Want Your Opinion On Joints for Wall Boards.

[chipperwam]

   I am getting ready to unstack the lumber that I cut with my LT-15 and put some on my entry way walls.  Just wondering what everyone would recomend for a joint.  Like TandG or Ship Lap or something else that looks nice.

Thanks!!

[Dodgy Loner]

Short of frame and panel wall covering, I think that T&G has the "cleanest" appearance. Unless you are going for a rustic look, that's what I would lean towards. Shiplap is very stable but you will have visible nails at every joint. Nothing wrong with that - you just have to decide what look you're going for. Even more rustic would just be butt joints with exposed nails. You have the risk of the boards shrinking and being able to see between the cracks with this option, so if you go this route, you may want to add battens to cover the seems. They will all make very good walls, but let your tastes decide.

[jueston]

Short of frame and panel wall covering, I think that T&G has the "cleanest" appearance. Unless you are going for a rustic look, that's what I would lean towards. Shiplap is very stable but you will have visible nails at every joint. Nothing wrong with that - you just have to decide what look you're going for. Even more rustic would just be butt joints with exposed nails. You have the risk of the boards shrinking and being able to see between the cracks with this option, so if you go this route, you may want to add battens to cover the seems. They will all make very good walls, but let your tastes decide.

I saw on some tv show where they were putting up paneling on the inside of a house with butt joints and exposed nails, he put down tar paper on the inside of the studs before the wood, the purpose being that if there was a little shrinkage you would only see black shadow not pink insulation and light brown wood.... So if you are thinking about butt joints that might be something to think about....

[WDH]

Here are several different options that I have used. 

V-groove T&G has a very nice look.  Here is some that I recently did with red oak in a bathroom re-model as wainscotting.  Next is v-groove quarter-sawn pecan.



 

 

 

This is rough sawn cypress in a shiplap pattern for a more rustic look.  You can see the bandsaw marks on the boards.



 

Here is cypress that was just butt jointed.  You can see the cracks between the boards like Dodgy Loner mentioned.  This is winter, and they are now as wide as they will get.  They get a little smaller in summer.



 

It really all depends on how finished you want it to look.

[Lud]

Full walls or half walls? Depth of woodworking experience?  Air-dried or kilned?

I'd say ship lap is most forgiving. two half-depth passes over a dado blade and you're good and no gap. 

One last option that is relatively easy would be full spline.  There's a router bit for a biscuit cut  that could be run down each side  and a thin rip  would supply the spline.  I 'd think you'd only dab a bit of glue  no one side to allow movement.  You could shoot a pin nail thru spline and back edge.  Tap in the next board to cover. 8)