I have a customer who wants to clad a wall that starts inside his house and then continues outside. He wants either 1 x 6 T&G Ipe or Tigerwood.
I told him that he should use kiln dried for the interior wall and air dried for the exterior wall. I’ve looked for 1×6 in both Ipe and Tigerwood in air and kiln dried and havent’ found the winning combination.
I’d like a recommendation as to whether he’d be better off using air dried Ipe (I haven’t found kiln dried Ipe) both inside and outside and risk the Ipe shrinking in the interior environment OR use kiln dried Tigerwood and risk the Tigerwood expanding where it’s installed on the exterior portion of the wall. For what it’s worth, I’m in the Boston area and the installation is on the North side of the house where it never gets direct sunlight.
Any thoughts?
Thanks,
D
Replies
Which side of the wall is the longest...the interior or the exterior? If the wall clading is just a few boards on the interior side, then go with the air dired stuff and let a few boards acclimate to the interior for about a week before installing. If most work is on the interior wall, go with the kiln dired material.
If it's a toss up, I'd always go with the kiln dried. At one point in time, I was able to get treated lumber that was kiln dried. It always worked better than the "dunked" stuff...stayed straighter, looked nicer. So if a toss-up...KD for me! You are going to be sealing this cladding aren't you? If sealed really good on all 4 sides, it shouldn't be a problem.
Davo
Davo
Dave,I just reread messages. Thanks for your advice. If Ipe were available in kiln dried, I'd have gone with that but owner decided to go with drywall on the short interior wall rather than risk shrinkage and I had to tell owner that I didn't know how long it would take for air dried Ipe's moisture level to come down while inside. I give oak flooring a week or 2 but Ipe is a wierd beast.
Don
FWIW
T & G is not well suited for exterior application. It's configuration tends to wick rainwater through the T&G to the back side of the siding where it is slow to dry, so it warps and decays. Shiplap would be better. Rain screen would help, too.
.........Iron Helix
Thanks Iron Helix,I assume that I can have the Ipe shiplapped but don't have room for sheathing, much less rainscreen. The exterior wall was added per engineer to support a 2' rotted overhang (contemporary house). Both sides of the exterior wall are exterior because it's perpendicular to the original wall. I'm much better with pictures than words so see the attached engineer's drawing showing the 2nd floor overhang being supported by the new to be Ipe clad wall.The drawing doesn't show this but there are windows on both sides of the new "2x4 stud bearing wall" which allow a maximum of 1" for siding/sheathing. I was planning on installing blocking in the 2' wall in order to have something to attach the siding to but there's no room for sheathing unless it were 1/4"Do you have any suggestions?Thanks again,D
Don Consider insetting your sheathing between the studs, then tyvek and a rain screen over it all.What a weird fix...seems like over kill. Just my opinion/gut feeling.
Looks like an extra deep trombe wall.Could you rip 2x6's into two 2-3/4"studs and gain the space for sheathing, etc.?Got to be a better way.........Iron Helix
Thanks Iron Helix,That's a good suggestion re sheathing.I'm glad to hear from someone else that the job smacks of overkill. The owner could park his car in his living room now. He's a very nervous guy and the engineer is nervous about underbuilding tho the engineer did eventually relent on a couple of points.Thanks again,
Don
The label of "beam", please add more info such as size, on center placement, species of wood, number of beams. What was supporting the original overhanging wall between the beams?Decking makes me think of an outdoor deck with 5/4 or 2x materials...add more details.I would assume there is a roof load, does it rest on the cantilevered wall, or on the walls perpendicular to the overhang? If supported by the overhang wall, please give the roof loading details.What are the specs for the new support posts? What secures them to the foundation and the "suggested repair" wall?Lag bolts are notorious for "stripping out"...bolts are a much better choice. I'm surprised that a "nervous overbuilding engineer" made that choice....IMHO.The cost of the Abatron , and the application time will not be small.Would he consider a timber frame type of 6x6 corbeled T-post to pick up both the wall load and each beam load, thus possibly elimination the new 8" footing and double exterior support wall and keeping the over hang design of the house?I do not care for the lack of detail for the transition from the existing exterior wall down to the new supporting wall.....how will rainwater be prevented from entering the new repair wall?Please keep in mind the corrosiveness of PT lumber and the need for stainless steel fasteners. If properly done the double exterior rim board could be untreated wood.Just trying to think outside the engineers box! .................Iron Helix
Edited 8/14/2009 7:23 am by IronHelix
Thanks Iron Helix,THis is a peculiar house build by a company call Acorn and then Deck House or the other way around. THe latest company recently went out of business. THe "decking" (which is both the ceiling of the first floor and the second floor) is actually 3 1/8" inch tongue and groove supported by 4x12 beams. THE owner actually liked the idea of bringing a wall down rather than going with a corbel/bracket. We've poured the footings and built the wall, the bottom plate is fastened with a J bolt and 3" nails from a ramset. THE wall is PT with galvinized nails. You make a good point re: stainless or maybe coated deck screws? I'll add some. I'd rationalized that the forces will be compression thus making the connections less important but given what I've been reading about PT and steel, I'll reinforce it. Thanks again,
Don
Wouldn't shiplap also be better for expansion and contraction? Although it's on the north side, you do have humid summers and cold winters. I've never been to Boston, so I don't know what it's like there. And here's a thought, what about flexible caulking along the top edge of the cladding. This way when the higher board touches the caulking, it will help form a water tight barrier. Then when they move with the weather, the caulking will move with the overlap. Will that work?
Thanks MIke,Yes, the flexible caulk will be important - probably a tan pure silicone. The ship lap sounds good too which the Ipe seller can do. Don
Get whichever you think is best, then be sure to acclimate the stuff that will be installed inside.
Concerning "what's best"....... I'd be looking for something in writing from the processor concerning who the stuff was dried, and to what moisture level.
The acclimation is probably everything you can do to prevent problems, the written statements/markings are the foundation of the CYA in this case.
Excellent advice. Thanks!