Hello. New to the forum! I'm planning to install exterior paneling in different widths on the indoor sloped ceiling to create a raw and old-fashioned look with gaps, a sawn surface, etc. I'm wondering if there's anything specific I should consider before getting started. Beneath, there is cellulose insulation held up by plastic and vertical battens with 30 cm spacing. I've just planned to nail the boards there on every other batten, from top to bottom. I'm buying primed 22 mm boards. Some questions I have are:
- I prefer nails over screws, but will it be sufficient, the panel is 22mm and the battens too, and I don't want to nail into the plastic behind the battens, so nails longer than 45 won't work.
- I've read on the forum, among other places, that wind paper has been installed behind the paneling. Is it necessary? I don't want the plastic and battens to be visible behind the paneling, but will the gaps be that large?

Additional tips on other things to consider are appreciated!
 
Question (I have no idea): Are boards painted for outdoor use okay to use indoors?
 
haavard said:
Question (I have no idea): Are boards painted for outdoor use okay to use indoors?
Good question, I actually don't know. I've tried to find out what type of paint they've used but haven't gotten an answer yet.
 
Microkatten
As long as it is clean wood, it should basically be fine. What needs to be considered is acclimatizing the boards before nailing them up. Unlike solid floors, which are planed at a lower moisture content, the outer paneling is sawn and finished at a higher moisture content, and therefore there is a greater risk that they will warp - and shrink more - when they adapt to the indoor climate.

If you put up the paneling before it has dried, you will get large gaps (several millimeters, depending on how wide the boards are).

Just like when laying a solid wood floor, it should also be considered during installation that the width of each plank changes a little with the seasons, maybe a millimeter for a 100 mm wide board? Some place black backing behind the paneling to make it look like shadows in the gaps. Semi-transparent plastic is rather dull to see, but the question is if you can see it if it's 22 mm behind the panel?

What is the batten attached to, and how can you have vertical battening on the slanted ceiling?
 
Microkatten said:
As long as it is solid wood, it should generally be fine. What you need to consider is acclimating the boards before nailing them up. Unlike solid flooring, which is likely planed at a lower moisture content, the exterior paneling is sawn and finished at a higher moisture content, so there's a greater risk of warping—and more shrinkage—when they adjust to the indoor climate.

If you install the paneling before it dries, you'll get large gaps (several millimeters, depending on the width of the boards).

Just like when laying solid wood flooring, you should also consider during installation that the width of each plank changes slightly with the seasons, maybe a millimeter for a 100 mm wide board? Some people put black backing behind the paneling so that it looks like shadows in the gaps. Semitransparent plastic is rather dull to see, the question is whether you can see it if it's 22 mm behind the paneling?

What is the battens attached to, and how can you have vertical battens on the slanted roof?
Thanks for your response Microkatten! The battens are attached to other battens that are horizontal and attached to the rafters. The plastic is stretched between the batten layers. Makes sense? The plastic is white and yes, it's a good question if it will be visible. How can you determine that beforehand, really? It's unnecessary work to put up wind paper if it's not needed. If the gaps are as wide as you say, then perhaps an option is to stick a small brush in where needed. Alternatively, spray paint everything? See my next post regarding paint.

By the way, how long do you think the boards need to acclimate? I don't mind gaps as mentioned, but I don't want more than 5 mm. Planning to have widths up to 195mm.
 
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mnemne said:
Good question, I actually don't know. I've tried to find out what kind of paint they are painted with but haven't gotten an answer yet.
I've now been informed that it's an outdoor paint that shouldn't be used indoors due to mold inhibitors and such. That's unfortunate news because I don't really have the time, desire, or space to stand and paint, dry, and store a lot of 4.8m planks. How difficult will it be to paint afterwards? The recommendation to paint in advance when installing untoned boards is likely because it's hard to get between the boards, leaving the space in the gaps unpainted that will then appear. Someone suggested spray painting, could that be a solution? That way you can get into the gaps.
 
There is finely sawn tongue and groove paneling for indoor use, isn't that a better option and you get a flat surface that looks like outdoor paneling? It is available both untreated and white waxed. A compromise perhaps, but it definitely works.
 
Are you thinking about something like Moelven rough? It's very expensive in comparison, but sure, it's an option. There might be other brands too. However, I'm not sure which of my problems it would solve. The color and drying, but then I'd rather do it myself than pay 4 times more. If you know of cheaper variants like that, feel free to let me know!

I should also add that my initial reason for using unjointed wood was that I wanted slightly wider boards, which are not usually available as jointed interior panels.
 
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Microkatten
mnemne said:
Thank you for your response Microkatten! The battens are attached to other battens that are horizontal and attached to the rafters. The plastic is stretched between the layers of battens. Makes sense? The plastic is white by the way, and yes, it's a good question if it will be visible. How can you determine that in advance? It's unnecessary work to put up windproof paper if it's not needed. If the gaps are as wide as you say, one option might be to insert a small brush where needed. Alternatively, spray paint everything? See my next post regarding paint.

By the way, how long do you think the boards need to acclimatize? I have no problem with gaps, as I said, but I don't want them more than 5 mm. I plan to have a width up to 195mm.
Lots of battens there! :) Then maybe you'll need to screw, 22 mm feels a bit thin for nails to hold. If you have tongue and groove, you can always use angled screws.

You can test if the plastic is visible through gaps by setting up a couple of boards in a box (to get it a bit dark behind) with plastic 22 mm behind them.

This blog provides pretty good info on movements in wood. It's said that wide plank floors should lie loose indoors for a year before they are fastened. Without knowing, I can guess that outdoor boards should lie indoors for up to a couple of months if gaps and such are not too critical. You can reduce the time by using a regular dehumidifier, which should increase the risk of warping, though. You can buy a moisture meter for about a thousand SEK to check the moisture content as time goes on.

If you can't/won't paint the boards before installation, you can certainly brush paint (note, use breathable paint, otherwise you risk damage due to having plastic behind!) after installation and then, as you say, fill in any unpainted areas that appear during the first year.
 
mnemne said:
Are you thinking of something like Moelven rough? It is very expensive in comparison, but sure, it's an option. There might be other brands as well. However, I don't know which of my issues it would solve. The color and the drying, but then I'd rather do it myself than pay 4 times more. If you know of cheaper variants, please let me know!

I should also add that my initial reason for using unsponted wood was that I wanted slightly wider boards, which usually aren't available as tongue and groove interior panels.
Bought white-waxed panel made by http://www2.sodra.com/sv/Sodra-Interior-Sverige/ in the width of 120mm.
If you take regular rough-sawn in larger widths, the likelihood is very high that you will get drying cracks, larger or smaller, it is unavoidable.
 
Microkatten said:
A lot sealed there! :) Then perhaps you need to use screws, 22 mm feels a bit too little for nails to hold. If you have tongue and groove, you can always toe-nail.

You can test if the plastic is visible in gaps by for example setting up a couple of boards in a box (to keep it a little dark behind) with plastic 22 mm behind them.

This blog provides pretty good info about movements in wood. It is said that wide plank floors should lie loose indoors for a year before being attached. Without knowing, I can guess that one should let outdoor boards lie indoors for up to a couple of months if it is not too critical with gaps and such. The time can be reduced by using a regular dehumidifier, although this should increase the risk of warping. One can buy a moisture meter for a few thousand to check the moisture content over time.

If you can't/don't want to paint the boards before installation, you can definitely brush-paint them (note, breathable paint, otherwise you risk damage because you have plastic behind!) after installation and then as you say, fill in if/when unpainted areas show during the first year.
Thanks for the tips. Hmm, I would have liked to do this now instead of postponing it for half a year but yeah... at the hardware store they said there would be 2-3mm gaps over time as it dries and I can live with that (even prefer) but not much more than that. Wonder if I should dare to take a chance and put it up right away...

Kind of boring with screws, but I guess you're right, 195x22 boards weigh quite a bit and should also lie down so they should be secured properly.
 
AndersS said:
Bought white waxed panel manufactured by [link] in the width of 120mm.
If you take regular rough planks in larger widths, the likelihood is very high that you will get drying cracks, larger or smaller it is inevitable.
Hmm okay, could it be an option to buy floorboards maybe. Because they don't crack. What is actually the difference?
 
Have exterior paneling inside the foyer that is painted 2 coats, with the last coat applied after the paneling was put up.

The only problem I've had is that they twisted at the floor because I didn't nail them there.
I've nailed all the paneling with brads so that the minimal heads would be hidden later during painting.

Had mine lying in the garage for about a week before I nailed them up, now there's a 3-4mm gap between them.
 
Microkatten
Lutte, interesting! Do you have a warm or cold garage? How wide are your bräder?
 
Forgot to add that the length also affects the outcome based on the fact that 4-5 m gives greater stresses in the timber than, for example, 2 m in combination with the width you choose, 120 or 190 mm.
 
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