wood interior wall options?

[shad]

Hello, I'm finally back on track to build the timber framed house featured in Jack Sobon's book, after exploring all other options from expanded concrete to a used trailer house. It's good to be back. It just makes since.
I'm wanting to use all wood for the interior walls and ceiling. I'd like to plane it but really not wanting to have to get set up to tongue and groove.
What are some good options for interior wood walls?
Shad

[Dodgy Loner]

If you're not going to t&g the boards, you'll have to face nail them. I like the look of wide (12" or so), horizontal, face-nailed pine boards. I've also seen some interior board and batten walls that I liked a lot! They were nailed vertically, of course.

Here is a picture of my shop, with horizontal pine paneling.

[Rooster]

How about ship-lap boards?   Easier to "set up", and install without exposed gaps or spaces.  A stacked dado head cutter in a table saw will do the trick.   Auxillary feather boards attached to the saw fence will help keep the board pressed flat to the table deck.

Good luck!

Rooster

[shad]

how much would you lap them with shiplap? My 1"x12" oak walls in the barn i'm living in shank to 11 1/2" or more leaving 1/2" or better gaps. They had air dried for about 10 months prior to being nailed up but were not stacked right, not enough air circulation.

[ballen]

I have a related question about what people have done to cover their frame.  Instead of using SIP's to cover my frame, I'm looking into making my own using old barn board facing in (outside of the frame), vaper barrier, cellulose insullation (recycled newspaper) then another layer of barn wood on the outside.   Obviously reinforced with sticks as needed to support the insullation cavities.  Has anyone ever done this?  In effect making their own multilayer outside covering?

[1938farmall]

i was thinking about sawing some heavy slabs, peeling them and nailing them on the studs with a 2"-3" gap.  would tack strips of mesh under the joint beforehand, then plaster between the logs for an old-time chinked look.  maybe too much work?  '38

[tmroper]

1938
I have a buddy that did that with the chinkning and it does look really nice.  I am thinking about doing that in my shop.

Shad
Tripp from ga. I think posted some pics not to far back where he used ship lap on some interior walls.  I looked really nice.

[shinnlinger]

Shad,

You can push rope in the cracks if they are 1/2 or so.  That tends to ride with the swell pretty well.

Ballen,

I didn't do exactly what you are doing, but I don't see why it wouldn't work just fine.

A thought about interior wood.  Just think about how dark it will be if you use old boards.  Maybe just the look you want, but it can be pretty gloomy.

Dave

[moonhill]

Sand them with an orbital sander w/40 grit.  They will still be somewhat dark but far brighter than an old barn board. 

Tim

[Rooster]

Commercially produced, kiln dried, ship-lap pine, spruce or fir has a lap (rabbet) of 1/2"-5/8".   If you could build yourself a solar kiln, you could get the moisture down where you wouldn't have worry about the joints even with the ship-lap.

Rooster

[laffs]

you could do a lot with the boards with a moulder head , goes on a tablesaw, craftsman makes one . i bought mine years  ago for $50 came with 4 different patterns. you could make reveal,ship lap, droped siding.
you could use a router with a table and do the same stuff.
ive had pine dried to 19% shrink 1/8
Brent

[shad]

I plan to build a wood masonry heater in this house. Would it help dry the wood if i brought the boards for the walls, floor , ceiling in and built a fire in the heater for  few days? after air drying for several months first.

[beenthere]

It would help. And to know when the boards are dry, take one or two and weigh them. Keep track of the weight and know they are dry when they stop losing weight. Might be more than "a few days". 

The size of the board to weigh can be adjusted to the size of the scale you have to do the weighing.

[moonhill]

You wouldn't need to weigh a whole board, you could cut a smaller section out and keep that piece as the control.  I bet it will take more than a few days, weeks maybe?   You may want to keep the sample down in the stack a few layers.   Am I right on this?  Winter is a nice time to finish off air dried lumber inside.  I wonder if you would want to seal the ends if it is shorter that the normal stock? 

I am planning on using wood chip and clay as interior walls, applied to 1.5" x 3.5" studded wall framing.  A clay plaster on top of that as the finish with a lime white wash to top it all off.  It will act as a heat sink and I don't have to deal with the issues of exterior wall system.  100% store bought free wall system.  It is my alternative to drywall and paint.  It is a naturally occurring substance just like wood, it comes with very little processing.  You will also find China no where in the loop.  

Tim

[Brad_bb]

Ballen, it depends on how much work you are up for.  The advantage of Sips are fast installation/close in, and easier getting a good seal (reduced air leakage). 

My thought on your method would be to do it so that if you decided you did not like the boards either on the inside or the outside, you can remove them and do something else.  So this would mean that you would need to have some sort of stud wall that you could insulate, vapor seal etc, before applying your interior and exterior sheathing.  Having this structure would allow you to use barn boards, or drywall, or masonry if you prepared it properly.... There will be alot more labor involved in your option for sure, but I know many of us are crazy like that to get what we want. 

Oh, and flammability is always something to keep in mind too, they make sips that are self extinguishing.  Consider what you could do to create fire breaks to slow a fire in the worst case.  I'm always thinking about fire and I hope to never have one.

[Thehardway]

Interesting discussion here and some excellent points.  Thought I might offer some insight.  I am currently working on getting my house dried in.  I have ICF walls with a timberframed roof.  I chose to use SIP's for the roof enclosure over the timbers for all of the reasons Brad listed above.  I ordered jumbo size SIP panels because I thought it would go quicker, would have fewer seams, be tighter, etc.

I found that my logic was good on paper but not so practical for a low budget DIY remote project.  The size of the panels 8'X20'X 8.25" made them heavy and difficult to handle and store.  They require precision alignment, my frame has moved a little here and there from shrinkage which makes this tough.  I can't set up a crane on site due to terrain and fears of it getting stuck. As a result I am lifting them into position one at a time with a chain fall and ratchet straps and it is back breaking, slow, and grueling.

Bottom line, this project would have gone much quicker and have been much cheaper if I had forgone the SIP's and done a piece by piece "wrap-n-strap" configuration on the roof.  I am hoping all of my pains pay off with the roof being very  "tight".  Time will tell.  This is not to say that SIP's are a bad solution or do not have their place.  Standard 4'X8'X 6" panels are not near as diffcult as my "Jumbos" to handle and would certainly make a very tight and energy efficient enclosure when used for walls.

  I currently have panels on one side and it is awaiting sheet metal.  The other side is ready for the panels to go on.  Meanwhile, the second snowstorm of the century is supposed to be bearing down on us here in VA.  We just had 18" during New Years and this week the road washed out from runoff.  Now they are calling for another 12" Fri. and Sat.
Looks like I will be testing the non-uniform load capabilities of my frame this weekend. 

[Jim_Rogers]

Looks like I will be testing the non-uniform load capabilities of my frame this weekend. 

So, did it stand strong?