Has anyone had any experience hanging Ipe board and batt siding? Were about to start a projectin here in Hawaii, and wondering if the same sorts of rules may apply as written by John Birchard regarding Redwood, in F.H.B. # 75.
We work with a lot of Ipe here, and are familar with it’s exterior instability. No finish. All natural, 1X12 planks, 1 X3 batts. Whats the best way to avoid cracks, and cupping? Thanxs,, Roger Sim, Cosbey Construction
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I'd like to see this discussion go forward.
I'm not aware of it being unstable. All I use is 1x4 decking though and maybe it is milled a step further before it gets to Maine. All I am thinking of is, Wow, your customer must want to spend some bucks!
Excellence is its own reward!
Aloha Piffin. New to Breaktime, so never really saw my letter. I'm in Hawaii, not Maine. Yes they are spending bucks. It's 1 X !2 Ipe siding, with 1" net X 2 1/2 " batts. Thanks. Sluggo
Welcome to BT, then.
I'd hate to see you go away with no help but I'd have to make something up to tell you, myself, LOL
Is your wood green when you buy it? That's the most common reason for most of these problems with most wood species..
Excellence is its own reward!
Hi Piffin The wood we will use is kiln dried, but already, by the time we get it some is cupped. Is there a way I could send picture attachment of how we are going to procede at this point. I have made a mock up . Thanks, Sluggo
When you hit the reply button, scroll down below the dialouge box to the "Attach files" button. Use it and follow the instructions carefully and wait for the upload, then hit "done" and after typing in any text, hit "post" as usuall..
Excellence is its own reward!
Thanks for getting back. 1 X 12 Ipe siding, 1" X 2 1/2 " Batts. 2, #7 X 2 1/2" bugal head S.S. screws @ 24" centers on Batts. 1 # 7 X 2 1/4" screw at center of board. 3' by 3' mock up only weighs about 75 lbs. Thanks again, Sluggo
Hopefully these will come thru. All S.S. bugle head screws. 24" centers. 2 1/4 " in field . On batts, 2 .2 1/2" on 24 " centers. Thanks, Sluggo
Nice material. I noticed two things, I believe you should use 1screw or nail in your batts to allow it to move as well as the 1x12. I also noticed the boards touching grade, this looks like a no no to me.
As far a cupping is concerned I can think of three things. Select material, treat face and back the same(with finish or no finish), and if you can run horizontal strapping this would allow for good air flow for moisture release.
Thanks for you input. If our boss ever caught wood on the ground, well never mind. What you saw was a mock up to get approved by the architechs. It was sittimg on the ground. Thanks, Sluggo
I've done quite a bit of B&B - good points above, expecially the batten attached to the nailers and not the boards -
a couple of suggestions - might want to profile the battens (refer to pict) - a touch more rerfined and makes things lay better, altho with your high end material it doesn't look likely to be a problem - the other is to plan the installation carefully - beside doors and windows, secure a plank and then rip material to fill in the space above/below - a drip edge on the battens and boards as exhibited in the pict is suggested -
David,
"a touch more rerfined and makes things lay better"
Buying battens for B&B locally (Hem-Fir...not Ipe) the supplier will plane one side of the batten for a fee. I thik this speaks to your sugestion above. Do you think this is worth extra cost if the boards they mate up against are still rough sawn? (ie what good is a smooth batten if it's going agains a rough board)?
Just wondering your opinion of the value, since you've done a lot of B&B
Sorry, not trying to hyjack the thread, just thought it relavant (sort of!).
Tanks,
Erik
hi erik, - - I've always used roughsawn for siding - looking a that Ipe mock-up, well, too much - - for us common people, the quality of siding/batten boards sometimes leaves something to be desired - if the battens tend to 'wild', then anything to remove some of the tensions will help it lay and hug the siding; planing, beveling, cutting the battens out of the quarter grained boards - I dont think you can count on B&B to stop much wind, and wind driven water that gets behind the batten runs down the edge of board - really a good design to shed water, as long as the trim is designed and flashed correctly -
so I guess I think that there is not much point in planing unless the battens are lumpy, and if they are lumpy I wouldn't use them for anything but a barn -
regards, DOUD
One other thing I thought of that might help you is to place the heart side of the board to the outside - - the natural tendency is for the board to cup to the other side, so doing this will have the natural tendency working opposition to the sun - - at least if all are oriented the same, there will be some consistancy their reaction -
good luck, and post some picts of the finished job - (and during construction too, for that matter) - DOUD
Thank you David
Good to learn about the heart part and cupping. We pretyy much have layout under control, windows, doors etc. It's just a little scary using such a hard wood, in hot Hawaiian heat, and not worry about cuppin. Thanks again, Sluggo
and not worry about cuppin.
well, the battens are the key - make sure they are screwed securely to the framing - the boards will pop the batten nails, ring shank or not - -
Aloha David. Been a while. These are some pictures of our guest house. Now getting ready to head for the big one. Ipe siding and decks . Nothing but slow.
It will last. Trim is Ipe with a oil for minimum up-keep, but some show. Later, Sluggo
wow - - heckuva job - thanks for the picts - - with all the overhangs, it doesn't look like the siding will experience much weather - did you build the frames for the windows too? whatcha going to do for corner detail? - - keep us posted -
What about kerfing the back of the boards? Say, 3 kerfs 1/8" wide 1/4" deep spaced evenly running the length of the board. I've had some success doing this with pine, although it was interior trim.
Hi David. Corner Trim will be the 1' X 2 1/2" battens, with the 1/4" reveal like at windows and doors. As for the windows and doors, they are made by a wood-working shop here on Kauai. They are all redwood. Wait till I get some pictures of the main house. Start on it soon. Sluggo
An old, time-tested standard for board and batten siding was to fasten the boards with one row of nails on center, allowing the board to change size with the weather and not crack. The battens were likewise fastened with one row of nails on center, going between but not touching the boards. Using ring shank nails for the battens, you should be able to pull them down just snug on the boards without cracking them. You're obviously going to have to lay this finish over a system of horizontal strapping to catch your nails.