Tongue and Groove

[BlueStringPudding]

If our alternator ever stops playing up and I can cease to fund all the local boat mechanics' children through university, we could launch into our latest plan for cladding the interior walls (currently featuring torn vinyl wallpaper hanging off where the soggy OSB was replaced underneath in places) to use tongue and groove.

 

If we strip off the remaining wallpaper, we have a mosaic wall of ply and OSB. I'm worried about nailing or screwing the tongue and groove boards up after my experience drilling through a lighting cable in a wall that seemed very unlikey to have a cable behind it. Would a No More Nails type glue work or is that a rubbish idea?

 

Secondly, I assumed I'd apply the boards horizontally but having seen this today, I'm thinking vertical looks good too. Is this a purely aesthetic choice, or is one way more avisable than another? I suppose applying the vertically would mean more sawing...

 

Any other cunning advice please?

[denboy]

I`m halfway through recladding mine using 6 mm ply glued and pinned over the t & g( wich the wife hates gets very dusty and darkening over time ) and lime washing over the ply wife`s impressed so far so thats 99% of the battle won

Edited January 23, 2008 by denis boyle

[Malarky]

Horizontal; tends to make the space look taller. Nail t&g, tucking nails in at an angle where the groove protrudes, thus useing the tongue of the next piece to hide the nail.

[steelaway]

If our alternator ever stops playing up and I can cease to fund all the local boat mechanics' children through university, we could launch into our latest plan for cladding the interior walls (currently featuring torn vinyl wallpaper hanging off where the soggy OSB was replaced underneath in places) to use tongue and groove.

 

If we strip off the remaining wallpaper, we have a mosaic wall of ply and OSB. I'm worried about nailing or screwing the tongue and groove boards up after my experience drilling through a lighting cable in a wall that seemed very unlikey to have a cable behind it. Would a No More Nails type glue work or is that a rubbish idea?

 

Secondly, I assumed I'd apply the boards horizontally but having seen this today, I'm thinking vertical looks good too. Is this a purely aesthetic choice, or is one way more avisable than another? I suppose applying the vertically would mean more sawing...

 

Any other cunning advice please?

Hi There

 

I feel you have to be careful not to create a 'Knotty pine nightmare' (coffin?) I would chose the pine carefuly to be as knot free as possible.

Consider fixing them at 45 degrees as a compromise and it looks very professional.

I would stick them with one of the 'No Nails' type glue. I have used a Evode producd called 'Sticks like S--t' It really does works - you will not pull them of!!

 

Alex

[NB Phoenix]

Hi There

 

I feel you have to be careful not to create a 'Knotty pine nightmare' (coffin?) I would chose the pine carefuly to be as knot free as possible.

Consider fixing them at 45 degrees as a compromise and it looks very professional.

I would stick them with one of the 'No Nails' type glue. I have used a Evode producd called 'Sticks like S--t' It really does works - you will not pull them of!!

 

Alex

 

Agree with Alex with the 45 degrees and the No Nails. Screwfix do a goo deal.

 

 

The walls and ceiling are laminate flooring glued to 6mm ply or MDF? Not to everyone’s taste but easy to maintain and reasonably priced when compared with real wood.

[Amduck]

Horizontal would catch dust though, wouldn't it?

 

omg I AM turning into my mother......

 

(but I feel better now Mrs Boyle agrees with me)

[steelaway]

If our alternator ever stops playing up and I can cease to fund all the local boat mechanics' children through university, we could launch into our latest plan for cladding the interior walls (currently featuring torn vinyl wallpaper hanging off where the soggy OSB was replaced underneath in places) to use tongue and groove.

 

If we strip off the remaining wallpaper, we have a mosaic wall of ply and OSB. I'm worried about nailing or screwing the tongue and groove boards up after my experience drilling through a lighting cable in a wall that seemed very unlikey to have a cable behind it. Would a No More Nails type glue work or is that a rubbish idea?

 

Secondly, I assumed I'd apply the boards horizontally but having seen this today, I'm thinking vertical looks good too. Is this a purely aesthetic choice, or is one way more avisable than another? I suppose applying the vertically would mean more sawing...

 

Any other cunning advice please?

 

Hi There

Dosn't Phoenix look well - see what I mean and a plain carpet below the gunnals - perfect!

Alex

[bottle]

If applied at an angle, not necessarily 45º, you could use the full length of the timber in one go.

[Bones]

don't use glue, glue is evil. nail it in as suggested above. As for angle - the choice is yours, but wood does tend to grow upwards....... Personally I would do upwards under the gunwhale and horizontal above... not sure why.

 

I am thinking of doing some tongue and groove on my boat too so I shall watch this with eager antiipation.

 

You may want to aclimatise the wood to the boat and if I were you I would get it from a timber yard where it has been stored outside rather than a DIY store where it has been subjected to months of being in a sauna/heated and dried out.

 

There is something you can get to paint on the nots if you were going to paint the wood - it stops the nots coming through.

 

Oh dear, I don't think I am making any sense at all. I hope the engineers children do well at university, you must start signing your cheques with some slogan to indicate your status as scholorship provider.

[BlueStringPudding]

The 45 degree angle looks really good, but my sawing skills are minimal so for reasons of crapness, I probably won't try that. A right angle I can just about cope with. Just. That reminds me, I really ought to stop using the bent blade in my Black and Decker Quattro! (I've cut sme fascinating curves with that. Unintentionally, of course)We're undecided whether to leave the T&G plain, to give it a limewash effect or to simply paint it cream. And the ceiling are white and remaining so, so we'll avoid the coffin look, I'm sure.I see one comment suggested nailing the planks. Even at 45 degrees surely I risk meeting an electrical cable in there somewhere?

I`m halfway through recladding mine using 6 mm ply glued and pinned over the t & g( wich the wife hates gets very dusty and darkening over time ) and lime washing over the ply wife`s impressed so far so thats 99% of the battle won

Thanks for the photos - looks good.

[Keeping Up]

Personally I would do upwards under the gunwhale and horizontal above... not sure why.

That's exactly how it is on Keeping Up, vertical below the gunwales and horizontal above them. They are nailed (hiding the nails as described above) and were assembled with a little bit of free play to allow for expansion.

 

If you can find the wires first that would be a good thing. The wiring SHOULD always go in straight lines, vertically or horizontally. So if you avoid nailing directly in line with any switches or fittings, you should be OK. In theory. No guarantees.

[carlt]

The 45 degree angle looks really good, but my sawing skills are minimal so for reasons of crapness, I probably won't try that. A right angle I can just about cope with. Just. That reminds me, I really ought to stop using the bent blade in my Black and Decker Quattro! (I've cut sme fascinating curves with that. Unintentionally, of course)We're undecided whether to leave the T&G plain, to give it a limewash effect or to simply paint it cream. And the ceiling are white and remaining so, so we'll avoid the coffin look, I'm sure.I see one comment suggested nailing the planks. Even at 45 degrees surely I risk meeting an electrical cable in there somewhere?Thanks for the photos - looks good.

A black and decker quattro is too light for ballast so has no earthly use. If you don't fancy using an electric mitre saw get a hand one from B&Q (about £15) and you'll get nice straight cuts, accurate angles and a strong right arm.

[Big Steve]

Agree with Alex with the 45 degrees and the No Nails. Screwfix do a goo deal.

 

The walls and ceiling are laminate flooring glued to 6mm ply or MDF? Not to everyone's taste but easy to maintain and reasonably priced when compared with real wood.

 

I like that, was it a slip or intentional?

 

It's much easier to do vertical t&g above the gunwales, working around the windows with lengths about 3' long rather than horizontal pieces 10-12' long, and there lots of chances to use up the short offcuts under and over the windows. I also think this makes a boat look less like a long thin tube. You'll need to keep your wits about you to cut at any angle, but it will look nice. You can get a cheap chop saw for £30 these days, much better than the handraulic things.

[NB Phoenix]

Screwfix do a goo deal.

 

I like that, was it a slip or intentional?

 

Sorry I'm not that funny.. It was a typo

Edited January 23, 2008 by NB Phoenix

[bottle]

It's been said but if you want accurate straight cuts get a hand saw, let the saw do the work, ie. just push and pull with maybe a light pressure just to keep the blade in contact with the timber.

[carlt]

It's been said but if you want accurate straight cuts get a hand saw, let the saw do the work, ie. just push and pull with maybe a light pressure just to keep the blade in contact with the timber.

The only really accurate hand saws (apart from a very good back saw) are japanese, cutting on the pull stroke and, so, ensuring the blade is straight and under tension.

[Dylan]

The only really accurate hand saws (apart from a very good back saw) are japanese, cutting on the pull stroke and, so, ensuring the blade is straight and under tension.

Never used a Japanese pull saw but I understand the theory as you suggest. This pull stroke cutting works well with coping saws too.

Edited January 23, 2008 by Dylan

[Bones]

i just thought I would mention that you are welcome to come and practice your skills out on mine......

[onthecut]

I`m halfway through recladding mine using 6 mm ply glued and pinned over the t & g( wich the wife hates gets very dusty and darkening over time ) and lime washing over the ply wife`s impressed so far so thats 99% of the battle won

 

Excuse my laughable ignorance on the topic, but what exactly is the limewashing procedure you refer to -- does it keep the wood light -- is it cleanable or do you just reapply ?

 

Thanks, Mike.

[denboy]

Excuse my laughable ignorance on the topic, but what exactly is the limewashing procedure you refer to -- does it keep the wood light -- is it cleanable or do you just reapply ?

 

Thanks, Mike.

basic like a very light coating of emulsion type paint that when dry you can still see the timber grain then varnish over the top makes it look similar to light ash

[DHutch]

Our boats just got the T&G stright onto the battens beneath.

- If the patchwork of ply and osb is a bad as you seam to be making out, i wold take it off.

- You'll then see where any wires are, be able to inspect parts of the hull, and not loose another inch of cabin space.

 

I would also not suggest sticking it all with no more nails. It would hold fine, for a while. But everything that was done on emilyane with no more nails came undone after 10 years and has had to be done again, or is still waiting to be done again.

 

 

Daniel

[smileypete]

Hi,

 

I have vertical painted T&G and will be replacing with same, I feel horizontal T&G makes the boat feel looooonger and so narrower.

 

If fixed top and bottom with short countersunk screws they shouldn't go through the ply/OSB (much!). A strip of trim will then hide the screw heads no problem and keep any small gaps from being a haven for our spider friends.

 

If painting T&G it's worth giving the knots a coat of 'knotting' or using a blocking primer like 'aluminium wood primer' overall, otherwise resin from the knots can show through the topcoat over time.

 

For paint I use 'Dulux Diamond matt 10x tougher etc etc' which allows 'presents' from aforementioned spider friends to be cleaned off without a trace.

 

For painting T&G I'd look into painting them before fitting (trying a sample first) then if they contract a little after fitting there won't be gaps showing

 

cheers,

Pete.

Edited January 23, 2008 by smileypete

[David Schweizer]

If you decide to use Matchboard in any formation, may I counsell you not to use either Grab adhesives or hidden nails, but opt for traditional brass screws. Yes I know it is the most expensive and labourious method, and it requires some attention to get all the screws lined up but there is a reason.

 

On most boats there will be wiring etc behind the lining, and at some stage in the future either you, or a new owner, will want to make additions or alterations, which will require the lining to be removed, this is very difficult if the boards are glued or the fixings are concealed. I must have removed something like 90% of the lining in my boat during the re-fit, and I am grateful that the boatbuilder used brass screws.

 

Small nails pinned into the tongue are not that effective in the long run, especailly with Pine, as they are prone to causing the tongue to split off as the wood contracts and expands between the seasons, and they will certainly cause damage to the boards if you do need to remove them.

 

If you really want concealed fixings use Cladding Clips which are fixed to the studding and the board located into them. These are also time consuming to fit and require some care in assembly, and whilst they will be difficult to remove if you need to gain acces behind the cladding, but they will not damage the boards if they need to be removed.

[David Schweizer]

The only really accurate hand saws (apart from a very good back saw) are japanese, cutting on the pull stroke and, so, ensuring the blade is straight and under tension.

I wouldn't want to try and cut Dovetails with a pull saw, they do not provide the control needed fo that degree of accuracy.

 

Personally I would not trade in my pre-war Thomas Turner, Moses Eadon, Disston and Garlick Brothers saws for anything the Japanese can offer. Not to mention my set of mid 19th century Hill late Howell saws.

 

Yes OK I admit to being a Luddite.

Edited January 24, 2008 by David Schweizer

[carlt]

The only really accurate hand saws (apart from a very good back saw) are japanese

I wouldn't want to try and cut Dovetails with a pull saw, they do not provide the control needed fo that degree of accuracy.

I agree, hence my original post.