[4174Knight]

I am towards the end of a bathroom remodel project and am planning on installing a walnut plant ceiling. I have some old rough-cut walnut about an inch thick that I am thinking of resawing down to 5/16th and putting an 1/8 in chamfer edge on the sides and not doing tongue and groove. Do I need to worry about board movement with moisture in the bathroom? I did install a large CFM exhaust fan knowing I was planning a wood ceiling to help cut down on the moisture in the bathroom.

Also, was looking for thoughts on the best way to finish the walnut boards. I have been looking into Rubio Monocoat but also want something that will be fairly low maintenance that I won't have to redo every couple of years. Should I just use linseed oil then use poly?

Thank you ahead of time for any input you might have.

 

[yomanbill]

IMHO, any wood cieling in a bathroom is just asking for problems. You will have movement issues and you will likely have problems keeping any finish looking good. You may even have problems with mold. In addition, I'm not sure why you would want a dark ceiling in a small room.

 

[DrRobert]

Agree with this ^ ^ ^. Cupping might be the biggest issue since one side is exposed and the other is not. If you're bound and determined to do it, you definitely want tongue and groove.

 

[yomanbill]

As DrRobert said. Also, be sure to apply finish on both sides. It won't eliminate potential problems, but it may slow them down.

 

[difalkner]

There are two basic rules to wood movement: 1) Wood moves, and 2) You and I can't change rule #1

Walnut may look nice for a bathroom ceiling but it won't last.

 

[Rebelwork]

Just make sure you seal it up as good as possible. You have a vent in the bathroom?

 

[difalkner]

You have a vent in the bathroom?

I did install a large CFM exhaust fan knowing I was planning a wood ceiling to help cut down on the moisture in the bathroom.

Mentioned that in his first post.

 

[Quickstep]

Mostly, I think I wouldn’t do it, but if I did, I’d coat all six sides of every board with MAS Low Viscosity epoxy, then top coat with Epifanes spar

 

[Steve Neul]

I am towards the end of a bathroom remodel project and am planning on installing a walnut plant ceiling. I have some old rough-cut walnut about an inch thick that I am thinking of resawing down to 5/16th and putting an 1/8 in chamfer edge on the sides and not doing tongue and groove. Do I need to worry about board movement with moisture in the bathroom? I did install a large CFM exhaust fan knowing I was planning a wood ceiling to help cut down on the moisture in the bathroom.

Also, was looking for thoughts on the best way to finish the walnut boards. I have been looking into Rubio Monocoat but also want something that will be fairly low maintenance that I won't have to redo every couple of years. Should I just use linseed oil then use poly?

Thank you ahead of time for any input you might have.

View attachment 449328

The humidity level in a bath is usually pretty high. The thinner the wood you use the more likely you would have some cup warpage. It might be better if you glued the 5/16" wood to some other solid wood.

I would recommend what ever finish you use you finish both sides to keep it as stable as possible. I don't have any experience with the Rubio finish but I've heard bad things. If it were me I would use a marine grade spar varnish. Epifanes is the best but a little expensive.

 

[Jay_L]

What type of substrate is this going over? Gypsum board, plywood, or other?

If plywood, you might consider installing using an anti microbial urethane hardwood flooring adhesive in conjunction with metal fasteners and possibly even do a shiplap profile with nickel gap spacing to allow for expansion, and prefinish all sides with a solvent borne urethane or varnish. RMC doesn’t hold up too well in wet locations.

edit: 5/16” material might be a bit delicate for a shiplap profile

 

[Rebelwork]

There are two basic rules to wood movement: 1) Wood moves, and 2) You and I can't change rule #1

Walnut may look nice for a bathroom ceiling but it won't last.

It will if it’s correctly done.Moisture in a bathroom is short term..

 

[shoot summ]

It's an interesting idea, and some great looking walnut.

From a design perspective it isn't something I would do, will be dark, unless this is a bathroom in a man cave that isn't what you will want.

Beyond design and aesthetics it is not a good idea from a material perspective. It can be done, and it might be OK, but why waste that great wood, the time, and the effort.

Might post a pic of the bathroom so we could see what you are dealing with.

 

[Rebelwork]

It's an interesting idea, and some great looking walnut.

From a design perspective it isn't something I would do, will be dark, unless this is a bathroom in a man cave that isn't what you will want.

Beyond design and aesthetics it is not a good idea from a material perspective. It can be done, and it might be OK, but why waste that great wood, the time, and the effort.

Might post a pic of the bathroom so we could see what you are dealing with.

There are plenty of bathroom with walnut ceilings on Google..

 

[4174Knight]

I appreciate everyone’s input and advice, which is what I was looking for in joining this forum. This gives me a lot to think about.
After reading through all the comments I am leaning towards using a pine tongue and groove “car siding” instead of the walnut and staining to match the woodwork of in the rest of the house. I can use the walnut for other projects.
I still want to do the wood ceiling as this was the original design back when we started the project. With a 100 year old house we want to capture that time era design with a modern flair.
Here is a picture of the bathroom with white subway and white hexagon tile floor. The top part of the walls will be white shiplap that I am planning to make after finishing the ceiling. There will be a wood ledge on top of the neil walls that will match the color of the ceiling.
I will definitely be sure to seal whichever wood I go with to help stretch out time before having to fix any of the wood ceiling issues that will eventually come around.
Again I appreciate everyone’s input.

 

[shoot summ]

View attachment 449407
View attachment 449409
View attachment 449408
I appreciate everyone’s input and advice, which is what I was looking for in joining this forum. This gives me a lot to think about.
After reading through all the comments I am leaning towards using a pine tongue and groove “car siding” instead of the walnut and staining to match the woodwork of in the rest of the house. I can use the walnut for other projects.
I still want to do the wood ceiling as this was the original design back when we started the project. With a 100 year old house we want to capture that time era design with a modern flair.
Here is a picture of the bathroom with white subway and white hexagon tile floor. The top part of the walls will be white shiplap that I am planning to make after finishing the ceiling. There will be a wood ledge on top of the neil walls that will match the color of the ceiling.
I will definitely be sure to seal whichever wood I go with to help stretch out time before having to fix any of the wood ceiling issues that will eventually come around.
Again I appreciate everyone’s input.

Looks great!

Here is a pic of the car siding on our patio roof, General Finishes American Walnut with a satin clear.

 

[Rebelwork]

View attachment 449407
View attachment 449409
View attachment 449408
I appreciate everyone’s input and advice, which is what I was looking for in joining this forum. This gives me a lot to think about.
After reading through all the comments I am leaning towards using a pine tongue and groove “car siding” instead of the walnut and staining to match the woodwork of in the rest of the house. I can use the walnut for other projects.
I still want to do the wood ceiling as this was the original design back when we started the project. With a 100 year old house we want to capture that time era design with a modern flair.
Here is a picture of the bathroom with white subway and white hexagon tile floor. The top part of the walls will be white shiplap that I am planning to make after finishing the ceiling. There will be a wood ledge on top of the neil walls that will match the color of the ceiling.
I will definitely be sure to seal whichever wood I go with to help stretch out time before having to fix any of the wood ceiling issues that will eventually come around.
Again I appreciate everyone’s input.

Did you originally have a tiles ceiling?

 

[4174Knight]

Did you originally have a tiles ceiling?

All the walls and ceiling were previously plaster and lath. When we gutted the bathroom all that was removed. The wall studs were furrowed to make them even then I covered the walls and ceiling with drywall.

 

[Rebelwork]

All the walls and ceiling were previously plaster and lath. When we gutted the bathroom all that was removed. The wall studs were furrowed to make them even then I covered the walls and ceiling with drywall.

We converted an old ford dealership in KC to a coffee shop. KC historical society required all tile to be reused on interior. you could cover it up, but you could not remove it..

 

[matp1982]

The humidity level in a bath is usually pretty high. The thinner the wood you use the more likely you would have some cup warpage. It might be better if you glued the 5/16" wood to some other solid wood.

I would recommend what ever finish you use you finish both sides to keep it as stable as possible. I don't have any experience with the Rubio finish but I've heard bad things. If it were me I would use a marine grade spar varnish. Epifanes is the best but a little expensive.

What are the bads you’ve heard of rubios ? I’ve been using it for various things the last several months with good results . I won’t lie there was a bit of a learning curve with application and removal but once that was figured out it’s been pretty good . I do put a double coat vs. a “monocoat” though .


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Steve Neul]

What are the bads you’ve heard of rubios ? I’ve been using it for various things the last several months with good results . I won’t lie there was a bit of a learning curve with application and removal but once that was figured out it’s been pretty good . I do put a double coat vs. a “monocoat” though .


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

What I've heard is it isn't as water resistant as advertised. Then one member here complained the wood molded with the finish on it.