Beaded board is a classic old look of thin, wooden planks with rounded edges between them. It's a common way of covering a porch ceiling, but also looks great on an interior ceiling. Installing beaded board is the same general process as installing any other tongue-and-groove wood ceiling. It's easiest if you're going over bare joists, so you can see where to nail the boards. If not, you'll need to invest in a quality electronic stud finder.
Instructions
1. Use the electronic stud finder to locate all the ceiling joists. Mark them out with your pencil and level.
2. Measure the ceiling along the wall where you want to start the beaded board. It must be in a perpendicular direction to the ceiling joists.
3. Cut a beaded board plank to the length measured, using the miter saw. Use the table saw to trim off the grooved edge of the tongue-and-groove board, to achieve a flat edge to start with.
4. Set the board against the ceiling, with the cut edge facing the wall. Position the piece so the edge is 3/8 of an inch from the wall, leaving a gap there. The gap will allow the wood of the ceiling to expand, and will be covered by ceiling trim.
5. Secure the plank to the ceiling with a trim nailer, shooting two nails through the surface at each place where the board crosses a ceiling joist, according to the previous marks.
6. Measure for the next board, and cut it on the miter saw. Lock it in place alongside the first board, by their tongue-and-groove edging. Secure the second board by shooting nails at an upward angle through the side into each joist, so you won't see the nail heads in the surface of the beaded board.
7. Repeat the process for the rest of the boards, cutting each to size and side-nailing them. For the final piece, use the table saw to trim off the tongue side, making a 3/8-inch gap by the wall, then face-nail it in place as with the first piece.
8. Install ceiling trim around the edges of the room to cover the gaps at the walls.
Tags: beaded board, ceiling joists, ceiling trim, ceiling with, electronic stud, electronic stud finder, shooting nails