How to Install a Wood Ceiling

Wood Ceilings

Introduction:

If you are interested in a real old fashion rustic look for your den or recreation room consider a wood ceiling. A wood ceiling can give a room a warm comfortable look and a whole lot of old fashion charm. Wood ceilings are common in contemporary Adirondack homes because of their charming accent. The material is most often made from pine although they can be manufactured out of hardwoods too.

The material can be either individual wood ceiling planks or wood ceiling panels. Wood ceiling planks make a more realistic looking ceiling than panels.

Wood expands and contracts as the moisture and temperature level changes in your home so wood ceilings are made from tongue and groove shaped edges to ensure a tight connection between boards throughout the year. In most cases the wood ceiling is installed in place of sheetrock although a wood ceiling can be installed over a sheetrock ceiling.

Faux wood ceilings are less expensive to install but they look just like they are, sort of false. Faux ceilings are usually made from wood panels of various sizes and colors to show a grain in the wood. They are manufactured from high-density polyurethane and will not decay over time but they just don’t have the appearance of a natural wood plank ceiling.

Installing wood ceilings using solid wood boards can be a challenge because you are working overhead. In addition, most ceilings are not square and ceiling joists are not always exactly evenly spaced. This doesn’t mean that a DIY homeowner can’t install a wood ceiling. It is a challenge but with patience and common carpenter tools most DIY homeowners can do the job just as well as a professional contractor.

Tips for installing a wood ceiling:

Selecting your wood;
- Pine is easier to work with than most hardwoods but is also softer and can be dinged easily. You have a choice of using #1 or #2 pine. Number one pine is free of knots which makes it expensive but for a real traditional look the number two is a lot cheaper although it has a few knots. Ash is an excellent choice and the price is just about the same as the knot free number one pine.
Check the sealing for being square;
- Installing a wood ceiling can be a challenge as most ceilings are not square. You can be certain that one side of the ceiling will be longer than the other and where the ceiling meets the wall at the lower end can be out of square by as much as a ¾ of an inch. There are two ways to deal with this.
- Cut each board to tailor fit. This will preclude the need to use an outside trim piece. Or, cut all the boards the same length and use trim such as ¼ round around the outside edge.
Set up staging at a comfortable height to work on the ceiling.
Install the boards using a finished nail gun set to recess the nails in the wood.
Determine where any light fixtures or fan will be located. The electrical fixture boxes will have to be extended to the outer edge of the ceiling to mount the fixtures.
Determine the type of finish you want and pre-finish the wood before installing. After installation you will only have to do a little touch up.

It isn’t difficult to install a wood ceiling. Most DIY homeowners can do it themselves.

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