Seal It Up!

I have continued to add a couple more layers of blood and sweat to each timber! If my math is correct, I have approximately a solid month of work into the preparing the timbers for raising alone. The fruits of those efforts are starting to come to fruition. The entire process of building the cabin has been rewarding. Timber framing is an honest form of building. I truly believe anyone that has the time, energy and dedication to build a timber frame or similar project could easily do so.

Working with locally harvested trees and natural finishes is an important piece of the build. Timber frames are traditionally cut from green lumber. Kiln drying such large pieces of wood is not an option as the wood will warp and twist. It takes years for the timbers to fully dry after assembled. At the same time, one wants to protect the timbers and aid them in even drying. A person must use a finish that allows moisture to escape. This rules out any latex based product or finishes that completely seal moisture in and would ultimately create rot. I found the perfect finish in Heritage Natural Finishes. The finish is AMAZING! Made from natural ingredients like linseed oil and beeswax it is enjoyable to work with. It smells great and has zero chemical agents found in most commercial products. It goes on with ease, to boot. At first, I thought I would apply it with a rag like a stain. However, I found a natural fiber brush worked the best.

There is zero streaking. The finish goes on so easy. One could apply finish to half a timber and come back a day later and paint the second half and the entire timber would match perfectly even in areas the finish overlaps. Additional coats add to the natural beauty and character of the wood. If I ran across one surprise while applying the finish, it was how much of the finish the timbers soaked in. To be fair, Heritage's website warns that pine and uncured wood will absorb more than cured hard woods. I wasn't prepared how much more. When all is said and done, I estimate around six to eight gallons of finish will be used for this modest structure.

As noted in previous posts, my intention with my finish is to create a look that highlights the handworked feel of each timber. My homemade stain helped give the wood a bit of a lived in feel, as well. I don't want a perfectly planed or sanded feel. At the same time my wife's number one request for the timbers is that they don't trap dust. The Heritage Original Finish highlights each timber's imperfect perfection.