T-III board - how to preserve finish?? Other options?

[cc-rider]

I like the look of T-III, and am considering using it on the 2-story cabin I'm building. I'd probably use the smooth stuff, and then put boards on it, spaced as battens for a "board and batten" look.

How can I treat or finish the T-III so that it doesn't darken (or rot!) with age?? I know that it will be an ongoing process for as long as I own it, but I just really don't like vinyl siding, can't afford log siding, and don't know of any other options.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
CC

[retire2$]

I would suggest any brand name type of outdoor stain and sealer. Check your local paint store and big box store (Lowes, Home Depot) for suggestions.

[michiganfarmer]

I thought T one eleven came already finished. Shows what I know

[cc-rider]

They have a similar product that is pre-finished, but it is more of a painted finish, and I want natural. I looked into things that would be used on a log cabin, but they all say to not use them on dimensional lumber and plywood. Dunno why.

I'll ask at the box stores, but I've been leery of their "advice" lately. I was told by one of them that I needed three stacked 22" LVLs for my ridge beam (for a 24' span....duh!)

[Cabin Fever]

If it is T1-11 made from oxboard (OSB), I would prime it and paint it. If it is made from exterior plywood, a good quality stain will work. I'd suggest a solid color stain.

[mamita]

we had T-111 on the upstairs of our old house. we started with a transparent stain, but it wore off so quickly on the weather sides. we then went to a solid stain (you can choose a light color, which would look more like natural wood) which held up better. however, we still had to repaint every 3 years. I can also tell you that with routine maintenance, it still rotted a bit along the bottom of one side. honestly....my hubby said never again. he doesn't mind the upkeep as long as it's keeping things in good shape. it wasn't cheap, either. at that time we liked the more natural look of it with brick, tho. if we had to do it again, he would have used a vinyl siding and been done with it. must be our age....we decided it looks alot nicer than it used to.

[RoseGarden]

My grandparent's built their home in 1949, and it is sided with T 111. They stained it a sort of 'barn red' color, and it takes a coat of stain every several years. No rot except on one place where the window sill rotted and the T 111 rotted out below that. My brother does the staining now, uses oil based stain but I don't know what brand. Barn red with white trim, it's a very tidy looking place.

[tiogacounty]

Originally Posted by cc-rider

I'll ask at the box stores, but I've been leery of their "advice" lately. I was told by one of them that I needed three stacked 22" LVLs for my ridge beam (for a 24' span....duh!)

I had to smile when I saw your comment on the beam spec. Without know things like the building width and live loads I really don't know how far off this might be, but it probably isn't as bad as you think. I'm starting a new place with a 30' width, 24' column spacing and a 60 lb snow load. My beam size fell off the chart I use, but it clearly exceeds a 5-1/4 x 18" lvl or a triple 1-3/4 spiked together. I'll get it double checked by the manufacturer's engineer, but a 22" triple wouldn't surprise me.
As for the t-1-11, if you don't take the time to go to a real lumber yard, who deals with quality suppliers, and buy top grade fir, your just wasting cash. Southern yellow pine plywood isn't worth the effort to drag home an put on the burn pile, and low grade fir will be full of boat patches and plastic filler. I can't imagine what the good stuff costs now. I did a job 15 years ago, with prime stuff and the 9'ers were $45/ sheet. Good luck.

[cc-rider]

Yeah, it isn't cheap. I think $25 a sheet at the box stores, and I'm not sure of the quality.

Ok....then what SHOULD I use if I want a rustic look - and not vinyl? It's a story-and-a-half saltbox. I didn't really want a painted house....I like the natural look.

I thought about shakes? Those are pretty darned expensive, too, however.

[crafty2002]

Just an idea here but if you can cut some trees and have the time to work it, I would buy a small sawmill and cut the siding myself.
A lot of places have popular, birch, etc standing that is 30-40 feet high that would give a boat load of siding from each tree.
There are also planner/molders that can be used to make ship lap, or 5 1/2" T&G sideing.
The saw mill, planer, and trees would be cheaper than the cheap T-111 siding now. And you may get into a business of producing lumber also.
As far as that goes, you could cut a lot of the lumber for the frameing etc., if the codes will allow you, or you are willing to but heats with the county.
Just an idea.
Dennis

[Beeman]

My shop building has T-111 for siding. I liked the rustic look and wanted it stained. I bought so much stain it was getting funny and this was the high buck stain. It didn't last long in the full sun so I painted it and will continue to paint it. Last time I used a roller, next time it will get sprayed. Also had some sheets pull loose even nailed in with galvanized twist nails.
I would go with a real wood siding but it will be maintenance city for ever and on a 2 story house that won't be fun when you're older.

[haypoint]

The term T 1-11 describes a wide assortment of products. While they all have 11 inches of pannel and a 1 inch groove, they can be plywood, oriented strand board and pressed board, finished and un finished. Some good and some bad.

[Columbia,SC.]

if you use it you should be sure to seal the edges, tops and bottoms for sure,, you can do that while it is stacked before application on the house. plywood drinks water like a sponge, or in other words, 'have you ever put a celery stalk in colored water'? celery will draw the water up into it and you can 'see' the colored water in it's veins, plywood is the same way. T1-11 comes in diff. cuts 4-8 and 10" on center if i remember right. It also comes in MDF i think it is called (souped up cardboard) that stuff is pre primed but not worth 2 cents if not painted religiously!
What about cedar or S yellow pine siding? pricey but long lasting and always in style.
also on the T1-11 be sure to install a Z channel/strip at the top and bottom of every joint to help shed the water away.
Good luck and take pictures when you are done!

[tiogacounty]

Originally Posted by haypoint

The term T 1-11 describes a wide assortment of products. While they all have 11 inches of pannel and a 1 inch groove, they can be plywood, oriented strand board and pressed board, finished and un finished. Some good and some bad.

Sorry, but this statement is mostly wrong. T1-11 is a designation for a style of plywood siding having grooves on 4" or 8" centers. the grooves are roughly 1/2" wide. Any groove on an 11" center wouldn't be functional, as it isn't a multiple of the panel width, therefore it would be unusable in this application. Except for use in very dry, desert like conditions, most non-plywood structural panels are best avoided. Many manufacturers are, or have been, involved with class action suits and settlements due to the high failure rate of OSB and pressboard based siding panels. Simply put, they rot, delaminate and fail. Like I said earlier, if you can't afford high grade fir plywood in this application, you are better off finding another alternative to the siding problem. IMHO, yellow pine plywood and OSB, or Masonite, based sidings aren't worth wasting time on.

[hotzcatz]

We use loads of T1-11 around here and it is almost the siding of choice for about 80% or more of residential projects. It usually shows up as a four foot wide panel, usually eight feet long, but longer lengths are available. It comes with grooves at 6" o.c., 8" o.c. or no grooves at all. Different thicknesses, too.

Most folks paint the stuff. You could use a wood colored paint and even get artistic and paint wood grain on it if you wanted to get into it. I'd paint the boards before installation if you were planning on that.

For putting the battens on it, if you want it to look authentic do not space the battens any further apart than one foot on center. Many contractors put them sixteen inch on center since it saves having to install so many but old board and batten houses were almost never made with sixteen inch wide boards. They were either twelve inch wide boards for the houses prior to 1920 or so and then eight to six inch wide boards up until 1950 or so. Battens are usually just under two inches and just over a quarter inch thick, at least on our house they are and this is a true board and batten house. (i.e. about a hundred years old and only still standing since the termites are all holding hands.)