Spruce Durability Outdoors?

Kirk_Allen · April 02, 2005, 08:38:49 AM

Can any tell me how well spruce holds up to exposed weather? I have an old chicken brooder house (10x15) that I would like to re-face with some of the extra sruce I have but not sure of its durability.

Thanks

Minnesota_boy · April 02, 2005, 08:56:13 AM

Does the brooder house have good overhang on the eaves? Do the walls get wet and stay that way? Have you heard of paint or waterseal? How many years do you expect to live?

I have sided my garage with balsam fir. I think spruce is at least as durable. I sprayed an oil stain on the fir and expect it to outlast me, but I'm older than you. ;D The fir was put up over chipboard that was beginning to deteriorate after only 25 years or so. :

Kirk_Allen · April 02, 2005, 09:42:10 AM

Quote from: Minnesota_boy on April 02, 2005, 08:56:13 AM
Have you heard of paint or waterseal? How many years do you expect to live?

OK, MB you can go easy on me ;D

I know that most any wood will work with treatments so I guess what I was wondering is if Spruce really NEEDED to be treated with sealer or paint etc.

beenthere · April 02, 2005, 10:46:11 AM

It will last longer if treated, but it may last long enough untreated. How long, is long enough? ??? ;D

I had a spruce board gate that lasted years and years, beyond what I expected. However, the boards had a chance to get good and dry on both sides. The spruce siding may wet on one side, curl some, and then get wet behind which may not dry so well. All depends on the shape of the siding (bevel? tongue and groove?) and the overhang.
Also, there will likely be knots in the siding that will let moisture in and behind the wood. Something else to consider in what the woods' durability will be as siding.

Hope this helps your decision.

SwampDonkey · April 02, 2005, 03:28:48 PM

There's a good many barns up this way with bare spruce boards on their sides. Some of these old barns been standing 100 years. What seems to go first on barns is foundations, then the roofin. ;)

Minnesota_boy · April 02, 2005, 04:46:35 PM

OK Kirk, I'll ease up a bit. ;D Spruce isn't the most durable wood, not even close, but if it doesn't remain wet, it will hold up quite well. I wouldn't use it in a rain forest, nor would I want it where the eave's drip constantly splashes, but if kept where it remains dry most of the time, it will hold up quite well.

Coon · April 02, 2005, 06:23:39 PM

Once again I will answer to a post that my knowledge often over sees. What I am saying is that spruce is my main wood that I saw. If you are going to use spruce for outdoor purposes use a band blade that has a very coarse tooth. This way the wood pours will not be closed with fibers and will allow it to dry out alot easier. The finer the tooth the longer it will take to dry out. If you want the wood to last longer you may put a wood preservative on it but it is not at all necessary. I have some buildings on my farm that were built in the early to mid 30's and they are structurally sound just as the day they were built. Even the outside walls were done in spruce and were never ever painted.

Kirk_Allen · April 02, 2005, 06:50:57 PM

Thanks for all the great input! Got to love this place 8)

ElectricAl · April 02, 2005, 08:14:09 PM

Beenthere brings up a good point about moisture getting past the cracks in the knots.

We are looking into a project were a pine board and bat exterior will be used over standard stick framing. Then the interior will be sprayed with expanding foam insulation. No OSB will be used.

The exterior will be sprayed with a soy oil wood sealant.

Has anyone tried spraying foam onto a board and bat wall?

ElectricAl

beenthere · April 02, 2005, 09:54:16 PM

The boards in a board and bat siding will shrink and swell with the changing seasons, which may (or may not) affect the bond between the board and the sprayed expanded foam.
Ideally, the foam would move with the wood and give a bit (but I would be hard pressed at the moment to believe that), but then, I may not have the total picture in mind, of your interesting project.

UNCLEBUCK · April 02, 2005, 11:47:20 PM

Here is a pic of spruce I sawed and put on green over a pole type building "saw shed" . It was one of my first projects for practice and screwed the boards on each side as you stand facing it, and then screwed the battens on . Lesson learned is on wide boards only screw one side or in the center only and let the batten hold the rest in place, every wide board had some very light cracking after it dried because of being screwed each edge . This spruce is now a few years old and looks great without any stains but turned a little grey in a few spots. My next b&b project was a office and I made sure I used galvanized ring shank nails instead of sheetrock screws and fastened it properly and it is of ash and then the final pic is of my shack I am tryin to finish and that was ash also and fastened on properly soaking green over tyvek house wrap and I used heavy duty long screws to keep the sun from buckling the boards and had 2x4 blocking every 2 feet on the walls to fasten deep into.

UNCLEBUCK · April 02, 2005, 11:54:52 PM

My friend has a sailboat mast made of minnesota type spruce .not sitka and he puts spar varnish on it every year and it is 15 years old. I wish I had alot of spruce and someday I will but this is my only experience on the sawshed with spruce and it was sawed 3/4 and that seemed a bit flimsy for me but it worked . I saw a full 1 inch now for any b&b projects and apply it all random width and try to mix it up to so the eye cant pick it out . Battens 3 inch and under for width seems to look half decent. Good luck with your spruce projects , sorry for the unorganized picture placement but it worked. :P

Brad_S. · April 02, 2005, 11:56:16 PM

UB,

Does that small square building have a door with a half moon on it? :D

Very nice buildings! 8)

UNCLEBUCK · April 03, 2005, 12:05:51 AM

Hi Brad, yep its got a half moon on it and sometimes a full moon ! :D

UNCLEBUCK · April 03, 2005, 12:23:01 AM

Thanks for the lesson Chet , I looked how you cleaned up my posting so I not do like I did again. I must have had a snowsnake run across my computer ! ;D

Furby · April 03, 2005, 12:25:17 AM

Electric Al,
The application you are talking about might be improved by useing a house wrap between the B&B and the stick frame.
I think the spray can be sprayed directly on the house wrap, but I would double check that first.
Anyways it would allow the B&B to move as needed and still give you something to spray the foam onto.

ElectricAl · April 03, 2005, 08:45:25 AM

Furby,

Your onto the right track with the Tyvac :D

It should keep the wind driven rain off the foam.

UncleBuck,

We had run accross your photos in the old Gallery a couple weeks ago, but could not figure out who's they were. Well now we know ;D
Very nice Office ;)

Now that the office is complete what would you have done differently?

ElectricAl

WH_Conley · April 03, 2005, 09:23:21 AM

A bit off topic,

Unclebuck, how is the picker powered sawmill project coming?

UNCLEBUCK · April 03, 2005, 11:01:15 AM

Electric Al I wouldnt change a thing on my 1 room office , it works great ! :D W.H I finally got my old backhoe running again so I can move my 671 detroit over in place to the mill and the ground is still froze but soon I can make a shed roof over the motor and I will be done . Right now I still have to hook up the farm tractor and my sister never brings it back so am looking forward to the changes . Between finishing my shack and fixing all my broken down machinery I come in every night either black from grease or snow white from dust or cement . Then I sit and read the forum because I too tired to move !