Special tongue-and-groove beaded ceiling boards are readily available from most lumber yards, and when installed on your ceiling they render a very attractive wooden ceiling. However, for a more rustic style of wood plank ceiling, you can use any stock of wood planking you feel will make for a sharp-looking finished job. The wood can be selected at a lumber yard or purchased from a local sawmill, but the wood supply needs to be completely dry (preferably kiln-dried) and of uniform dimensions.
Installing Straight Planking
Straight planking can be nailed directly to the ceiling joists with large casing nails, or you can even used ring-shanked flooring nails if you're concerned about the boards coming loose. Always butt the ends of different boards together in the center of a joist. And be sure to set the nails and cover each nail hole with wood putty. The key to a good-looking plank ceiling is checking each board before it is installed for defective (curved or twisted) edges. Good quality stock will make the task of installing the ceiling a lot easier. To ensure a straight line across the ceiling, you can chalk a line from one side to the other. Do this every few feet and your handiwork will look much better when the job is complete.
Rabbet Joints
For a tighter fit between ceiling boards you can use stock that has a rabbet joint on each edge of the plank. The wood can be custom milled with a rabbet cut on each edge, or you can make the edge yourself if you have a router or a table saw with a dado blade. Just make sure the rabbet cut is made at exactly half the thickness of the board. These specially milled boards will create tight lines and the ceiling will be airtight because of the overlapping nature of the rabbet joints. Once completed, a clear wood finish can be added to let the natural beauty of the wood come through.
Recycled Wood
Recycled wood can be used to create a very unique wooden ceiling. Again, uniform quality is a major concern; if the dimensions of your are constant, your task of putting up the ceiling will be much easier.
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