Rough cut Hemlock Pine Ceiling/walls

[itpdk9]

Hello,
I was wondering if anyone has had any experience using rough cut hemlock for ceiling boards and or walls?  I was looking at using it specifically to finish my ceiling through out the first floor of my cabin.  A friend of mine said that it holds dust, however I think the dealing he had with it was on the walls of a camp.  I really like the idea of an inexpensive non drywall finish for my ceiling.  Any opinions or ideas are welcome.  Thanks in advance.

Scott

[Redoverfarm]

Hemlock would be fine but IMO "rough" cut would be a mistake.  Hard to finish, big dust collector and not to mention that if it is not dressed in some fashion you will have a hard time making it look decent with varing widths, thickness and so forth.  If you have someone that can plane it down and T&G the edges it would work quite well. 

[Don_P]

Ditto, I just planed a stack of white pine this afternoon, after allowing it to dry. Buy it green from the sawmill, sticker it in a sheltered location until it's dry then plane and T&G it. It's a sweat equity thing.

[MountainDon]

Double dittos   

[itpdk9]

Ok thanks for all the responses... obviously not what I was wanting to hear... lol.  Any other lower cost alternatives for ceiling finishes other than pre finished t&g.  T&G is pretty expensive the couple places that I looked around here.  I can't seem to find an amish mill that has T&G capabilities.  That would be the cost effective way for me to go. 

Thanks again...

[hpinson]

Would it be worth it to plane it yourself like (I think) Don_P suggested?  It's not that hard with a good planer like a DeWalt or similar. It goes fairly quickly. Routing edges would be more of a challenge, but with the right jig?  I've planed maple and cedar boards and posts, and the results were really quite good.

[flyingvan]

  I've seen a few of these random block ceilings in design mags


   I love the look, and I certainly could have set aside enough scrap to do it.  I bet the acoustics are good, not sure about how much spider habitat you're providing though

[firefox]

But it would provide a "No fly zone" 

[Don_P]

Good night, that is not a 10psf dead load  . I wonder what the fire marshall said while they were nailing that kindling up in a restaurant 

[akwoodchuck]

Ok thanks for all the responses... obviously not what I was wanting to hear... lol.  Any other lower cost alternatives for ceiling finishes other than pre finished t&g.  T&G is pretty expensive the couple places that I looked around here.  I can't seem to find an amish mill that has T&G capabilities.  That would be the cost effective way for me to go. 

Thanks again...

CDX plywood.....relatively cheap, adds structural strength, and you can dress it up pretty nice with trim/ battens/ oil finish, etc.....

[rick91351]

Ok thanks for all the responses... obviously not what I was wanting to hear... lol.  Any other lower cost alternatives for ceiling finishes other than pre finished t&g.  T&G is pretty expensive the couple places that I looked around here.  I can't seem to find an amish mill that has T&G capabilities.  That would be the cost effective way for me to go. 

Thanks again...

T and G is not a huge problem.  It can be done DIY with a router table and a fair sized router and tongue and groove bits.  Or even a table saw with a dado blade will work.

[flyingvan]

  A little easier than  T & G would be a lap edge.  Just prime the boards befor putting them up so when they contract the touch up painting is easier

 

  Also T1-11 is an option, and if you put some 1x2 battens over the nails and joints it looks pretty good

 

  but you have to look at the shape of your interior----for some projects the t&g planks would save money if you have to make lots of intricate cuts in a 4x8 sheet and waste a lot. 

   We did all T&G inside both our O/B projects, one with a clear finish the other high gloss white.  We were happy with the results.  (Actually the second project the ceiling was clear sealed and the walls white...lemme find a pic)

[rick91351]

Van I don't know why ship lap has dropped out of the schema and popularity of patterns.  It is easy to work with and offers a lot of stuff you do with it.  It as well is easy to make DIY...
   

[flyingvan]

Dang....Shiplap!  Thanks, Rick--for the life of me I couldn't figure out what to call it. 

[rick91351]

Hey when I was a young'n from about six on until the bunny tree huggers shut all of southern Idaho down to logging in the national forests.  I was with my dad around sawmills, planing mills and molding plants until I was old enough to work for him or them.  I knew more patterns and tricks.  Little did I know I was going in to concrete then 35 years of railroad but I always loved wood, the woods and wood working.....   I thought I would be a faller or a sawyer or a planerman or planer setter depending where you are working..... hey maybe a log truck driver.  Long story there one dad was sort of assumed of.....  and I did end up in a better job.....

[Redoverfarm]

Irregardless what edge you use (T&G or SL) I would definitely plane and dress the edges before milling the joint.

[SouthernTier]

This is pretty much what the guy in this cabin-build-blog did:
http://www.mvr1.com/timberframing/timberframe4.html
Scroll down about half way

That was lodgepole pine rough cut.  Doesn't look like he planed it, just cut the ship lap.

I will have to think of something like this.  I'd like some sort of lapped wood interior rather than sheetrock (cheapest).  Hey, it's a cabin after all.  But T&G would be expensive.  I can get the Amish hemlock (rough cut).  I guess if I got the right tools (so long as that doesn't erase the savings!), I could plane it and cut the ship lap.

Think planed hemlock would nice as walls/ceilings?

[itpdk9]

One of the few tools that I don't own is  a planer and a table router. I found pine T&G 1x8 for $1.00 a BF.  I can get the rough cut for about half the cost of that however, the rough cut will need planed.  I really didn't care about the roughness of the finish other than I don't want it collecting dust and dirt.  I figured that the walls would to that more that what the ceiling wood which is why I posted this in the first place.  My thoughts for the rough cut was to paint the I-joists black on the edge then put the rough cut up, that way if it did shrink any you wouldn't see the I-joist through the crack.  My first floor ceiling is give or take 800 sf with cut outs for walls and my steps, the cabin foot print is 20x40.  So the price that I came up with for the T&G pine is around $1000.  I was just trying to keep the cost low, but not use drywall as I used it on the walls to try and keep the cost down.  I figured at least on the walls I could go back and put wood over the drywall some day if I wanted too. 

Thank you all for the replies though some food for thought.   

[MountainDon]

... that way if it did shrink any you wouldn't see the I-joist through the crack. 

What about keeping air from moving through the ceiling?

[zion-diy]

I took 1x4's and used a hand planer to bevel the edges. Used a small strip of wood to cover the butt ends. Came out ok I think.

[itpdk9]

What about keeping air from moving through the ceiling?

I have a half story above the downstairs living space so I wasn't to concerned with heat going up stairs.

[Don_P]

The roughsawn is a matter of personal taste, I grew up with roughsawn board and batten as one wall in my bedroom and down the hall. I don't recall it being particularly dusty... for my teenage taste. But then looking at my shirt right now, I'm suprised I haven't been banished to the cold. The main reason T&G is used more often is that the fasteners are hidden. I would dry the material through the heating season inside if you can to minimize gaps. Rather than painting the joists black I'd tarpaper the ceiling. I also like the idea of ply and applied moldings. If you use 1/2" or better you can also later use that as a base for running boards on in any pattern that suits your fancy.

[MountainDon]

I have a half story above the downstairs living space so I wasn't to concerned with heat going up stairs.

Then give thought to Don_P's suggestion of building felt. That would keep the dust, etc from filtering down from the upstairs.

[Pine Cone]

I made my cabin's ceiling from homemade shiplap boards.   Milled logs into boards on site, let them dry, planed them, cut shiplap using a dado blade, hand-planed a bevel on the edge, painted them, then put them up.  Worked well, inexpensive, sweat equity.  I like the end result.

[umtallguy]

One of the few tools that I don't own is  a planer and a table router. I found pine T&G 1x8 for $1.00 a BF.  I can get the rough cut for about half the cost of that however, the rough cut will need planed.  I really didn't care about the roughness of the finish other than I don't want it collecting dust and dirt.  I figured that the walls would to that more that what the ceiling wood which is why I posted this in the first place.  My thoughts for the rough cut was to paint the I-joists black on the edge then put the rough cut up, that way if it did shrink any you wouldn't see the I-joist through the crack.  My first floor ceiling is give or take 800 sf with cut outs for walls and my steps, the cabin foot print is 20x40.  So the price that I came up with for the T&G pine is around $1000.  I was just trying to keep the cost low, but not use drywall as I used it on the walls to try and keep the cost down.  I figured at least on the walls I could go back and put wood over the drywall some day if I wanted too. 

Thank you all for the replies though some food for thought.   

Find a lumber yard or mill that sells direct, around here I can get camp grade tongue and grove or bead board for .25 .50 a foot, worlds cheaper then big box prices.