Planning for the finishes of the indoor pool house is a strange mix of interior and exterior.  Interior in that we want finishes that flow with the rest of the house.  Exterior due to the water splashes and potential for high humidity.  Basically, we need to create a bathroom on steroids.  Deciding on the ceiling finish was really easy for us as we have tongue and groove throughout our house as well as the front deck.  The walls, however, have been much trickier.  Many siding options are an option as well as more interior specific finishes such as tile and plaster.

Along with looking good, we need something that won’t be damaged by water.  Perhaps most importantly, we want something that won’t feel dated-hopefully ever, but especially not in a couple of years.  With that said, dark stained wood lap siding covered the walls before, which I’m sure was lovely in the late 70’s/early 80’s.  Flash forward 40 or so years, and the walls feel dated and very dark.

To be honest, shakes, stone, and tile were never viable options for us.  Shakes would feel too busy and traditional.  The price of stone can get insane really quickly.  Tile could be pretty along the bottom four feet, but I want simple.  Plaster walls would also be beautiful, but touching up any damaged areas can be a nightmare.  So we’re left with lap and board and batten siding.

Ben preferred lap siding, while I pushed for board and batten.  For simplicity sake, longevity, and the bright feel, either would be painted white.

Having installed lap siding on much of our exterior, Ben knows the process quite well.  After initial pricing, the lap siding would be significantly less expensive than board and batten.  Call me a princess, call me stubborn, but I knew lap siding was not what I wanted.  Sure, the new siding would be slightly wider than the old wood stuff, but it still felt like a cop-out.  I wasn’t ready to give up on my vision, so we discussed other materials and got pricing.