Wood walls and ceiling ?

[Mudball]

I have a chance to buy some poplar wood slats of different widths. Same thickness but different lengths and widths. It has been run through a plane so the surface is pretty smooth. What is the reason (if any) I cant just nail them to the 2X4 walls and ceiling ? Do I need to seal them with something first ? If so then what ? I would like to make this as simple as possible with little cost and time and where a more natural look is desired.
Thanks

[n74tg]

I take it you plan to use these in place of sheetrock.  If so, do you have anything that will act as an air barrier and a vapor barrier?

[Mudball]

Yes in place of sheetrock. I currently have concrete block walls. I plan to seal the interior concrete block walls with UGL Drylok then put up 2X4 stud wall and attach poplar wood to the 2X4's. Any other suggestions as to a better procedure with this is more than welcome.

[Amanda_931]

They might be easier to fit as horizontal boards if they came in only two or three different widths with a half-lap joint on the sides.

I have a ceiling done with half-lap boards, fairly well dried, so they didn't shrink, but the man who did it cut the boards to the same width.  In this case they weren't planed.  And I do like the look.  No sealing on the ceiling.  There is painted OSB above the insulation on the top of the joists.

Or you could use the board-and-board or board-and-batten approach and put them in vertically.

[Amanda_931]

And since we used Cocoon--loose cellulose, there has been no particular problem with the stuff sifting through as there might have been if there weren't a half-lap.

[bil2054]

Mudball, Amanda's note about the half-lap is signifigant.  Wood is a dynamic material which expands and contracts with moisture changes.  This may seem obvious, but you'd be amazed at how much dimensional change there can be.  Fit them tight, and at some point they'll likely buckle and lift away from the studs in spots.  Fit them looser, and you'll have "gapitis" as they shrink.  The lap allows signifigant movement, with the lap part providing coverage at the looser end of the cycle.  Again, it seems obvious, but you shoulda seen the maple flooring installed at my parent's house by pro's.  It was fine for a couple of years, but then did a major buckle; a skate boarder's delight, but not what you want in the middle of a hall!  Also the T&G cedar panelling I installed too tightly once.  Fine for awhile, but then "sproing"!  I had to pull it all down, and re-install with a 1/8" fudge factor.

Maybe you could put a neutral color backing of some sort up first, both to camoflage the spaces at max shrinkage, and to maintain your air/vapor integrity.  

Poplar is nice, dimensionally stable stuff, which is why it is found in drawer bottoms on good quality furniture.  Note that it "floats" in a rabbeted groove, however.  It gets mighty hard as it ages, sometimes requiring pilot holes for fasteners.

I think it looks good with a polyurethane finish.

All this, of course, IMHO. [smiley=wink.gif]
Good luck!

[Amanda_931]

Yes.  I should have said that it was through the major losing-moisture-from-cutting shrinkage.

It was pine not poplar.

The room might get a limewash/whitewash some day.

[Mudball]

Thank you all for the help and suggestions. I dont know if we want to go this route or not. I would hate to hear my wife say...well you know We are still talking about it and would just like to make sure its done so there are no problems down the road if we decide to go this way.
Thanks

[Amanda_931]

I'd rather have wood than block.  The wood can be stained, painted, left alone, whitewashed.