Planks to the Ceiling
Wood planks are a great way to dress up a shabby old ceiling, and they're made to install so easily today that any competent homeowner can do it. Unlike wood floor installation, they don't require specialized tools-just a few standard ones, and a trim nailer. The planks are milled to attach to each other at the sides with a tongue-and-groove system, and are made of very lightweight wood. Buy boards long enough to span almost any ceiling, so you don't have to worry about lining up the ends.
Instructions
1. Find all the ceiling joists, using your electronic stud locator to pinpoint them and then marking the positions with your pencil. Extend the marks across the ceiling with your level, so you'll know exactly where you can nail the planks.
2. Measure the ceiling along the wall where you're going to start, running perpendicular to the joists.
3. Cut a ceiling plank to the length you measured with your miter saw. Hold the plank on the ceiling, positioned so the grooved side faces the wall. Leave a 3/8-inch gap between the edge of the board and the wall, to allow the wood to expand. Ceiling trim will cover this gap later.
4. Shoot nails through the face of the plank with your trim nailer, putting two nails at each point where the plank crosses a joist.
5. Measure and cut the next plank to size. Set it against the edge of the first one, locking the tongue of the second board into the groove of the first one. Attach the second piece by shooting a nail at an upward angle through the side at each point where the plank crosses a joist, so the nail hole isn't visible on the face of the board.
6. Hang the rest of the planks in the same manner as the second one, cutting them, locking them together, and shooting the sides. Do the whole ceiling except the final piece.
7. Split the last piece lengthwise on your table saw so there's a 3/8-inch gap left at the wall. Face-nail it as you did the first board.
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