Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Metal roofing as wall covering

We're getting ready to wall up the inside of our cabin, we're going to be using a tig board material called Ice Logger but the wife wants to put metal roofing on the lower part of the walls and under the windows. I'm concerned that the metal will build up condensation when I get the cabin warmed up with the wood stove. This is a semi-remote cabin that we only use on weekends or the occasional week stay so it's not heated when we are not there and I think the cold/warm cycles could cause the condensation issue. What says the 'Fire?

Many work shops are lined with steel. If you like the look, I'd think it would work.

It makes for horrible acoustics. This probably wouldn’t be an issue if used as wainscoting as you describe, but I’d never put it in a cabin. The sweating would be terrible.

Depends on the metal and the mounting.

Flat metal where no air can get to the back. Condensation city. Both sides possibly depending on conditions.


Corrugated, if the channels are open top and bottom? Airflow through should even Temps enough to avoid
a problem in winter.

But, she won't want those exposed, so you have a problem.

I would not care for the look of it. The OP asked if it would work.

INSIDE?
Nope. Wouldn’t do it for the reason you cite and others.

I would consider it as fire shield near a potbellied stove, but I would not reccomend it as an interior building material anywhere else.

It will sweat big time.

My place in Idaho has it behind the wood heating stove and the wood cooking stove with zero issues in 15 years.

What do you heat with? Wood? Dry heat. Propane? Wet heat if you have any kind of vent free heaters.

cement boar and tile to window height, sheet rock from there

My shop is metal roofing on the walls and ceiling. Only heated by wood and only few days at a time, sometimes a week depending on project. Never had any condensation issues. Gobs of people round here using it in new houses and restaurants just as you described.

Actually my folks have an entire wall in their basement done in old galv roofing for heat protection behind their wood stove. Never a problem

"Fire shielding". Exactly what I was talking about.

My grandfather had a bar in his basement rathskeller with galvanized roofing turned horizontal and curved. It was lit from a recessed fluorescent fixture under the countertop and it looked very cool and complimented the art-deco flavor of the bar. This was from a time when folks had catered cocktail parties for the neighbors.

When I first saw it as wainscotting 40 years ago, it was cool. Now when I see it, all I can think of is over-priced chain store barbeque.

If the wall it's fastened against is insulated (your thermal break) how would there be temp differences between the front and the back faces of the metal that could cause condensation?

Metal wainscoating is real common down here. It's not an issue as far as sweating.

There's lots of humidity here, so the differences in inside and outside temperature cause the windows to sweat sometimes in winter.



How would metal inside be any different that say a rock wall and fireplace? It's not. Had a ranch house on a ranch I only stayed at from time to time with both metal wainscoating and a rock wall fireplace... Neither "sweated".

Thanks for the input everyone.

The difference is that the cabin interior could get as cold as -20 or so between heating episodes.

Very common for unheated sheds and shops to "frost up" in the winter.

Exactly and that's why I asked the question. The wife didn't really think it through which is why she has me around.