then a finer grade of sandpaper back to the bare wood. This takes patience and elbow grease but as with so many decoration projects preparation is key. Our team from RE Butler & Son – who have been working with us on our renovation and remodelling – used a belt sander to start the process off because it’s much quicker for larger areas but still used sandpaper for a professional finish.

Step #2 is to paint the oak with a UV Protection oil which protects against sun damage as well as fungus and mould. The team used an Osmo clear stain which has brought out the natural woodgrain and looks amazing.

Step #3 is to make a note of when you did the work and schedule it in again! We love the warmth and detailing that this wood treatment has brought back to our oak and we’re determined to keep it in tip top condition. This means we’ll need to repeat the process every year – but it’s easy to forget to do it and if you leave it too long the preparation stage is much harder.

Do you have any weathered wood that you’d like to restore? Would you tackle this kind of project yourself? If you’d like to keep this post for later why not pin it – here’s a pinnable image, just for you.