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666666 · 19th March 2010

Ok guys... I have carpenters adding pine planking to one of my new studio rooms this week. For this particular application, I picked up the 5/16" thick (ultra thin) pine planking from Home Depot. I'm not thrilled about the look of this "thin" planking (since the groove isn't too deep), but it will be going mostly on the ceiling, and there is a weight concern for this particular ceiling / roofing structure, so we felt it was best to play it safe by using the lightest stuff possible.

So my big question... what is the BEST way to FINISH this pine planking? I'd be happy with a simple, natural look, but not sure of the best way to tackle this. I'm dealing with a fairly large area, so I hope to cut down on the amount of steps necessary. I started researching this online and found a few articles listing like 12 or more steps, multiple applications of sealer, shellac, sanding, etc. I am hoping there is a method of achieving a nice natural look and also adding a bit of protection with just two or three steps tops perhaps... maybe one coat of sealer and then one coat of...???

I once took a bare wood snare drum shell (was maple I believe) and coated it with just tung oil only and it came out BEAUTIFUL. But not sure if tung oil is appropriate for pine planking. Pros / cons....?

I've read that pine is a very inconsistent wood, some areas soft, some hard, etc, and will not take stain evenly unless coated with a sealer first.

But I read other articles stating that you can just coat the pine with shellac only (no stain) and the wood will darken naturally over time and look really nice. I know this is true actually since I had a few pieces of this same planking sitting around in a well day lit room for like a year and it noticeably darkened and became a really nice color. There wasn't any shellac on it though. I wonder if shellac would reduce the rate / degree of natural darkening....?

I'm really excited, my new room should be all planked up by next week or so... just hope I can figure out the "best" way of finishing the pine... and hopefully be able to do it in a minimal amount of steps so it doesn't take me months to complete.

Any notes, tips, ideas etc would be greatly appreciated.

19th March 2010	#35
666666 Lives for gear Joined: Jan 2005 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 2,564 Thread Starter	Ok guys... I have carpenters adding pine planking to one of my new studio rooms this week. For this particular application, I picked up the 5/16" thick (ultra thin) pine planking from Home Depot. I'm not thrilled about the look of this "thin" planking (since the groove isn't too deep), but it will be going mostly on the ceiling, and there is a weight concern for this particular ceiling / roofing structure, so we felt it was best to play it safe by using the lightest stuff possible. So my big question... what is the BEST way to FINISH this pine planking? I'd be happy with a simple, natural look, but not sure of the best way to tackle this. I'm dealing with a fairly large area, so I hope to cut down on the amount of steps necessary. I started researching this online and found a few articles listing like 12 or more steps, multiple applications of sealer, shellac, sanding, etc. I am hoping there is a method of achieving a nice natural look and also adding a bit of protection with just two or three steps tops perhaps... maybe one coat of sealer and then one coat of...??? I once took a bare wood snare drum shell (was maple I believe) and coated it with just tung oil only and it came out BEAUTIFUL. But not sure if tung oil is appropriate for pine planking. Pros / cons....? I've read that pine is a very inconsistent wood, some areas soft, some hard, etc, and will not take stain evenly unless coated with a sealer first. But I read other articles stating that you can just coat the pine with shellac only (no stain) and the wood will darken naturally over time and look really nice. I know this is true actually since I had a few pieces of this same planking sitting around in a well day lit room for like a year and it noticeably darkened and became a really nice color. There wasn't any shellac on it though. I wonder if shellac would reduce the rate / degree of natural darkening....? I'm really excited, my new room should be all planked up by next week or so... just hope I can figure out the "best" way of finishing the pine... and hopefully be able to do it in a minimal amount of steps so it doesn't take me months to complete. Any notes, tips, ideas etc would be greatly appreciated.