Expert: Greg Scholl - 1/6/2012

Question
Dear Greg,
  What an answer!!   You seems so knowledgeable!   I want to stay in touch with you.  Tell me how!  Do I sign up, and pay.  What would you charge to be a consultant on this project.  Please let me know!  Thank you.  
I am getting bids this Saturday and next Saturday.  The project is for a large lovely 1881,(date wrong before) 4 story high sanctuary. We will be testing all that you stated.  I was given 2 products by one of the companies.  I want to ask you if you have heard of them.  
1.  Bright-N-Neutral Cleaner
2.  Concentrated Wood Oil Soap
   Vegtable Oil, Fatty Acids
   Trisoduim Nitrilotriacetate
   Propylene Glycol
What is the word Polymerization mean.
Again I reiterate.  Thank you.   Beverly

Answer
Hi Beverly, polymerization is basically the chemical reaction that happens in a coating as it dries, when many small molecules (monomers) become a single large polymer. I am not familiar with "Bright-n-neutral", but "wood oil soap" is basically like Murphy's oil soap, and anything that has vegetable oil and fatty acids listed as their first ingredients would not be a good choice for unfinished Antique timbers in my opinion.A waterbased cleaner/brightener, similar to what would be used on a deck or fence to restore it might be a good choice, but these usually have to be flooded with clean water to rinse them thoroughly, so that may not be practical. As these timbers are that old, they probably are not finished with a real surface finish of any kind...they may have had something applied to them in the past, and it was likely something like Linseed oil which was a common choice for wooden timbers back then(and one of the only choices).Again, the real problem that will be encountered likely is that these dry beams will readily soak up anything, liquid that is applied to them, so that must be taken into consideration when planning a restoration.You also need to make sure to plan the application of a finish or other such process for a time when large scale ventilation can be utilized, especially on such a grand scale (so obviously it wouldn't be wise to undertake this in the dead of Winter for example). Fans and cross ventilation will be important to get a thorough cure and that will help eliminate odors as well, as most of these products will give off an odor as they cure. Most things will dry and/or cure through evaporation, and a solvent based, penetrating oil product needs oxygen and moving air to cure thoroughly.. What type of companies are bidding?...are these cleaning companies? Restoration companies? I would love to see a picture of the space if you could post one. I do this as a volunteer service to help people, and I am here for you, but will gladly accept any "tips" via the paypal link provided. (I assume it is provided for you on the question page, as it was supposedly newly implemented for the more "senior" and higher rated Experts like myself, but I have not seen it) so please feel free to contribute there if you see it, and if you don't please let me know and drop a note to the site owners. We have very little contact with them if we're doing a good job.The scope of your job is quite large, and I confess to be more familiar with furniture and architectual details on a smaller scale than a 4 story sanctuary, which has it's own idiosyncrasies and issues with a restoration on that scale. I hope I have helped a little and will remain available through this forum. I would like to know what you settle on, and also how it comes out, so I really hope you can post a picture as well...regards- Greg