Should you paint/oil the inside of a wooden cabin?

united4ever

Aesthetics aside, is it beneficial in terms of preservation/longevity? I have treated the exterior and it is twin skin with insulation. But it's still the bare wood on the inside which i don't mind the look of but will leaving it unpainted/untreated be ok?

Bendy_House

Yes. Pretty sure it's ok to leave bare if that's the finish you want.

It certainly doesn't need treating against rot, or anything like that.

united4ever

Great. I may just leave it then. 

On a related note. I was reading some advice against twin skin wood cabins since they expand and contract differently (since exposed to different temperatures and moisture) causing them to not fit together as well and potentially warp. Too late for me now, but is there much evidence of this really?

Bendy_House

I can't see that, in itself, causing problems. I am certainly not aware of any.

You may find that the outer skin will expand and shrink more than the inside due to weather conditions over each year, but that will likely be the case with any shiplap/boarded outer skin. I don't see why it should cause problems.

Was the cabin designed properly or professionally for the insulation sandwich? Ie, there's no risk of interstitial condensation?

united4ever

Yeah it was an off the shelf cabin from one of the generic garden cabin companies. Good to hear your scepticism. I think I am over thinking it following reading just one article about this. Thanks again.

Bendy_House

That sounds fine.

Why not drop them a note and ask if they recommend giving it an internal finish. It would be interesting to hear what they say.