Knotty Pine

mgortel

I am going to be finishing my currently unfinished basement and I would like to do knotty pine for a "cabin look".

Are there any special considerations for installing knotty pine planks....tongue and groove type?

I know I nee dto let them acclimate to the basement temperature for at least 24 hours before installing? To minimize the effects of shrinking or expanding...right?

Also, do I NEED to seal the knotty pine for interior use or can I just install naturally?

If I need to seal can someone please tell me the procedures for this...

Thanks in advance!

Mike

bob22

Knots will bleed through paint unless sealed (may still do so after sealing at times). I imagine you want it to be natural otherwise why use it? A polyurethane would likely do fine as a finish. Might wait more than 24 hours for acclimation; more the humidity than temperature acclimation is needed. I have no clue how long it takes for 1/2" thick wood to reach equilibrium with room humidity but I would think days.

firehawkmph

Mike,
I use knotty pine in basements for accent walls and wrapping main heat trunks and cold air returns. I usually stain and varnish it. I stain the boards ahead of time on horses, install them with a finish nail gun, and then varnish, two coats. Here's a couple of pics of my own basement, and shop.
Mike Hawkins

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mgortel

Very nice looking.

So what color stain is it that you used? What type of varnish? Polyurethane?

Do I need to sand the planks or seal them?

Thanks again!

firehawkmph

Mg,
I wouldn't try to sand the wood. It's a #2 grade, which with pine, you gets knots, some spots smooth, some a little rough. The stain is Sherwin Williams house brand, Woodscapes. It's an oil-based, somewhat thicker bodied stain than minwax. The basement was a premix color, golden oak. the shop was custom mixed, looks like a light butterscotch. I just wanted to lightly tint the wood to make it similar in tone. The bare wood had a range of color from white to pink. The varnish was from SW also. Satin finish, two coats. It's a quick dry, about 30 minutes to the touch. Pretty easy to use. T & G knotty pine is fun to work with. Pretty easy job if you are handy.
Mike Hawkins

blam

dude...your shop is BA.