Wood paneling is not just for walls. Use it on your ceiling for an eye-catching finish.
Finishing a ceiling with wood paneling gives your home the rustic appearance of a handmade roof overhead. Tongue-and-groove boards are the most common type of wood paneling used in overhead applications. Using tongue-and-groove boards to finish a ceiling is similar to installing them on walls, but there are distinctive differences between ceiling and wall installation of tongue-and-groove finishes.
Tongue-and-Groove Boards
Tongue-and-groove boards lock when installed. Each piece has a notch, called the groove, along the length of one edge and a projection along the opposite edge of the board. The projection, called a tongue, from one board fits into the notch on the board adjacent to it to hold the boards together. Boards are usually available in thicknesses of 3/8 inch to 3/4 inch.
Buying Tongue-and-Groove Boards for Ceilings
When purchasing boards for your ceiling, buy more tongue-and-groove planks than you will need just to cover your ceiling. Cutting, overages, damaged boards or not measuring properly can quickly send you back to the store for more boards. Tom Lemmer in "Black and Decker: The Complete Guide to Finishing Walls & Ceilings: Includes Plaster, Skim-coating and Texture Ceiling Finishes" suggests buying 15 percent more wood paneling than your ceiling's area. The area of the boards is measured not to include the projecting tongue on the end.
Wood Plank Thickness
Because the tongue-and-groove boards are only the finish for your ceiling, they do not have to support anything. When choosing boards for your ceiling, you need to look for thinner, lighter planks than you would use on a wall so your ceiling can hold up the weight. For a ceiling, choose boards thinner than 1/2 inch thick, as recommended by "Creative Homeowner's Ultimate Guide to Floors, Walls and Ceilings: Build, Remodel, Repair." Check with your local construction codes, because some require a drywall backing for ceiling finishes thinner than 1/4 inch.
Considerations During Installation
When installing tongue-and-groove boards on the ceiling, use flooring nails for better hold. Hammer nails under the tongue before you install the next board. When you slide the next board over the tongue of the nailed board, you will not see the nail. This process is called blind nailing. Plan for the short edges of the tongue-and-groove boards to fall in the middle of the ceiling joists so your can nail them into the structure of the room.
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