Install knotty pine tongue and groove planks on a ceiling or wall.
Tongue and groove planking makes an attractive ceiling covering. The planks have a groove along one edge and a tongue along the other. The tongues fit into the grooves for a neat, visual appeal. Although available in other wood species, knotty pine and other firs are the most popular types of wood used in tongue and groove installations. With its rustic charm, a tongue and groove planking system fits well on a basement or rumpus room ceiling.
Instructions
1. Set your miter saw table for a straight cut at 0 degrees. Place a plank on the saw table with the grooved edge against the fence. Position the blade over the end of the plank and cut off the end to make it square. Repeat for the other end.
2. Position the plank on the ceiling perpendicular to the ceiling joists with the groove edge against the wall. Mark the tongue side of the plank on the joist. Take the plank to the opposite end of the room and repeat. Snap a chalk line between the two marks. Slide the plank along the line and wall, checking to make sure it never crosses the line. If it does, move the chalk line just enough to allow the plank to fit along the wall.
3. Position the plank at one end of the room with the end against one wall and the groove edge against the other. Mark the plank at the center of the joist closest to the end. Cut the plank on the mark with the miter saw.
4. Hold the plank on the rafters with the tongue edge aligned with the chalk line. Nail the plank to the rafters with two finish nails placed through the plank and into each rafter. Place the nails 1 inch from the edges of the plank and hammer them until the heads protrude about 1/16-inch from the plank. Place a nail set against the dimple in the nail head. Strike the nail set with a hammer until the nail head sinks below the surface of the plank.
5. Trim the ends of the next plank and cut it to the length required to reach the middle of a joist. Line up the plank with the chalk line and nail it in place the same as the first plank. Continue to add planks until the row is filled.
6. Square the ends of the plank for the next row. Cut the plank so the length is one joist span less than the first plank in the first row. Save the cut-off pieces of plank that are longer than a joist span to use as starter or finish pieces for rows. The joist span is the distance between joists.
7. Fit the groove in the new plank onto the tongue on the plank in the first row. Nail the plank to each joist with a nail set at a 30- to 45-degree angle through the plank tongue. Continue adding planks to finish the row. Start subsequent rows with the joints between the first and second board offset by at least one joist span from the joint in the previous row.
8. Measure the width between the last row of planks and the wall. Set the table saw fence to the width measured. Run the planks through the table saw for the last row with the groove edge against the fence. Fit the planks in place and nail them through the face as with the first row of planks. Fill any visible nail holes with color-matched putty.
Tags: chalk line, edge against, joist span, groove edge, groove edge against,