Exposed rafters and tongue and groove in bathroom?

[Arby]

I'm in the midst of building a new home. Its ceiling will be exposed 4x8 fir rafters with pine tongue and groove over them. To keep things consistent, I'd prefer to not to do anything different in the bathroom. But.....wood in bathrooms.......

Would an extra good (strong) exhaust fan and oiling the ceiling periodically be enough to skirt any issues? I may be able to place a small operable window in there too.

 

[Twowaxhack]

It’ll be fine.

 

[Arby]

I realized that I failed to mention the same scenerio in the shower ceiling: Exposed rafters and tongue and groove.

 

[Mitchell-DIY-Guy]

Oiling the ceiling?

A good clear exterior grade finish on the ceiling is a better choice. I had a three season porch, and the interior walls floor to ceiling was 5/4 T&G Cedar Car Siding, which was placed smooth side out. (it came rough on one side and smooth on the other.) The ceiling was pine beadboard. All trim was 1 by smooth western cedar. All was coated with a Sikkens Cetol Clear finish. This is an exterior grade product, but if using on new contruction no reason why you cannot use it to protect the wood surfaces from moisture penetration. Fumes are awful, but the results are superb once dry.

You may consider cedar instead of the pine; the look can be essentially the same but is better suited for high humidity environments.

The high performance fan is a given regardless!

 

[Arby]

Oiling the ceiling?

A good clear exterior grade finish on the ceiling is a better choice. I had a three season porch, and the interior walls floor to ceiling was 5/4 T&G Cedar Car Siding, which was placed smooth side out. (it came rough on one side and smooth on the other.) The ceiling was pine beadboard. All trim was 1 by smooth western cedar. All was coated with a Sikkens Cetol Clear finish. This is an exterior grade product, but if using on new contruction no reason why you cannot use it to protect the wood surfaces from moisture penetration. Fumes are awful, but the results are superb once dry.

You may consider cedar instead of the pine; the look can be essentially the same but is better suited for high humidity environments.

The high performance fan is a given regardless!

Thanks for the info. And yes on oil. I use a polymerized "Tried & True" linseed oil for everything (not the same linseed oil found at the typical hardware store), inside and out. I really enjoy working with it and the results it gives me.

I would like to use cedar but I already have the pine tongue and groove that's being used in the rest of the home. And my thin budget is getting thinner by the day with this project.

 

[Twowaxhack]

Thanks for the info. And yes on oil. I use a polymerized "Tried & True" linseed oil for everything (not the same linseed oil found at the typical hardware store), inside and out. I really enjoy working with it and the results it gives me.

I would like to use cedar but I already have the pine tongue and groove that's being used in the rest of the home. And my thin budget is getting thinner by the day with this project.

Pine will be fine with the oil.

 

[Mitchell-DIY-Guy]

From Popular Woodworking:

In the early 1990s a company called Tried & True introduced several products it claimed were polymerized. In fact, they are little more than raw linseed oil that has been exposed to air for a time to start the curing process.

Though still technically “polymerized” by my definition, this product is about as different as it can be from the other two polymerized oils. (those being Southerland Welles and Tru-Oil) They cure fast and hard if kept thin. Tried & True cures much too slowly in my opinion to be useful as a wood finish. It’s essentially raw linseed oil.

In my opinion (which you can toss out if you like) you would want to specify an exterior grade finish for the conditions you will find in a bathroom with shower...No linseed or oil of any kind will last outdoors. None. My Cetol finish was up for over 20 years and looked as good the day I moved out as the day it dried. Though not exposed to rain per se, the covered porch had massive screens and did get wild swings in temperature over the years, from -15F to over +100F, dry and humid. It did get wet often. In fact the entire porch was built as "the largest shower pan I've ever built" said the tile guy installing the drain in the center. The wood walls never needed a thing, and no re-coats in two decades. But that's my opinion. If you have had good luck with an oil finish, great--keep using it.

As the doctor tells my 100 year old father, "whatever you are doing, keep on doing it...".