Japanese tea house

[Joe Shmoe]

I'm looking to build something in the style of this, for use as a fancy looking storage shed.

I have a couple of issues I am hung up on. The white/cream panels won't be windows, for security, but I'll need something to replace them as I like the general look. However, I don't want to do much upkeep on this. I was toying with the idea of sheathing with white/cream 8x4 Foamex sheets and then apply black painted timber batons to achieve the look, but was concerned capillary action would suck water between the joins and cause long term damp between the foamex sheeting and ply behind? Perhaps do away with the ply and screw 10mm foamex straight to the framing? Any ideas how I can achieve this look without the need for regular painting upkeep?

 

[rafezetter]

We sell the foamex where I work so I'm familiar with the product - I would say that if the battens are more decorative than supporting then you could run a bead of silicone down the inside of each of the battens and wait until it skins over some then screw on after that, the silicone will form what amounts to a rubber bead keeping the batten proud of the foamex - allowing water to run out from the gap to stop it sitting and help with airflow to dry out the battens. When you screw the battens pre-drill the holes and where the hole enters the foamex put another dab of silicone to reduce moisture transfer down the screw into the ply as you'll get more capillary action from the screw than the battens.

Alternatively you could glue each batten onto the foamex using a product called stixall which comes clear, white & black (plus other colours) and is an adhesive designed to flex with plastic, but it's also a sealant, and doesn't go hard like most other types - (the crystal clear is very clear - almost glass like compared to "trans" silicone that has a more frosted effect)

I'd also suggest using the glossier side as this would trap less dirt than the matt textured side.

 

[Spindle]

Hi

Why not just attach the ornamental battens with silicon adhesive? That will fully seal the joint.

Regards Mick

 

[rafezetter]

Hi

Why not just attach the ornamental battens with silicon adhesive? That will fully seal the joint.

Regards Mick

Despite most peoples belief that silicone is good as an adhesive; it isn't, not long term anyway. It has a habit of drying out negating any flexibility, making the seal prone to splitting open as the wood moves over the years. There's a reason why certain practices are used when applying it.