# sealing pine tounge and groove?



## InHisName (Jan 26, 2006)

Just getting ready to put the pine tounge and groove ceiling in the living room addition- do you put a sealant on the wood? If so, should we paint it first, then put it up? Can you reccomend a product? We have a Varathane floor sealer we are going to use on the pine logs that are the pillars in the room....


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## nc_mtn (Nov 24, 2007)

I wouldn't fool with doing it. About any finish will end up making drips on the tongue or puddles in the grooves and make it a nightmare to go together tight.

The only advantage to having the wood sealed on the back is to help (some) with moisture from penetrating (down in your case) from the back side. If your new addition is insulated and has the correct barrier on top, I wouldn't spend lots of money on finish to do it. However since I have a wood floor business, I kept my "old" finish (parts of cans, different brands left over from several jobs) and have mixed it and put in ON THE BACK of wood before. Then the only waste was my time, I just brushed it on, not getting the edges too much so drips wouldn't drop on the tongue.

btw, a small hand planer works great if you do get drips on a tongue and it keeps if from getting tight


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## Cabin Fever (May 10, 2002)

You mention "paint" in your question. Are your ceiling boards going to be a color or do you want the final finish to be clear?

Our T&G ceiling boards were simply sealed with three coats of clear lacquer - sprayed on - prior to installation. Lacquer will not "age" to a golden color with time. If you prefer a golden patina to your pine, then use varnish. The first coat of varnish should be thinned by 5 to 10% by volume with mineral spirits or turpentine.


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## nc_mtn (Nov 24, 2007)

So I COMPLETELY mixed this up with another conversation I was having about doing the BACKside (not being seen)... so sorry

It would be easier to put finish on first but again as I posted, watch the drips on the tongue...

You may want to try something like "universal sealer" it's a DE-waxed Shelac. It smells (and is cleaned) by denatured alcohol and dries pretty fast so work one board at a time. Then when it dries, (15-30 min) just brush on a coat of "poly"


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## InHisName (Jan 26, 2006)

That's what we needed to know- thanks! As far as paint, just talking about painting the varnish/ lacquer on with a brush, but a sprayer sounds quicker. Ok, just talked to hubby- we need to get this job done, and can't spray, as it is 20 degrees outside. If we bring the panels in the room where there is a wood stove, we can paint it on with a brush. Has anyone done this?


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## ronbre (Apr 26, 2009)

my parents in their old house had pine tongue and groove paneling in a dining area with no direct sunlight..they sealed it with the stuff that was used then on gym floors, poly, ..later when they took down some old fashioned art to update..the silhouettes of the art was definately seen on the "yellowed" now pine..it was awfull looking..they tried sanding it out but it went deep..so be careful..pine is notorious for changing color..


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## nc_mtn (Nov 24, 2007)

IF IT'S OIL BASED FINISH STOP!!!!:flame: You will run the risk of blowing up the place, especially if you spray it. The fumes could catch fire if it's close to a flame (i.e. wood stove).:runforhills:
If you are truly using Lacquer, the risk is even greater. That stuff has been known to kill people who use it near a flame (pilot lights in my business are often overlooked)





InHisName said:


> That's what we needed to know- thanks! As far as paint, just talking about painting the varnish/ lacquer on with a brush, but a sprayer sounds quicker. Ok, just talked to hubby- we need to get this job done, and can't spray, as it is 20 degrees outside. If we bring the panels in the room where there is a wood stove, we can paint it on with a brush. Has anyone done this?


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## InHisName (Jan 26, 2006)

Not doing it today, so no worry! We are waiting for the electrical inspection (any day) to do this job. So, anyone use a paintbrush to brush on finish?


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## Elevenpoint (Nov 17, 2009)

InHisName said:


> Just getting ready to put the pine tounge and groove ceiling in the living room addition- do you put a sealant on the wood? If so, should we paint it first, then put it up? Can you reccomend a product? We have a Varathane floor sealer we are going to use on the pine logs that are the pillars in the room....


I just finished building a house with 3000 s.f. of pine T & G ceilings...thankful they did not want it stained or sealed, and it looked very good....it will probably darken some what over time.


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## nc_mtn (Nov 24, 2007)

InHisName said:


> Not doing it today, so no worry! We are waiting for the electrical inspection (any day) to do this job. So, anyone use a paintbrush to brush on finish?


Yeah that's the way I'd do it, just brush it on. If you're not going worry with cleaning them, just get a cheaper brush


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## InHisName (Jan 26, 2006)

Thanks for all your help nc mtn. Will watch that wood heat, too!


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## Cabin Fever (May 10, 2002)

I sealed all of the T&G panelling in our guest cabin with brushed on varnish.

Here are a few tips:
1. Use a good quality natural bristle brush.

2. If you are using a flat or satin finish, stir the contents in the pail every few boards....otherwise, the dulling agents will settle out and you'll get a streaky looking finish.

3. Once you've brushed the finish on each board, go over the board with your brush all the way from bottom to top (or from side to side) without lifting the brush from the board. This will eliminate any brush marks that may have been left on the board.

4. If you are using varnish, sand between each coat with ultra fine sandpaper (can't remember the grit #), then remove the dust with a tack cloth.


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## kreig (Apr 29, 2008)

I have 2x6 T&G pine ceiling on my first floor and it is the floor for the second floor. When I built the house I didn't know "the rules" about coating both sides of the wood so it would not warp. It has been 25 years now and has NOT created any problem. The ceiling side(unfinished) has yellowed just a tiny bit while the floor side(varnished) has yellowed quit a bit. I hope this helps rather than confuses!


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## nc_mtn (Nov 24, 2007)

Cabin - I like to use those sanding sponges, you can use the smoother side and even if you bear down, you won't go thru the older finish


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## Cabin Fever (May 10, 2002)

nc_mtn said:


> Cabin - I like to use those sanding sponges, you can use the smoother side and even if you bear down, you won't go thru the older finish


I use a drywall hand sander like the one shown below. It holds a third sheet of standard sand paper. The sand paper I use between coats is 320-grit or finer. The whole idea of sanding between coats is to take off the tiny "nibs" created by dust that has stuck to the wet finish. It takes very little pressure to remove the nibs and one can sand a large area quite quickly with a large hand sander like this one.


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## paintboy (Apr 25, 2010)

I'm a little late to this conversation but I'll throw my 2 cents in anyway. On interior work I don't worry about any kind of staining or varnishing until the wood is installed. I love using sanding sealer for my first coat of clear. As the name suggests it lets you sand it oh so smooth.


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## Rod Torgeson (Oct 11, 2004)

InHisName......I have tongue and groove pine on the ceiling in my living room, dining room and kitchen area. I used water based poly varathane. I put three coats on all boards before they were put up with a foam brush. Sand lightly or smooth after each coat. Using a water base poly, the pine will not turn a darker color like it will with an oil base poly(so I have read). My ceiling has been up for ten years and still looks great. It is much harder to put the poly on after the boards are up.

Hope this helps.

Rod<---in Appleton, WA


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