Hemlock Paneling

[Dave]

Hey all,

I am finishing a 3-season room addition to my cabin. Much of the exterior is rough sawn hemlock from a local Amish mill. I would like to continue that rustic look on the inside by butt-jointing rough-sawn hemlock paneling on the walls and ceiling ? much like the 100 ? 150 year old barns in my area that are constructed of hemlock.

This supplier can provide boards up to 20 in. wide and as thin as 1/4 in. Because this addition is constructed on what was previously a deck, albeit a very sturdy one, the overall weight of the structure is somewhat of concern and I'm considering using thinner boards in the neighborhood of 3/16 in. I've used 1 and 2 in thick air-dried hemlock in other applications, so I'm well aware of the shrinkage that can occur.

Does anyone have any experiences using air-dried, rough-sawn hemlock for this application (i.e., what is the minimum board thickness I should consider to minimize checking, splitting, etc.?)? Are there any other potential problems I might encounter?

Thanks for any suggestions, Dave

[George]

Think about going board-and-batten. That should protect you well from winter gaposis. Don't want to be around the first time you try to hang a picture on a nail, though. Dry hemlock is a challenge!

If your barn-builder did it right, he restrained the center of the board with a single nail and allowed the battens to restrain the edges. Keeping the heart toward the inside made for more weather-tight barns as the edges rose to meet the battens.