Building a stick frame house in the woods in 90 days

[sixdogs]

We did this on a room in our last house but used unfinished cedar--the wood from the pacific NW that is often used for siding. It looked great and was an idea we stole from another house that had a ceiling done that way 25 years earlier. The slightly darker wood made the room look softer and the unfinished look was less reflective of light. Everyone liked it.
If I was going to finish the wood I would get a can of satin gloss real marine varnish with resins in it and thin 50-50 with paint thinner. The resins would give the wood character as it ages while synthetic varnish would keep it stark looking for generations. I've done this lots of times on projects.
We ran it lengthwise in the room.

Jay,
I have been wondering how the T & G knotty pine is going to look on the ceiling in a room that is essentially 9 feet wide by 25 feet long.
It will be a key highlight of the interior. I imagine the plan is to run it lengthwise with the room which is going to mean a lot of butt joints and grain matching to get it right.
With 2 sliding doors and the other windows on the back wall the deck with the boards running from the house out to the rail will be visible at the same time as the ceiling from most locations.

Have you ever done a situation like this and run the ceiling boards from the peak down to the wall instead of horizontal?
I don't know if you could make a quick render showing it that way for comparison.

I'm not really sure I would even trust this contractors crew to install such a key element to the interior. Perhaps you should call Peter
and discuss having that part taken out of the job and you making a contract with him to fly up there and do the installation.

 

[jk96]

We did this on a room in our last house but used unfinished cedar--the wood from the pacific NW that is often used for siding. It looked great and was an idea we stole from another house that had a ceiling done that way 25 years earlier. The slightly darker wood made the room look softer and the unfinished look was less reflective of light. Everyone liked it.
If I was going to finish the wood I would get a can of satin gloss real marine varnish with resins in it and thin 50-50 with paint thinner. The resins would give the wood character as it ages while synthetic varnish would keep it stark looking for generations. I've done this lots of times on projects.
We ran it lengthwise in the room.

I've been following this thread closely as we are getting ready to start a build of our own. A large portion of the house will have stained T&G white pine. Can you elaborate more on the benifit of marine varnish as opposed to polyurethane?

 

[pacerron]

I did some long lengths with semi-random butt-joints 10-12 years ago, and it came out really nice. This stuff was really thin, maybe 3/8", don't remember having any problems with the butt joints, sure we used some adhesive on the backing. Can't find any pics, we'll have to use our mind's eye.

Jay,
Do you really just butt the joints?
I would think a face lap similar to what I used on my stained oak baseboard would be more preferable. By cutting at an angle and staining the ends before assembly any movement is hidden since there is no gap. I have to really look hard and up close to even find the join. Of course I spent a lot of time and selected the oak pieces to match well as far as grain too. That's the big advantages of doing something yourself; affordability and quality.
Ron

 

[PILOON]

I also did a ceiling in narrow thin pine that was fitted between beams. Look was awesome and resulted in making ceiling feel lower in a very bright room that was not all that large.

My finish, mainly to seal the wood, is a sponge dipped in danish oil and wiped on. Fast, easy and effective. No drips and no need to clean finish B4 applying as you end up wiping away dust and simply wring out your sponge every 2 or 3rd dip. Have done 3 houses with this technique over a 12 yr span and it stands up very well.

FYI, danish oils today are natural oils with urathane in the formula and dry fast. The result is a good seal and a washable surface.
Lots of folk also do floors with danish oil but apply many more coats for a finish that compares favorably with urathane varnish.
Our local building supply did their showroom floor with danish oil and it stood up extremely well in high traffic areas.

 

[pacerron]

I also did a ceiling in narrow thin pine that was fitted between beams. Look was awesome and resulted in making ceiling feel lower in a very bright room that was not all that large.

My finish, mainly to seal the wood, is a sponge dipped in danish oil and wiped on. Fast, easy and effective. No drips and no need to clean finish B4 applying as you end up wiping away dust and simply wring out your sponge every 2 or 3rd dip. Have done 3 houses with this technique over a 12 yr span and it stands up very well.

FYI, danish oils today are natural oils with urathane in the formula and dry fast. The result is a good seal and a washable surface.
Lots of folk also do floors with danish oil but apply many more coats for a finish that compares favorably with urathane varnish.
Our local building supply did their showroom floor with danish oil and it stood up extremely well in high traffic areas.

Piloon,
My main point ( question ) was how is horizontal plank of any kind going to look in a space 9 feet wide by 25 feet long?
The original plan had a ceiling separation built into it at the dining room entry from the living room but Peter had it torn back out during the framing stage, so now the span is 9 x 25 versus
9 x 15 originally.

In a shorter room it would look fine.

You even accomplished the shortening effect in yours by having beams which cut the length of the horizontal strips and added another dimension to the ceiling depth.

I don't really have any skin in the game, was just wondering how it would look and that perhaps Jay could do it simply by copying, rotating, and pasting
the plank in one of his previous render presentations in a few seconds. Lots of folks on here are planning new construction and are looking for ideas.
Ron

 

[sixdogs]

I've been following this thread closely as we are getting ready to start a build of our own. A large portion of the house will have stained T&G white pine. Can you elaborate more on the benifit of marine varnish as opposed to polyurethane?

Sure can. The oils in the real varnish will cause the wood to age, mellow and gain character with the passage of time. Oil oes that. Poly is a synthetic and the wood will remain as stark, dry and new as the day it was put down. The varnish I've used for decades is McClosky's Marine Spar varnish. I use non-gloss and thin it with paint thinner. Wood looks good from thr get-go and improves with age.

 

[pacerron]

Sure can. The oils in the real varnish will cause the wood to age, mellow and gain character with the passage of time. Oil oes that. Poly is a synthetic and the wood will remain as stark, dry and new as the day it was put down. The varnish I've used for decades is McClosky's Marine Spar varnish. I use non-gloss and thin it with paint thinner. Wood looks good from thr get-go and improves with age.

Us old folks call it "Patina"

 

[s219]

We used spar varnish on the exterior details of our new house, and its already working up a nice patina after a few months. If I recall right, the benefit of spar varnish (a urethane) is that it remains flexible, thus holding up to weather better. Here's a shot of the porch ceilings.

 

[J F]

Jay,
Do you really just butt the joints?

That's the big advantages of doing something yourself; affordability and quality.
Ron

Yep, it was very thin t & g...on a ceiling...for a contractor's project. Please don't think it wasn't a quality job, though.

 

[J F]

I don't really have any skin in the game, was just wondering how it would look and that perhaps Jay could do it simply by copying, rotating, and pasting
the plank in one of his previous render presentations in a few seconds. Lots of folks on here are planning new construction and are looking for ideas.
Ron

Ron...send me a check. :laughing: It takes a bit longer than a few seconds, here's another link to the software if you would like to purchase.

Chief Architect Home Design Software Premier Version

And sixdogs, I'm with you on the "satin" finish for most interior stain-grade trim, it's what I prefer and recommend, but it's always up to the client. The majority of my work over the years has always been painted due to client budgets and tastes.