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Interior cleaning

I'm about to stain the interior walls, but I need to clean the sun bleaching and weathering off first. Does anyone have any suggestions besides a bleach water mixture? Thanks.

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Permalink Reply by See Dirt Run! Inc. on June 30, 2008 at 1:42pm: Please post a pic of the condition of the logs.
Beth; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Wes Wilt on July 1, 2008 at 9:28am: Will do.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Wes Wilt on July 1, 2008 at 5:25pm

We had more rain than usual this spring and the roof didn't get on as quick as I had planned. These pics show some darkening by the sun as well as some graying from the weather. Thanks.

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Permalink Reply by Wes Wilt on July 1, 2008 at 5:26pm

More pics.

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Permalink Reply by Wes Wilt on July 1, 2008 at 5:27pm

Last one.

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Picture 007.jpg, 484 KB

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Permalink Reply by See Dirt Run! Inc. on July 20, 2008 at 8:08am: Yuck. There are a couple of things that could be going on here. First off, is the wood still bare - as in no interior finish?
Beth; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Wes Wilt on July 22, 2008 at 10:17am: yes, no interior finish. Some of the darkness if not most is rain run off from the tar paper.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by ANGELA on July 25, 2008 at 12:44pm: Do not use bleach!!! Not only is it toxic, but it will be nearly impossible to rinse completely. It will interfere with the new finish. Try a cleaner with a ph closer to that of wood such as Perma-Chink Systems Log Wash and rinse really well. You will probably have to sand some of the more damaged areas as well. Use sandpaper with a grit of 100 or less. It takes quite a bit of labor to restore interior walls because you don't have the option to just pressure wash, but if you do it right the first time you may never have to do it again! Good luck!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Wes Wilt on July 25, 2008 at 2:31pm: Thanks for the advice. I've been experimenting on scrap pieces the last couple of days. Olympic deck wash cleans and brightnes the wood pretty well. I also tried it on a section at floor level that will be covered by trim. Cleaned and brightened right up. So this weekend I plan on doing the entire inside. Wish me luck.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by See Dirt Run! Inc. on July 25, 2008 at 8:00pm: Hi Wes,
Sorry for not getting back to this thread sooner. I agree with the advice of not using bleach as it is not good for the wood's lignin. However, you can use a sodium percarbonate cleaner and that will work for mildew issues. Always neutralize anything you clean with, as cleaners are alkaline, and wood is slightly acidic by nature and MOST (with one exception that I am aware of) finishes need wood at it's natural pH. You can use a citric acid to neutralize with. Having said all this, the Olympic product will most likely do the trick, although I am not a fan of all in one cleaners because of how the ingredients are meant to interact with one another. I do suggest sanding, it is a great prep step, and you never want to skip your prep. After sanding make sure to wipe down ALL the dust, top to bottom, since if you seal over that it can effect the look and longevity of the finish. Make sure you have proper ventilation. Make sure you have a respirator (I'm a safety girl) and wear either latex or nitrile gloves when working. One last thing, if you have stains that look similar to mildew, and are blackish, blueish or grey in color that don't come with cleaning or sanding, they you may also have streaks of blue stain, which you can't remove. It's a harmless but natural occurrence and ...enjoy!

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Permalink Reply by Wes Wilt on July 29, 2008 at 2:58pm: Thanks. I did try a sodium percarbonate cleaner, it worked ok on some outside hewn logs,but didn't touch the flat surface inside. Teh Olympic desck cleaner did work although I have some streaks to deal with. I bought a back pack sprayer that held four gallons, came in real handy. I really appreciate all your input and hope this helps others.
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