Wood ceilings can give a homey and rustic feel to a house.
A wooden ceiling is a character-filled alternative to the conventional drywall. In addition to having the warmth and color of wood, you are spared the drudgery of overhead drywall sanding during construction. A wood ceiling also will be more effective at retaining heat in the living space than a drywall ceiling. Wooden ceilings can be very rustic, with plain wood planks applied to the underside of the floor joists or more attractively finished with beaded, tongue-in-groove paneling.
Instructions
Determine How Much Wood You Need
1. Measure the width and length of the ceiling that you will be covering with wood.
2. Multiply the width by the length and this will give you the square footage of wood that you will need. For example, if the room is 10 feet wide by 16 feet long, you will need 160 square feet of wood to cover it.
3. Buy a few extra square feet of wood to cover for mistakes and damaged wood.
Build the Ceiling
4. Place the first tongue-and-groove board against one of the side walls, perpendicular to the floor joists above it, with the groove facing the wall. Attach it to the floor joists by driving nails into the face of the board an inch away from the wall and diagonally into the shoulder of the tongue. Countersink the nails going into the tongue with a nail set.
5. Place the second board against the first, with its groove facing the tongue on the first board. Tap the second board onto the first so that its groove goes around the tongue of the first board. Tap them together with your hand or lightly with a hammer until they are as tight together as they will go. The side of the second board that is against the first board will be held up because its groove is joined with the tongue on the first board.
6. Secure the leading edge of the second board by driving nails through the shoulder of the tongue in the same way that you did the first board. Put a nail into every floor joist for maximum strength.
7. Continue in this manner across the ceiling, joining the groove of each board with the tongue of the previous one.
8. Apply crown molding around all four sides of the ceiling after you have finished installing the boards. The crown molding will hide the edges and ends of the boards and make everything look neat and finished.
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