Indoor walls: pine or cedar?

Explorer · #21 10/23/05, 05:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arborethic

White means less 'cabin fever'. Which is why our antecedents used so much white paint.

Are you sure about this statement? Paint was developed in the warm areas of the Mediterranean. The oldest painted surfaces on earth were colored with a form of milk paint and this form was used extensively up to the American Civil War. Milk and lime produce a white paint. Pigments were expensive and not commonly available which caused them to be used primarily as accent colors.

**Cabin Fever** · #22 10/23/05, 09:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arborethic

..... White means less 'cabin fever'. Which is why our antecedents used so much white paint.

Ya know, I had antecedents once. The doctor came me some pills for it. It cleared up in a few days.

vtfarma · #23 10/23/05, 09:18 AM

We have unfinished wide plank pine floors. The bottom half of the walls and ceilings are done in Basswood. It is a hard wood so the knots stay as knots - they won't fall out in 10 years. Pine is less expensive but we went to a small mill and got t&g basswood. Sanded and sealed it. We love it.

Laurie

**Cabin Fever** · #24 10/23/05, 10:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vtfarma

We have unfinished wide plank pine floors. The bottom half of the walls and ceilings are done in Basswood. It is a hard wood so the knots stay as knots - they won't fall out in 10 years. Pine is less expensive but we went to a small mill and got t&g basswood. Sanded and sealed it. We love it.

Laurie

As you may know, the interior of our home is 100% pine: walls, floors, ceilings, trim and doors. After two years, all of the pine knots are still there. But, to tell the truth, we can't wait until one falls out! What we plan to do is cover the hole by nailing tin from antique cans over it. We have a collection of old antique cans and tins, some kinda rusty, others in great shape. I wil cut the can so that the label of the can is on the piece I nail over the knothole. IMHO, this will just add character to our place....make our place look more reminisent of an old trappers cabin. That's us...just thinking outside the box.

tallpines · #25 10/23/05, 10:28 AM

The first year (this is our third with a ceiling) we'd find an occasional knott that had fallen out. The ceiling is so high, though that its very difficult to see where the knott came from. The hole that they leave are small and dark in color that it looks just like one of the hundreds of other knotts that are still intact.

"There is also also another alternative if you like the log cabin look. They are making 2x6 T&G milled to look like logs. I have seen it installed on both the interior and exterior of conventional 2x4 stud walls and it looks pretty good considering what it is. The interior is raw pine and the exterior is usually pressure treated or raw finished with stain or sealer."

This sounds like the siding we have on a couple of the interior walls.

PaleRyder · #26 10/23/05, 06:44 PM

Just my personal opinion.. but Cedar.. Its helpful with moths and those sorta winged critters.

lovescanines · #27 10/23/05, 11:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cabin Fever

cover the hole by nailing tin from antique cans over it.

I like that idea!

BTW, anybody got ideas about interior walls, not for my cabin, but I am re-doing a shed...it's an old tin building, up on blocks, and I plan to make it into a place to lay down, read, etc. while building the cabin. It has 4 windows and plywood floors. There are batts of insulation stuck between wood .... I need to cover this with some sort of wall.............but since it is a shed, I DO NOT want to spend much money.

I thought about using the outside ends of logs from the log house manufacturer nearby, but that will take eons and too much time and work for a shed.

any ideas?

gobug · #28 10/26/05, 01:09 PM

There are significant advantages to drywall! You may find it un-appealing, but it has a real value in fire prevention. In my county, I can put wood on the walls and ceiling, but code requires a layer of drywall beneath the wood.

It is really far easier than wood: installation, price, and repair.

I wouldn't try to convince you to use it as a finish surface if you prefer wood, but it does add a layer of safety if you put wood on top. You might make it out of the structure alive, where an all wood structure may be engulfed before you wake up.

tallpines · #29 10/26/05, 01:14 PM

Some times "Menards" will have 4 X 8 sheets of cheap Plywood for $4.oo a sheet........makes for decent wall covering in a shed.
But not the ceiling------too much sagging.

frazzlehead · #30 10/26/05, 01:21 PM

Wow, you all have such great ideas! I will be sure to talk to my building inspector about what is required for fire prevention. I hadn't thought of that!

As for the shed walls - I went and got the paintable thin plywood wainscotting panels and nailed those to the interior walls of the shed we are living in while the house is built. I painted over them, and they look pretty neat. They come in the full size sheets too, but the half size wainscot panels fit in the truck easier so I used them.

I like the whitewash on the ceiling idea - that's what I'm thinking with the "pickling stain". I will be sure to get a few sample boards and try out any finishes I may want to use to see how they work and if they go blotchy.

More updates as things progress!