Timber Cabin part 1

I started this cabin after seeing it online as a rental in the mountains. The base and walls are gator board. Gator board is a stronger solution than foam board. Over time foam board may warp due to moister in the air or from glue application.
I was siting with master mini builder Rik Pierce years ago showing him my Tree Elf House and he recommended I use gator board instead of foam board. That was all I needed to make the switch! 
Gator board is covered in a thin veneer composed of melamine and wood fiber. This veneer makes gator board very rigid, so it's not prone to warping. 
I get mine at Dick Blick but you may also find it on eBay for a good price.

To see how I made the floor visit my other blog site here. 

The weathered ‘timber’ was made by cutting 1/16" thin basswood strips, carving the edges with a knife, using a chisel to make marks, needle tool to make splits and finally staining/sanding.

I poured about a half cup of white vinegar in a jar and added a half pad of steel wool (use gloves to pull it apart). Let that sit 10-24 hours. Steep some black tea for an 1/2-1 hour, let cool. 

• Brush the steeped tea onto the wood completely saturating it and let it dry.

• Brush the vinegar + steel wool solution into the tea-saturated wood.

It will change color in under an hour.

Sand it down after it dries to lighten it if needed.

Keep in mind different vinegars will make different colors. I used Apple cider vinegar to make it more brown on the sun room addition. I even omitted the tea and just brushed the mixture on for a brown because the steel wool had rusted. You can get some really nice colors, just be sure to test it first. Wear gloves or your nails will get stained!