Is indoor rated shiplap ok for enclosed porch?
ilyafish
| Posted in General Discussion on
My house has a fully enclosed porch with storm windows, I live in the Philadelphia area. The house wall of the porch had aluminum siding which I tore off and want to install shiplap.
Since this is a covered area am I ok using indoor rated shiplap? Or since the room is not heated/cooled, and although isn’t exposed to rain still encounters humidity and temperature changes should I be looking at strictly exterior materials?
(For the record, this is a husband/wife disagreement as I’m telling her if she wants shiplap we need to go Hardie Plank and she’s convinced the boards from Home Depot that cost half the price are just fine)
I’m also ok losing the battle if the cost is cheaper and I am in fact wrong
Replies
What is indoor rated ship lap?-
I don’t know of any but perhaps like some packaged beadboard, mdf or a pressed something or other.
Shiplap from Home Depot that says indoor use only ??♂️
Yes, we understand, indoor use only. But, what is it besides shiplap? Is it wood or ?
At least provide a link to the product so we know what it is for real.
Otherwise, just get the Hardie, you’re happy and she’s poor.
Edit: ok, I looked. Mdf or Hdf, probably not. If it gets wet, you might be screwed. Cuts and butts most probably could swell.
Arauco or the one called Radiata pine, ok. Still seal/prime all cuts and butts and topcoat. They should be ok in a totally covered not conditioned space. I don’t shop there and rely on my lumberyard to advise on material use and application.
Note, Arauco makes great plywood, have used it for years. Don’t know their primed boards. A lot of Radiata pine products like interior trims are finger jointed both in length and width, usually strong but different manufacturers have different quality. i.e., don’t throw it around and or drive it on top of an SUV and then be surprised when you end up with shorter pcs.
Best of luck and hug your wife, wash your hands and wear a mask. Not necessarily in that order.
Well,
Like I said, Arauco plywood is quality, have never used the product you mention. There are several companies that manufacture exterior grade finger joined primed boards. Others supply fj boards that are rated interior. I have often used them Inside and been satisfied. Windsor One is a maker of quality fj boards. Paulownia was another manufacturer that’s good. There are more, old brain gone.
Your job if I were to do it and upon inspection thought there was a chance that the interior rated product might not hold up, I’d just get the exterior rated Primed fj product and not worry about the slight increase in cost. Little more material cost, sleep way easier.
Butt joints........temp and humidity swings? Cold and dry v. warm and humid. About a flip of seasons inside. Expect some movement. Install the boards and trims accordingly and beat ugly movement with your head. Limited to 8’ boards won’t help.
I would probably not even consider Hardie.
If the porch is tight to the weather, you should be just fine. (sorry)
the pine is not rot resistant, but you should be ok.
part of this depends on how you operate the porch.. do you keep the storms closed in cooler or rainy weather?
and the end result is you can let your wife win one, worst case is the boards do not perform well and you get to gloat in a few years. it does not seem like there is damage of secondary failures. not like you are going to side the house with it exposed to weather.