Last year I purchased a seasonal cottage (no heat in the winter). I plan on re-doing the rooms one by one. I took down the walls last fall in one of the bedrooms, and they are made out of some kind of fiberboard (reminds me of a really thick cardboard). I insulated the outside walls and put up drywall (haven't plastered the seams yet), but someone told me that drywall is not good in a seasonal cottage because it holds moisture. Does anyone have experience with this, or any advice as to what to use? As I said, I am insulating as I go, so that I can get in there earlier in the spring and stay later into the fall. I'd appreciate any advice I can get!

 

What's the relative humidity?

I wouldn't think it would be an issue, especially once the drywall is primed and painted.

 

I realized in re-reading my post that I never mentioned that the cottage sits a few yards from a lake. I originally thought the same as you, but have been told that the dampness from the water will affect the walls and mold can form. I'm assuming that is why the walls were a "wood" material. After thinking about it, I don't think I've ever been in ANY lakefront cottage that was drywalled. They all have paneling, and I have no idea what the walls are made of underneath the paneling.

 

They sell a mold resistant drywall so that could be an option. While I've painted a lot of lake front cottages/homes, I don't recall any of them not having some form of heat and/or air. I used to live/work in central fla and painted for one builder that almost always used drywall for his back porch ceilings. We never had to do any warranty work concerning the exterior drywall but I don't know how well they held up long term. Fla usually has a humidity of 85-95%

btw - the fiber board was probably a form of masonite paneling.

 

I think many people use paneling because it is fast and rather cheap. People want to spend more time relaxing at the cabin rather then working.

Unless your in the tropics, I would not think the drywall would hold any moisture more then in your house. The one thing that may happen is the seams may crack due to the large temperature fluctuations.

If it were me, I would use 3/4" T & G pine, but that is just because I like the looks of it. It is also easy to install and finish. No sanding required!

 

Marksr, it has a floor furnace in the living room, which gives some heat, but as I said, the cottage is seasonal. It gets closed up in October and reopened in April. During that time the water, electric, and gas are completely turned off.

Tolyn Ironhand, I am in New York State. I agree with the idea that the seams may crack due to temperature fluctuations. Paneling is definitely the cheapest way to go, but I wasn't sure what to use behind it for the actual wall. I would love to use the T&G pine, but have 2 issues with that: #1 would be the expense, and #2, I assume I either have to have some sort of wall behind it to attach to, or I have to apply it horizontally so that I can nail to directly to the studs. Is that correct? Also, someone once told me that you can buy the exterior wood siding and put that on the interior walls to give the look of T&G without the expense. Any thoughts?

 

How would you finish T&G without doing any sanding

I do like the look although to finish it right takes 3 coats [sanding in between coats of poly] It is quite a bit pricier than drywall

 

The T&G can be nailed directly to the studs. If you wanted it vertical you would need to to install horizontal framing or furring strips to nail it to.

Some of the cheaper paneling needs to be installed over drywall or some other flat surface - it's too thin and flexable to be installed directly over the studs.

 

I didn't think of furring strips. That's an idea. I don't know if it would be more expensive to do the T&G, or to put some kind of wall up and panel over it. You both think that the drywall itself is fine as a base though?

 

I would think it would be ok but it's always best to talk to locals since they know your environment best and probably know what works and what doesn't in your area.

 

Someone once told me that you can buy the exterior wood siding and put that on the interior walls to give the look of T&G without the expense. Any thoughts?

 

You finish it before you put it up. Almost all the nails will be hidden.

Look around for some local lumber (Craigslist) By me there is a couple guys selling 6"x3/4" T&G .29 cents a foot.

If you go with stuff thinner than 1/2" you should have a drywall backer.

I'm not sure what siding your talking about but I would think anything exterior would cost more than T&G pine.

 

Ok, will do. Thanks for all your help!

 

Unless it is a large cabin, you can use 1x6 T&G beadboard and install it horizontally. As mentioned, the nails will be hidden. Install it in the fall or spring so the expansion and contraction will be at a minimum. Finishing the wood may, in a long shot, create the problem you don't want....moisture encapsulation. I would leave the T&G natural, maybe with a sanding sealer.

 

I know home depot has it, not sure about lowes but they sell a 4x8 sheet of 3/8" plywood that has a bead board face. I'm not sure if it's exterior grade or not but I have it on the ceiling of my front porch - a lot cheaper than than T&G beadboard and still looks nice. it's under $20 a sheet so it would be cheaper than T&G pine. Needs to be on walls with studs on 16" centers.

I like to stain [if used] and apply 2 coats of poly/varnish before installing T&G and the final coat after installation.... but you need to sand between coats

 

Marksr, I believe that is what I was talking about. I knew the price was fairly reasonable, and I assume at 3/8", I shouldn't need to apply drywall or anything else underneath it!

 

Placing the 3/8" on a vertical wall without some sort of backer (sheetrock, etc.) may allow for bowing between stud bays, especially with the extreme temp and humidity you will be exposing it to. If you decide to go that route, install flat perlins in each stud bay about 2' up, 4' up, and 6' up to help keep the bowing down.

 

Hmmm. I don't know what a perlin is, but I'm assuming it might be some kind of cross brace? Like a 2x4 nailed between the studs? In your opinion, how thick would the sheets need to be before you would be safe from bowing without a backer?

 

A perlin would be a 2x nailed horizontally between the studs. I've not had any problems with 3/8" plywood on 16" centers.......... but I've not used any next to a lake.

 

Ok, thanks! I appreciate all the help you guys have given me!

 

I had to install some in a basement against my better judgment, but at the insistence of the customer. They wanted to cut cost in materials and labor to the bone so no perlins and no backer. Before I got finished it was bowing slightly, and more a month afterwards, when they called me in to "fix" it. No way would I fix it, even with pay. It was in a basement and may have replicated the moisture you will encounter on the lake, especially with no climate control.
Oh, yeah, Marksr, you most likely were applying yours across the grain of the stripes, which is better. Installing it vertically on a wall tends to bow more.

 

I'm glad you told me all that. After all the posts I've seen here, I'm thinking of putting up the moisture resistent drywall, with paneling or beadboard over it. If I decide to do the beadboard plywood in any of the rooms, I'll install it horizontally. Thanks again!

 

I installed mine with the bead running the same direction as the ceiling joists. My porch is long and narrow [6'x22'] and I didn't want any butt joints. I did install a couple of 2x4s perpendicular to the joists to keep it from bowing. Still looks good 5 yrs [?]later

 

I had both a summer home next to a large pond outside Monitcello N.Y. which was over sixty years old and I own my own remodeling company. Anytime that you frame a wall it should have the cross beams to support the wall and materials that hang from it. As long as your cabin is sealed well from drafts and doesn't have cracks or gaps and the celing is in good repair w/no leaks then you would be fine using regular drywall after laying the insulation. if you want drywall but are still concerned about moisture there is low voc paint that has antimicrobial agents in it that retards the growth of mold. Or you can use KILZ primer.
However if you want to hang paneling. It goes on vertically.

We actually used both methods. paint in the kitchen and bathroom for the ease in cleaning and paneling in the living room and bedrooms.

 

I appreciate the advice. The framing of course is all done, so I would have to add cross braces, but glad to hear that its ok to hang regular drywall. Did you have any problems with seams cracking?