It is THE current popular trend in decoration and design: Everyone is fighting over reclaimed barn wood to use it indoors. Its worn, antique, vintage look is sought after and some who smelled the opportunity are making easy money by reselling it, so it can be used for cabinets, walls, bed heads, coffee tables, shelves, and much more. With a little imagination, the possibilities for using reclaimed barn wood are endless. The only limit is your creativity.

As wood finishing specialists, we are asked almost daily how one should protect and maintain reclaimed barn wood that is used indoors. The question may seem simple, but the answer is not! The main reason is that most traditional finishing products are not suited for barn wood, and that options are limited. Let's dig a little further.

Not so easy to keep Reclaimed Barn Wood's natural appearance!

Photo credit: Urban Wood Company

Most finishing products that you would normally apply on wood to protect it will affect its natural look, which has taken decades to develop. The ideal product will protect wood, enhance its details, make its maintenance easier, all this without affecting its color, which is quite a challenge!

The biggest problem with traditional finishing products over barn wood is the difficulty to keep the nice grey patina that has developed over time. And unfortunately, Varnishes, Oils and almost all waxes will change or darken barn wood so it loses its most sought after property:

• Water or Oil based varnishes will penetrate the wood fiber, which will darken it, while also resulting in a dephtness effect. The grey patina will fade and will be replaced by either milky or earth-like tones, depending on the wood essence.

• Liquid or paste waxes, as well as finishing oils are also problematic: They will stain and/or color the wood fiber, since these products have a tint (usually amber), which will make the nice grey color we're looking for disappear.

We've been looking for several years to find the ideal product to protect barn wood without losing its natural aspect, and we finally found the miracle product, the one that protects and enhances without compromise: Renaissance Microcrystalline Wax.

Renaissance Wax to the rescue!

Renaissance Microcrystalline Wax was originally developed for restoration professionals working in museums. They were looking for an alternative to natural waxes, which contain acids that can damage original finishes on collection objects and ancient furniture.

Different from traditional liquid or paste waxes, Renaissance Wax is completely colorless and is thicker. It does not penetrate the wood fiber, staying on the surface, and this is the secret to avoid darkening barn wood. Another benefit is that it is much more resistant to moisture than natural waxes. Treated surfaces are consequently easier to clean and you don't have to fear ruining the finish: A simple wet rag will do the job.

How to prepare and protect Barn Wood with Renaissance Wax

Required Materials:

• Reclaimed Barn Wood (or you can make your own!)
• Nylon Brush (for cleaning, before applying wax, if necessary)
• 100 grit Sanding Paper (Optional, if wood surface is too rough)
• Renaissance Wax
• Cotton Rags or Brush with short, natural bristles
• Polishing Brush

Step by Step Instructions: (See Photo Gallery below if you want a visual guide)

1. Before applying Renaissance Wax on Reclaimed Barn Wood, it needs to be thoroughly cleaned first so as to eliminate micro-organisms, pollen and insects that might inhabit the wood. The best way to do this is to scrub it with a nylon brush and soapy water.

2. Be careful as to never do any mechanical sanding or planing on reclaimed barn wood, since it will completely eliminate the nice, grey patina which makes this wood appealing. A very light manual sanding with 100 grit sandpaper can be done in order to soften the surface, which will make the wax application easier. But don't get rid of the patina at any cost!

3. Once the wood is clean and completely dry, it's time to apply the wax. You can use a clean cotton rag, but the easiest way is to use a brush with natural and short bristles. You can simply cut the bristles on a cheap brush to make them shorter: This will make it much easier to apply the wax, especially on rougher surfaces, where applying the wax with a cotton rag is difficult. Note that a very small quantity is necessary to cover the surface, and a single, thin coat is enough.

4. Polished to its full gloss with a Polishing Brush, this wax is completely clear and will remain so, even after applying multiple coats. The soft surface it provides over reclaimed barn wood has the additional benefit of not being ruined by fingerprints.

5. For cleaning and maintaining, you only need to wipe the surface with a wet rag. To refresh the finish, you can apply a new coat every 5 years or as deemed appropriate.

There you go! You now have reclaimed barn wood that is protected by an invisible finish but also has a light gloss that enhances its look without changing its color! To our knowledge, this is the only product that really allows to protect indoors barn wood this way. If you know other solutions, please let us know in the comments section below! We will update the article with these alternatives if they work well!

In the next blog post, we'l tell you how to make your own barn wood... without having to wait a few decades! Stay tuned!