Covering Gaps in Plywood Board Walls

[scruffmeister]

I'm boarding my workshop with plywood, prior to painting. I would like to cover the gaps between boards with tape as this seems a better approach than using filler which will likely crack as the wood expands/contracts.

Can anyone point me to a tape that will stick well to wood and can be painted over? I don't mind if it is slightly visible through the paint layer as I think this will look better than board joins.

Also happy to hear any other ideas for dealing with the gaps...

Thanks!

 

[Bingy man]

decorators caulk is probably as good and cheap as anything else , force it into the joint with a sealant gun and smooth with a plastic window packer .. allow to dry and simply paint over ..

 

[Ollie78]

Agree with above, a flexible overpaintable sealant will be nicer than tape.

 

[Fitzroy]

Caulk all day, one of the ideas of plywood is the alternating grain orientation limits seasonal movement.

 

[eribaMotters]

Do you need to hide the joins? If you are using full boards or site lines look good, why not run a slight 45 degree chamfer on the board edges and make it a feature.

Colin

 

[Spectric]

You could just use a trim on each joint, either make them from wood or buy the plastic / metal ones.

 

[niall Y]

You could just use a trim on each joint, either make them from wood or buy the plastic / metal ones.

This will give quite a quite a characteristic look to the whole project. I believe there was a product in America, called "Beaver Board" used for walls and ceilings that made use of this type of fascia cover strip at the junction of each board. And it does impart a certain look.

 

[Scruples]

I used 12mm cheap ply and just made sure the edges butted up square. Then I gave the walls two coats of white emulsion. That was 12 years ago. Still looking good.