We are pre-staining cedar tongue and grove siding for the interior of a cathedral ceiling on an addition. Here's the question: Should I stain the backside of the siding also? The lumber yard recommended it. The interior ceiling joists are twelve inches deep filled with ten inches of insulation and a two inch air gap running up to the ridge vent. Vapor barrier plastic seals the whole thing. With 200 pieces of siding I don't want to give myself unnecessary work.
Any thoughts?
I know for outside they recommend it to keep them from shrinking and expanding.. I wouldnt think inside would make much of a difference.
Definitely yes. Wood shrinks, bows, cups, etc., from differentials in the surfaces caused by the usual suspects, higher moisture content and so on. You can mitigate the extra labor by renting a spray rig for a hour or so. Consider keeping the siding indoors for a couple of weeks after coating it. The longer it has to normalize to the house environment the less the shrinkage. This is particularly important for something like a ceiling that you will have to live with for many years. If this were my project, I'd stack the material with space between layers (out of the way of traffic) for at least a couple of months. Whatever, it's your call. HTH
Joe
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