Cupboard cladding.

[mbartlett99]

Guys, am I right in thinking western red cedar would be good to clad out my cloakrom cupboard under the stairs? Spanish would be ideal except for the price and availability. Cheers.

 

[MikeJhn]

By all accounts Cedar is the medium to line cupboards and draws in, it supposedly keeps moths at bay, this I have found works in my fly tying shed that is all Cedar, moths just love feathers.

Mike

 

[mbartlett99]

Cheers Mike - I've no doubt on the cedar bit but never having worked with it I was curious about the western red part, is that what you use? Its jsut to make the cloakroom smell/look nice - will be sticking it to the old plaster walls.

 

[yetloh]

The trouble is western red cedar isn't a true cedar and lacks the aromatc quality they have. It's botanical name is Thuja plicata and is native to Pacific north west USA and Canada. It is highly durable but very soft and mostly used for external cladding and more upmarket garden buidings - greenhouses, summer houses etc. where its durability is a very valuable quality. True cedars are in the Cedrus genus e.g. Cedrus Libani or Cedar of Lebanon to you and me.

Western red cedar would be fine for what you want but won't give you the moth protection or pleasant smell of the true cedars if that's what you are after.

Jim

 

[mbartlett99]

Cheers Jim. That was what I suspected, cedar of lebanon is not too easy to get hold of especially as this is not exactly a prestige project. Will have to have a think.

 

[MikeJhn]

The Cedar for my fly tying shed is Western Red Cedar, never get any moths in the shed though some must be of some benifit.

Mike

 

[SteveF]

I built my shed from Western Red ..not something I would use internally
I stumbled across several large boards of Cedar of Lebanon at my saw mill that had been air dried for about 10 yrs
I made a bed from it and it still smells nice now

Steve

 

[Steve Maskery]

Cedar of Lebanon is amazing stuff. Personally I don't like the smell very much, but it does continue to smell for years and years and years.

Did you know that the doors of the Alhambra Palace in Spain are made from CoL? They are hundreds of years old and have never rotted, despite being regularly flooded. The bacteria that break down wood don't like it any more than moths do.

 

[custard]

cedar of lebanon is not too easy to get hold of

Tylers generally stock Cedar of Lebanon

http://www.tylerhardwoods.com/page/home

They have 1/2" thick, waney edged flitches that they've milled and kilned themselves. I believe they produce it in 1/2" boards for shingles and cladding, I go through the stack and pick out quarter sawn boards that I use for drawer bottoms, dust panels between drawers, cabinet backs, etc.

 

[mbartlett99]

Cheers Roger

1/2" would be perfect I'll give them a shout.