Chris Bacon wrote in message
Holly, in France wrote:
We
sandblast timber regularly, almost always oak though, which would be
harder than your scaffolding boards. It gives a rough, aged sort of
effect.

IMO it copmpletely ruins timber.

Fair enough. What would you recommend should be done on green oak beams,
joists etc? The economics of the job would make using anything other
than machine sawn timber too expensive for most people we deal with, and
the saw marks do remain quite visible. Most people seem to prefer them
sandblasted.

We replaced a big oak beam
in a house last week where the joists were still in good condition.
The
joists are black since the room was originally used as a forge. The
new
beam sticks out like a sore thumb! When the oak floor is down we
will
sandblast the whole lot, including the underside of the floorboards.
There will still be a difference in colour but overall the effect
will
be more uniform.

Why not blacken the replacement, instead of spoiling the lot?

The whole room is, or was, filthy with soot. It is also a
small room with the floor below road level with only one window and a
solid wooden double door which planning restrictions wouldn't allow to
be changed. The client wants to use it as a dining room or studio
eventually and she wants it brighter. We might end up darkening the new
beam a bit because it will still be lighter than the joists for a long
time to come, but that is up to her.

--
Holly, in France.
Holiday home in the Dordogne,
website: http://la-plaine.chez.tiscali.fr