Finishing 1150 sq ft of 2x6 T&G SYP roof decking

[Jeff Merchant]

Building a new house that will have exposed trusses and 2x6 TYG SYP roof decking, also exposed to the interior. I'd like to finish this on the ground before installing. Looking to keep a fairly natural finish, matte or satin at most. Not super concerned about a smooth, perfect finish, but I'd like it to be even at least. Also of importance is a short, easy application process given the volume of material. Also it's a ceiling, so no real concerns about wear.

So based on my research the front runner options are:

• water based poly - one or two coats of something like Minwax polycrylic
• shellac - one or two coats zissner seal coat seems backordered forever, but I could mix my own light blonde, 1# cut

Any feedback or other thoughts I should consider?

[John TenEyck]

I would consider WB floor finish. It's available in satin and made for covering large areas so it should be easy to use. Shellac is glossy unless you buy a flattening agent, plus it's hard to apply evenly by hand on large surfaces, even narrow ones that are really long.

John

[Jim Becker]

I agree with John....waterborne floor finish and if you want the amber that shellac would provide, Minwax Oil Modified is a great product, goes on easy with a pad, brush or roller and dries quickly enough that you can get two to three coats on in a single long day. You can get it from your local Sherwin Williams store.

[Andrew Seemann]

However you do it, make sure you have good ventilation and maybe a carbon filter respirator. I did the floor of my old shop with water base and the second floor with a gallon of old shellac I wanted to get rid of. Both of those were not-fun, headache-inducing experiences. A lot of solvent flashes off of a thousand square feet.

[Jeff Merchant]

Thanks all for the feedback.

Just so I am clear, WB/waterbourne meaning water based? Like the Minwax Oil Modified mentioned, or Varathane Floor finish, etc.?

I'd be okay with just a very light amber, or even clear would be fine. I read that yellow pine will darken over time, but also read that water based polyurethane will prevent, or at least delay, said darkening.

I will be finishing this in a garage so pending continued good weather here in TX I should be able to keep both doors wide open. Also have a 3M respirator although would probably need a set of the organic vapor cartridges.

[Joe Hendershott]

We stripped about 2000 sq. ft. of a whitewashed stain off of ours and used the Varathane stain and poly, 2 coats of cherry since that is what the wife liked. Couple years ago and it is fine. Like you said it is a ceiling and doesn't need to have a furniture finish. Have plenty more pics on a FB page if you are interested.

[Jim Becker]

Just so I am clear, WB/waterbourne meaning water based? Like the Minwax Oil Modified mentioned, or Varathane Floor finish, etc.?

Terminology can be confusing sometimes. "Waterborne" is generally the most correct term for most of these kinds of finishes. Water is the "carrier" and can be used to thin the mixture, but it is not the solvent for the finish. Many folks, including some manufacturers, use the term "water based" interchangeably. No matter.

The Minwax product I mentioned uses water as the carrier and thins with water. It also cleans up with water. It's called oil modified because the actual finish has an oil component which provides certain desirable properties including the warmer amber color that's often missing from many waterborne clean finishes. That makes them look "cold", which some folks see as "more blue" than amber. Oil modified or emulsified alkyd or whatever is a nice way to bridge the gap between slow drying and smelly oil based finishes that even in reduced VOC formulas still have a lot of VOC and the safer to use, faster drying and less odorous waterborne finishes.

If "water white" is acceptable, than any typical waterborne clear will work just fine and dry faster than the oil modified product. For any of these products, you only need the respirator if you are spraying--largely for particulate protection. If you are hand applying (brush, roller, pad) no respirator is needed and odor is low.

[Jeff Merchant]

Thanks for that detailed explanation Jim. I had previously considered white washing the ceiling with heavily thinned white latex paint, or even a lime based traditional whitewash, but decided it was a little much. All that is to say I'd probably be okay with a finish that leans cold vs warm. Floor will be bare concrete (gray) so just the presence of wood over the ceiling is already warming up the overall aesthetic. I'll try a board and see how it looks.

Definitely hand applying here. In the past I've done a bit of spraying with a cheap Critter siphon spray gun, and was really impressed at how much easier it was to get a nice, even finish with both paint and poly. Unfortunately I don't have the space or setup to do that with this job so I'll probably try both a roller an a pad and see what works best. Not as concerned with achieving a perfect finish here given the boards will be almost 13' up on the ceiling an partially obscured by the trusses in between.

@Joe - Sure if you wouldn't mind sending a link to those pics, I'll hop on the Ms' Facebook account and check them out. Much obliged.

[Joe Hendershott]

@Joe - Sure if you wouldn't mind sending a link to those pics, I'll hop on the Ms' Facebook account and check them out. Much obliged.

https://www.facebook.com/cedarparkmodern

[Tom M King]

I've put up many thousands of square feet of SYP ceilings, and never saw any advantage to putting any finish on it. I think I have a picture of the ceiling in our house in the gallery here, as well as our recycled doors that never had any finish on them. If it ever gets mildew on the wood, it's going to be under the finish.

I've sold houses for over a million dollars, with unfinished Pine ceilings. They only get better looking with age.

This pictures are sideways because they're phone pics, and I didn't bother to rotate them in another folder.

First picture is hundred year old door, and second is forty year old ceiling-both never had any finish on them. The color in the ceiling photo looks browner than it really is.