How to renew Cypress Pine ceiling?

[Deb10]

I have a ceiling lined with untreated cypress pine. It is 30 years old and its colour appears to be fading in places.  What would be the best way of preserving the colour and timber.  I live in the tropics so am concerned that some products may become mouldy with time. 
many thanks

 

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @Deb10. It's brilliant to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about renewing timber boards.

Is there any chance you could share a wider shot of the ceiling so our members have a better idea of what you're working with? If it’s the lighter board amongst the others that you’re referring to, it very much looks like the natural difference between sapwood and heartwood. You might like to coat the ceiling with something like a Scandinavian oil, which will help bring the original colours back out while sealing the timber’s surface. An application of oil is unlikely to encourage mould growth, but if moisture is entering the boards from the rear, that could still cause problems over time.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell
 

[Deb10]

Hi Mitchell,

Thanks for your reply.  The area of lightness on certain boards appears to be getting larger with time. I have taken a photo of a larger area of ceiling. 
cheers,

Deb

 

[MitchellMc]

To clarify @Deb10, are we discussing the lighter coloured timber I've marked below, or are there other lighter patches that are not being picked up well in the photo? If there are lighter, dried-out patches, oiling would nourish them. If it's the lighter timber I've marked, that would be different parts of the tree, as seen often in Cypress pine, and it shouldn't be growing in size at all.

Mitchell

 

[Deb10]

Hi Mitchell,

Yes, those are the patches I was talking about.  They have become lighter and expanded with time. 
cheers,

Deb

[MitchellMc]

As the natural oils have dried out over the years, they've likely whitened @Deb10. Coating with an oil darkens them slightly and adds a little honey-coloured hue to them. It won't return to the colour of the rest of the timber because it's sap versus hardwood. I'm not entirely sure why the lighter areas would be expanding, though.

Let me mention @Nailbag to see if he has any thoughts.

Mitchell

[Nailbag]

Hi @Deb10 

As with @MitchellMc comments on how this has occurred. I would consider a very light clear coat, but maybe with a cedar tint just to those whitened areas. Allow 24hrs to fully dry and then apply another. Continue until you're happy that the variance is minimal. I have done this type of process with timber doors and decking etc where the exposer to the weather and directly sunlight has faded the timbers unevenly.

Nailbag