how do i clean walnut 1x sheating on walls
in the midst of adding an addition and remodeling my early 1800’s illinois farm house i found that the hole house is sheated inside and out with 1×18 down to 1×8 walnut. it is extremely dirty with some water stains. i want to clean and varnish it and leave it exposed in certain places. i would also like to keep the hand planing marks. what would be the best way to clean and varnish this wood?
Replies
First off, you'll need to experiment (using "inconspicuous places"), since it's quite unpredictable how wood will respond to many chemicals.
I'd first try TSP (or "phosphate-free TSP", whatever that is). And a good bristle brush.
The first thing I'd do is vacuum it. Then I'd wash it with mild soap and water. A white or grey scotch-brite pad will help. You will then have to sand the wood lightly to knock off the raised grain. Use very fine paper... maybe 320 grit. This will soften the plane marks but won't remove them.
2 cents..
Are those really plane marks or saw marks? Seems very improbable anyone would hand plane sheathing.
But if it were my project my first impulse would be to figure the implications of removing the walnut where possible and making it into a bit more refined paneling. Possibilities there are many. And of course a lot of work.