What material goes inside a pavilion that's very open to the elements?

9 years ago

Hello,

We are converting our 100 year old garage to a "pavilion" with pretty much 2 open sides and we live in Boston where we get lots of rain and snow. The floor will be Bluestone and the one existing wall is like a slat beadboard stained dark brown (each slat was installed by hand back then, staggered like a wood floor). My contractor is advising us against sheetrock (agreed!) There will be outdoor furniture like a dining table and maybe couch there and I'm imagining like a 6 light bronze chandelier.

Since hand staggering thin pieces is cost prohibitive, one choice is to do sheets of natural wood bead board and stain to match. My conractor says we can do that but he's worried it will be obvious there are sheets of it and it won't look great.

We're scratching our heads... does anyone have ideas for a material that would look good on this wall and stand up to Boston winters?

Thanks so much

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User

9 years ago

I would be more concerned that the now exposed structural elements are weatherproofed properly. Cladding with real shiplap or exterior siding would be your best choice. Over the proper insulation and weather barrier. However, I don't see those post areas lasting long at all if something isn't done about the grade to allow better water runoff. They also should be pressure treated, not indoor dimensional lumber with no rot resistance.

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Comments (9)

smit2380
9 years ago
We used cedar for our pavilion walls and ceiling. It has been ok.
jgbjo thanked smit2380
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Revolutionary Gardens
9 years ago
We've used 4x8 sheets of 1/4" or 3/8" azek. It's a pvc composite board so none of the wood issues. The down side vs drywall is that you can't exactly mud and sand the joints. What we've done (for walls and ceilings both) is used 1x4 azek trim over the joints. You end up with sort of a paneled look, which can be cool IF you take the time to do a thoughtful layout and design.
jgbjo thanked Revolutionary Gardens
jgbjo
Original Author
9 years ago
Thank you so much! I am considering the cedar and no matter what Linda had important points to consider. The wall is already up and I will ask my contractor if it was pressure treated. Never heard of shiplap so I googled it and great idea also!

Thanks everyone, so helpful. I love this site.
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BeverlyFLADeziner
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Can't believe you won't have glass walls in Boston so you can use the area for a long time each year.
gtcircus
9 years ago
Look at the easy breeze system, it may give you more use of your pavilion in Boston.
jgbjo
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks for the photos, Beverly and also thank you bellburgmaggie. Never heard of the eze breeze system and it looks very interesting for the open sides
rawegg
9 years ago
how about using garage doors?
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Revolutionary Gardens
9 years ago
Glass walls? I grew up in New England. You've clearly never seen half the neighborhood grilling out in 2 feet of snow. New Englanders are powered by Dunkin Donuts coffee and spite. lol