Taking Up the Cause Overlooked Overhead

Ceilings, like Rodney Dangerfield, get no respect. They’re the most visible surface in a room, yet most simply are painted white when a room is remodeled and are ignored until a leak creates a stain or turns the drywall to mush. Invest a little time and money, and you can turn the ceiling into the focal point of a room. Or give the appearance of an entire room remodel simply by sprucing up a blank, boring ceiling.

Several readily available, easy-to-install materials can help. Common choices include stamped-metal ceiling panels, plywood paneling, tongue-and-groove board paneling, acoustical tiles and planks and wallcoverings and fabrics.

The most popular of these materials is a type of wood board paneling known as either beadboard or plank paneling. It’s commonly used as wainscoting on walls and for the backs of Colonial-style cupboards and bookcases. These tongue-and-groove pine boards are about 5/16-inch thick by 3 1/2 inches wide and have a rounded bead milled along one edge and a second bead routed down the center. When the boards are installed, each appears to be two narrower ones.

Most well-stocked lumberyards and home centers carry beadboard in 8-foot lengths individually or in bundles. Expect to pay about $1 to $1.50 per square foot.

Installing Beadboard

Prime or stain both faces and edges of the boards before you nail them up. This is an important step: Backpriming the boards, for example, helps prevent moisture from passing through and blistering the finish on the front face.

Then determine which direction the ceiling joists run so the beadboard can be installed perpendicular to them. That 90-degree alignment provides a joist every 16 inches for nailing.

If the ceiling is accessible from above, peek into the attic to check the direction of the joists. Or use an electronic stud finder from below to locate the joists. The low-tech approach: Lightly tap the ceiling with a hammer until you hear a dull thud indicating a joist.

Explore each side of the joist by tapping a nail up into the ceiling. Once you find the center of the joist, mark it and then measure over 16 inches to find the next joist. You might end up poking lots of holes in the ceiling, but they’ll be covered up by the new paneling.

Once you have found and marked all the joists, snap chalk lines along the marks to indicate the center of each one.

Hold the first board up to the ceiling with its grooved edge against the wall. Have a helper measure from one end of the board across the room to the opposite wall. Measure from the other end of the board to the wall to be sure the board is parallel to it.

If both measurements aren’t exactly the same, angle the board slightly until they are. Don’t worry if there’s a slight gap between the board or boards and wall; it will allow room for expansion and will be hidden by molding.

What if the room is wider than 8 feet? Span the distance with two or more boards. Make sure that each joint falls on a joist centerline.

With the first board held in proper alignment, drive 4d finishing nails through the tongue and into the joists. Then secure the edge along the wall by nailing straight up through the face of the board (photo 1)--a technique known as face-nailing. Do this on only the first and last boards, not on the ones in between.

Before nailing the board ends, drill pilot holes to prevent splitting the thin planks (photo 2). Tap the nailheads slightly below the surface with a nailset and hammer (photo 3).

Install the second board by pressing its grooved edge over the exposed tongue of the first board. If it doesn’t fit tightly, hold a scrap of beadboard against its outer edge and tap it lightly with a hammer.

Be careful not to damage the tongue. Secure the board by nailing through the tongue and into the joists. Set the nailheads below the surface. Then install the rest of the boards except the last one across the ceiling the same way. Be sure all joints between the boards are tightly closed.

If you come to a ceiling-mounted light fixture, air-conditioning grille or other obstruction, remove it and cut the board to fit around the electrical box or duct hole. For a recessed light, remove the decorative trim and slip the board into position. Hold the trim against the ceiling fixture and mark where it overlaps the board.

Cut the board along the line with a sabre saw, nail it to the ceiling and then replace the decorative trim.

The Home Stretch

You’ll probably have to cut the last board lengthwise, called ripping, to fit along the wall. Use a circular or sabre saw. Then slip the board into place and face-nail it to the joists (photo 4).

Finish by hiding the gaps around the ceiling with decorative molding. Flat moldings--door stop, base cap, cove--are easiest to install because you don’t have to cut tricky compound angles or coped joints. But crown molding (photo 5) provides a more elegant, classic appearance.

Reprinted from the pages of Today’s Homeowner magazine. To get more advice on improving your home, call (800) 456-6369 or visit the Web site at https://www.todayshomeowner.com