Cedar Shrinkage and Newbie Mistake

[Trent Flemming]

Hey Creekers,

I used cedar fence planks for the back side of my bar and I didn't dry them out before installing. In 3 days time, they shrank 1/8 to 3/16 in width. I need to pull them off and fix, but was wondering how long I should give them. It has been 2 weeks now.

Thanks,

Trent

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi Trent, the easiest method of course is to use a moisture meter to determine when they are dry. (Humidity has stopped falling).

Another way to do it is to remove a couple of them and weigh them using a home made balance beam, with some pennies for a counter weight.

As the board dries, you can remove pennies from the counter weight. Once the weight stops falling, the boards have reached equilibrium with the house environment.

Since it's winter and your house may be dry, the boards may expand during the humid summer.

That's why backs of cabinets when made of solid wood, have tongue and groove or shiplap joint. It helps hide the gaps, and keeps the boards aligned.

I would suggest that a 1/8 gap is probably correct for the dry boards in the winter.

Regards, Rod.

[Chris Padilla]

Surprise, surprise: wood moves! ;)

Rod's got it right for you. In fact, it is quite possible your boards are acclimated and this is "normal" movement for where you are located, however, it could be that the boards were not dried to a low enough MC (moisture content) before being used.

I'd have to consult R. Bruce Hoadley's wood bible about Cedar movement to be sure....

[Neal Clayton]

Hey Creekers,

I used cedar fence planks for the back side of my bar and I didn't dry them out before installing. In 3 days time, they shrank 1/8 to 3/16 in width. I need to pull them off and fix, but was wondering how long I should give them. It has been 2 weeks now.

Thanks,

Trent

i graduated from hallsville high school ;).

general rule of thumb with moldings and floors is to let them sit inside the house for 6 weeks, then cut them to length. i'd say that would apply to your situation as well.