ᐅ Sanding wooden beams before oiling or just brushing them

Hello everyone,

Quick and straightforward question.

We have old wooden beams from the 1970s in the attic. They were previously covered up and are now exposed.

I cleaned them thoroughly with a sanding brush to reveal the wood grain.

The beams look quite good now, but they probably still need oiling.

To oil them properly, I suppose I should sand them first, but then the beautiful natural texture of the wood might be lost.

So the question is, after brushing, is sanding really necessary before oiling?

In my opinion, no. Why don’t you show a picture of the beams?

Is there a specific reason for oiling? I would prefer to protect the wood with a wood stain to guard against insects and wood-damaging pests.

harkonsen schrieb:

We have old wooden beams from the 1970s in the attic.

Are these exposed beams in a converted attic (living space), or did you have the chance to work on the unheated roof space?
Unheated roof space: insecticide or something like that?
Living space: I’ve had bad experiences with oil on wooden furniture… I would probably go for a (transparent) wood stain.