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Small Cabin Forum / Cabin Construction / Used fence boards for siding
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KinAlberta
Member
# Posted: 16 Feb 2016 00:20 - Edited by: KinAlberta
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A friend's family once owned a beautiful old luxury cabin that was sided with long vertically placed cedar board siding overlapping like shakes/shingles but with a huge spans of maybe 18"-24" between courses. Each course sort of undulated vertically up and down across the wall. (It's been decades since I last saw it so I'm just going by very faint memories.) I don't know what it's called and can't find a picture of anything like it.

So I've long wondered if I couldn't take old 5' and 6' fence boards, cut them in half and use them as siding in a similar fashion. To avoid tongue and grove or overlap cutting, I could first put up a plastic or tar paper membrane then at the top of each course run a horizontal strip of overlapping tape (or GRACE ) to direct any moisture that got between the boards back to the outside. Afixing the lower part of the board to the walls would be another the issue. (I have no idea how that old cabin was done.) it's interior walls were about 12" rough horizontal timber with chinking between.

Julie2Oregon
Member
# Posted: 16 Feb 2016 03:11
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Just thinking in type and considering how much maintenance my privacy fence boards require to withstand weather, do you think it would last without being kind of a pain to maintain? I honestly don't know but wonder if fence board wood quality would be good enough for siding quality.

bldginsp
Member
# Posted: 16 Feb 2016 08:38
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Unless you are in a fire area, the sole purpose of exterior siding is to protect the paper beneath from weathering to preserve the water seal. I see no problem with it, so long as you use reasonable solid pieces and secure them well. Send pics!

Don_P
Member
# Posted: 16 Feb 2016 08:42 - Edited by: Don_P
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A wood shingle or shake (a shingle is sawn, a shake is split), is applied with at least triple coverage. I was doing some shingles in a gable a few weeks ago. They ran about 18" long and I did a 5-1/2" exposure. All was over a lapped layer of housewrap then a row of tarpaper at 11".

One way of thinking about it is the wood is basically protecting the shingle (the tarpaper) from the sun. I look at finishes much differently than structure. If you detail them to do the weatherproofing job you can do about anything.... bearing in mind that doesn't mean you'll get a long service lif, simply siding is relatively easy to replace and if you keep the frame dry its just a residing job when that time comes.

Do think about what that coverage means to trim thickness, you want a reveal of some pleasing amount forward of that triple thickness

timcook
Member
# Posted: 18 Feb 2016 14:49
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I did this on the inside of my cabin on one wall turned out awesome

KinAlberta
Member
# Posted: 9 Apr 2016 23:26
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Here's a recycled fence board project.

I think it needs some stain to finish it off. Or a lot more years until it looks more uniformly grey.

https://edgeofgreencasitas.wordpress.com/2014/11/29/siding-a-tiny-house-with-up-cycle d-fencing/

creeky
Member
# Posted: 10 Apr 2016 10:38
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local advanced building program is using boards for siding on one of the student projects. (amazing build, R110 in the ceilings. ventilated roof (ie. cool roof). Double wall. roxul/polyiso. radiant slab. etc etc.)

they stained the boards to make the colour more uniform. and attach vertically to horizontal strapping. (you can also make a stain/aging solution from vinegar and rusty metal for a more uniform colour.)

the "casitas" post above ... that's a lot of holes in yer house wrap. they might have been better off strapping first methinks.

also: what I liked about the boards used by the building program students. they used 6" strips of house felt stapled to the back of each board (at 3" overlap). as the building was already tyveked and taped they only needed to block water from entering between the vertical edges of the boards.

as explained to me
the stapled strips on the back of the boards creates a protective layer between each overlapping edge. This way they didn't need to rewrap the entire building. saving a considerable amount of house felt/tar paper.

also, they don't feel the humidity that gets behind the boards in the summer will effect the horizontal strapping. Thought that was interesting.

KinAlberta
Member
# Posted: 13 Oct 2016 22:05 - Edited by: KinAlberta
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Saved a photo to my old Flickr acct of a cabin using long shakes on its walls.

Not sure why it doesn't show up, but here's the link too

https://m.flickr.com/#/photos/19739317@N03/30193928502/



https://m.flickr.com/#/photos/19739317@N03/29679007673/

Steve_S
Member
# Posted: 14 Oct 2016 08:07
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WOW, Now that looks really good, especially for "old recycled boards" they look new ! Did you pre-wash / clean them and stain or what ?

Not having seen the previous roof's can't say BUT I do like the look now... I like the bigger wavy feel - seems to go well with the wave on the walls. Is that the composite rubber roof tile or ?

shall
Member
# Posted: 14 Oct 2016 11:56
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well that looked a lot more impressive than I was expecting.
wow

KinAlberta
Member
# Posted: 14 Oct 2016 12:01 - Edited by: KinAlberta
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No those aren't recycled, they are original (I'm guessing they are 50 - 60 years old though!). It's not my cabin either*. I just posted that to show how this long board/shake usage looks.

While not tapered, I think old fence boards could be used in the same manner. Then likely stained.

* wish it was my cabin. They sit on leased land but even at that they are listed for $2 million plus

Steve_S
Member
# Posted: 14 Oct 2016 12:08
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Well Kin, those are for the Chinese Investors obviously and not real people....

The design & concept look interesting and has many possibilities no doubt....

KinAlberta
Member
# Posted: 14 Oct 2016 19:05 - Edited by: KinAlberta
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Yeah I always assumed siding had to be tapered boards (vertical or horizontal) until I took a look at an old pre-'50s boathouse we have and it's sided with horizontal rough sawn 1x 12s or 1x somethings.

So why not cut fence boards into 2'-3' lengths and do something like that.

Free siding!


Note: look close and you'll see that those in the picture are tapered. If I used fence boards to get the same effect I'd have to cut the boards into 3-4 different lengths straight-lining the top edge or the thickness would force outward some of the next course of boards.

https://m.flickr.com/#/photos/19739317@N03/30193928502/

jrbarnard
Member
# Posted: 17 Oct 2016 16:52
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We wanted tongue and groove for the inside of our cabin but could not afford it so bought 4 pallets of new fence wood and stained it (would have taken WAY too long to get all the used wood).

Turned out good, imo.
cabin2.jpg
cabin2.jpg


Steve_S
Member
# Posted: 17 Oct 2016 17:30
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@jrbarnard... Looks pretty good IMO, I am curious what you have behind the planks ?
Straight onto studs / vapour barrier or over something else ?
Any problems with spaces opening up at all (humidity expansion & contraction) ?

jrbarnard
Member
# Posted: 17 Oct 2016 19:23
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Here's a picture for reference. All we did was studs and insulation. We added solar board and tar paper under the metal roof.

The key was to stagger every board and we had to measure every single board.. heh

R
cab1.jpg
cab1.jpg


Steve_S
Member
# Posted: 17 Oct 2016 19:52
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Thanks for the speedy response & pic ... I bet there was a grumble or two with all the fiddly bits ;) worth it all in the end though.

AnneA
Member
# Posted: 19 Dec 2016 10:14
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New to the site. We are at the beginning phase of building a 30x30 cabin in the woods using lumber from a 150yo barn. We salvaged wide plank pine for the floors and walls, as well as wide plank oak. We've got 15ft oak hoist from the barn as well. Just hoping it turns out in real life like all the drawings and designs we've poured over

jjr
Member
# Posted: 4 Feb 2017 23:01
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Quoting: jrbarnard

We wanted tongue and groove for the inside of our cabin but could not afford it so bought 4 pallets of new fence wood and stained it (would have taken WAY too long to get all the used wood).

Turned out good, imo.


Jbarnard,

The cedar boards look great. How are they holding up? We are going to do the same thing on two of our walls. We were going to put a lap joint on each board to make it like ship lap. Do you think the extra work for that is necessary?

Gary O
Member
# Posted: 5 Feb 2017 10:40
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Quoting: KinAlberta
So I've long wondered if I couldn't take old 5' and 6' fence boards....

I have come to love cedar fence boards
They cut easy
drill easy
They look rustic…because they are (no fauxlin’), and I like the rough, so no sanding
They lay nicely
aaand, they aren’t all that spendy

I use them for walls, framing (rip to width), and now doors
I’m very happy with them

Allow me to pollute yer thread a bit;

walls




window framing




and doors
closet


shop door




bldginsp
Member
# Posted: 5 Feb 2017 11:06
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Nice work Gary. I think Queen Elizabeth would want to stay there.

Did you name the two little tweety birds in the first pic?

Gary O
Member
# Posted: 5 Feb 2017 11:27
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Quoting: bldginsp
Did you name the two little tweety birds in the first pic?

Twiddle and Dee (you make me be bad, bldginsp...really bad)

jjr
Member
# Posted: 5 Feb 2017 18:39
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Gary O,

That looks great! We love the look also. We're already started on all of our window casings and trim with fence pickets. Did you just butt them already make lap joints like ship lap?

bldginsp
Member
# Posted: 5 Feb 2017 18:41
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Well, Gary, bad boys like you and me may need a good spanking now and then, but that doesn't stop us from deserving it.

Gary O
Member
# Posted: 5 Feb 2017 20:31
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Quoting: jjr
Did you just butt them already make lap joints like ship lap?

just butted them
ran the edges of the slightly crooked (eyeballed) ones thru the table saw

best finishing mtrl for a cabin (IMO)

Gary O
Member
# Posted: 5 Feb 2017 20:34
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Quoting: bldginsp
bad boys like you and me may need a good spanking now and then

you'd like it too much, you sick sick ol' man
(when ya comin' up?)

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