Pine boards wall covering

11 years ago

Hi
we are remodeling an old house and look for drywall alternatives.

We have access to pine boards, I believe they are called common boards, 8 or 12 inch wide and 10 ft long I believe.
It's not tongue and groove, one inch thick I believe.
We would like to install these instead of drywall (walls and ceilings).

Does the building code allow this type of wall covering?

The other material we have in surplus are 1/2 and 1/4in cement boards. Would those work instead of drywall?

Thanks

Featured Answer

User

11 years ago

Dry wall is mandated in building codes because it is fire resistant more than most wall products.

The better place to ask is your local building codes office for the specific answer for your area.

Here, those pine boards could be installed on walls---over dry wall, not in place of dry wall.

There are several reasons NOT to use the boards instead of drywall. Fire for one. Sealing---impossible to seal without caulk or similar substance---leaves hundreds of openings for insulation to come through, insects to come through, and moisture to get through. Not to mention dirt/dust/etc.

As for the cement boards, again, ask codes.

Builders used to use lath and plaster to finish walls/ceilings. Sheet rock is less expensive to install, much easier to finish, a lot easier to repair, and is faster to use than lath and plaster.

There are many things you can use to cover drywall, but not replace it.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (9)

weedyacres
11 years ago
Why are you looking for alternatives to drywall. Is it purely for cost reasons, since you've got pine boards and cement board on hand for free? Or are you trying to do something aesthetically?

If you're just looking at cost, drywall is about the cheapest thing going. And as handymac said, it's required for fire rating.
Related Professionals
Kissimmee Home Remodeling · West Palm Beach Home Remodeling · Ardmore Home Remodeling · College Station Home Remodeling · Elgin Home Remodeling · North Adams Home Remodeling · Roswell Home Remodeling · Topeka Kitchen Remodelers · Westminster Kitchen Remodelers · Valdosta Bathroom Remodelers · Indianapolis Bathroom Remodelers · Killeen Bathroom Remodelers · Minneapolis Bathroom Remodelers · Clearlake Bathroom Remodelers · Merced Bathroom Remodelers
mag77
11 years ago
I'm not sure what you're trying to accomplish. If you think you're going to save money with boards, you'll sing a different tune when you start getting your utility bills.
User
11 years ago
Put anything you like on your walls----after covering it with drywall for fire safety.
hippy
11 years ago
Many houses use some type of wood to cover sheet rock and if done right it looks much better than bland ole paint.

You said that you have 8 or 12 wide Pine boards. If they are all 8" have them ripped to 4" wide, If 12 rip them to 4 or 6" wide. Boards above 6 inches wide are prone to cracking and splitting. 10' Long boards I myself would have them cut to 2,4 and 6 foot long to off set the ends like a wood floor.

1" thick boards are a little to thick for wall covering. You will have a hard time around electrical outlet boxes, windows and doors. A planer can be used to plane the boards down to a 1/4 or 1/2" thickness. Planning will also assure that the boards are a uniform thickness and the walls will have a smoother finish.

The thing about using pine. Is pitch/resin/sap. No matter how old or dry the boards are. You will always have a small amount of pitch that will come from around knots. This is natural and normal especially during the winter when you heat the house. And no type of sealant will prevent it.

I applaud your thinking outside of the box for you wall covering choice. Anything beats looking at a bland, boring painted wall.
energy_rater_la
11 years ago
from an efficiency pov
only if sheetrock is behind the wood.

individual boards are very leaky.

put sheetrock on studs & then get
original with materials on top of sheetrock.

best of luck.
User
11 years ago
The 2012 IRC requires that wall and ceiling finishes have a flame spread index of not greater than 200. This is not a fire-resistance rating.

Flame Spread Classifications are:
Class I (or A) 0 - 25
Class II (or B) 26 - 75
Class III (or C) 76 - 200

Drywall is 10 to 15
Oak is 100
Ponderosa pine is 115
OSB is 150

The only IRC fire-resistance rated walls are those required to separate living units in a 2 family dwelling or a townhouse.

In a single family dwelling, unrated fire separation and fire protection is required under stairs and on the garage side of a shared wall with an attached garage (usually 1/2" GWB) or on the ceiling of a garage with a living space above it (usually Type X GWB). These are not fire-resistance rated separations.

Wood veneer and hardboard paneling less than 1/4" thick must be applied over a minimum of 3/8" GWB.

Plastic foam insulation must have chemical or drywall thermal protection when exposed in a habitable space.
User
11 years ago
Our local building codes require minimum 5/8" sheetrock on ceilings and minimum 1/2" sheetrock on all walls in living areas. Unfinished basements and garages do not require sheetrock.

However, if either area is finished, the same sheetrock requirements have to be met.

What is put over the sheetrock is pretty much up to the building owner.
User
11 years ago
A few states require residential building codes to be adopted by each city or county and even then national consensus codes can be amended locally.

The most common code requirements for wall finishes are as I listed earlier but if the OP wants a definitive answer, we need to know the applicable building code or at least where the project is located.