new pine ceiling finish

[Charles James]

I was told that I can use sanding sealer on my new walls and ceiling in my cabin. is this true or do I need to put polyurethane on it? I want the natural unstained look that's not shiny

[Jim Becker]

You can use any clear coat you prefer. If you want a matte finish, then whatever you use should carry that sheen on the label. "Sanding Sealer" wouldn't be something I would use as 'the" finish and in most cases, it's not even good to use under a finish and is more of a marketing/revenue coup for the finish manufacturer. (The exception are specialized products used with solvent-based lacquers)

An oil based varnish is going to look a little more "natural" than a water borne product, IMHO, for this application and keep in mind that pine will darken/amber with time and oxidation, too. A water borne will be less odorous to apply, of course, but these tend to be slightly blue cast rather than amber and it may not be the look you are seeking. Buy a small sample of several finishes and do a test piece to see what looks best BEFORE you commit to the whole project.

[Charles James]

my builder suggested using a 50/50 mix of Polyurethane and mineral spirits and roll it on with a good grade of roller.

[Wayne Lomman]

A 50/50 mix of poly and solvent is wasting a lot of solvent- all it does is make you do twice as much work to get a full coat or get away with half the amount of finish to protect your surface. Not a bad cost saver if you can get away with it. Jim has good advice. Cheers

[Jim Becker]

Rolling it on is a good idea because it's a large surface area, but I agree with Wayne that there's no good reason to cut the varnish that much. It will also bring risk of drips/runs. Putting on a normal coat of a varnish that has the correct sheen will do the trick, I suspect. The builder may have suggested cutting it so that it might "penetrate" more and reduce the sheen. Do note that if you buy a matte or similar sheen varnish it MUST be thoroughly mixed up before each application and periodically during application to insure that the flatting agents remain mixed throughout so you get an even sheen across the whole surface.

[Charles James]

thanks Wayne and Jim! this has helped make my decision much easier.
i also have old cypress that I planed on one side and put the weathered side out in my bathroom and was wondering if that would work fine in there also

[Jim Becker]

If this material isn't installed yet, pre-finishing is certainly a desirable thing in many cases, especially for a ceiling. T&G and Shiplap can easily be coated before install and only minor touchup will be required after the fact, especially if you can use adhesive and nail through the hidden tongue.