Timber Clading

[chiangrai]

I have small new kitchen that I want to clad with timber.

The kitchen had concrete posts in the 4 corners and frames in between

to fix clading to.

The wood I have is from durian(julian) trees and is in planks about 4 inches wide.

I want to put the planks vertically with no overlap and am not sure if they

will leak.

Is there some kind of cauking that I could use or what way should I go about it.

[Morgan Wu]

i would recommend you buy a PU or MS Polymer product like this http://www.sealexchem.com/sx-100ms.php

PU or MS Polymer are more durable products than Acylic products. However they are also more difficult to apply nicely,

Use a good masking tape e.g Nitto Brand Masking Tapes to tape up the sides before applying the caulk. Fill up the gap and use something to flatten the caulk. Then remove the masking tapes to reveal a clean edge.

[weegee]

No matter what you do with Vertical planking here, it WILL leak. Wind driven hard rain we get here, finds it's way through no matter what you do.

Think hard and if you havent started yet....run them the Normal way with overlap...Horizontal.

If you dont you will be sorry eventually, as when the timber shrinks from being weathered those cracks and gaps will be twice what they were when you started..

[chiangrai]

O.K.............I may take your advice.

Anybody second that.

[eyecatcher]

Horizontal cladding much better and you can simply overlap it.

Vertical cladding is ok provided to have a tongue and groove connection.

you could do your idea if you clad the internal face with something...plasterboard or more cladding but you need a polythene damp membrane as the sandwich to stop rain and insects.

[Morgan Wu]

are your planks Kiln dried?

[sometimewoodworker]

O.K.............I may take your advice.

Anybody second that.

I do.

Nobody should expect wood not to move that is why there is always an overlap if you want it to be, mostly, watertight.

Basic information on wood is that when the humidity changes whe wood will change dimension. If you have quarter sawn planks (you do not unless you paid about 5 times the normal price) there will be half the noticeable change.

You have through sawn timber and it moves and warps http://learn.hackney.ac.uk/pluginfile.php/14163/mod_resource/content/0/Associated_Subjects/FirstYearAS03.indd.pdf

[chiangrai]

O.k thanks guys,

I'm definitely sold on the horizontal cladding.

That has saved me a lot of stress I reckon.