Putting up a bead board ceiling tutorial

Good morning everyone.....I have had a lot of questions regarding the bead board ceilings I have in many of my rooms.
I thought today I'd give my version of a tutorial as to how this was done.   Please remember too that everyone does this different ways.  My may or may not work for you. 
First, here are the pictures of the ceilings that are done....

The main bathroom....I used 4 inch 5/8 thick pine tongue and groove bead board.  I left the natural finish and just put a clear coat of polyurethane on it.

My son Reece's room

My daughter Sami's room

My master bedroom

Bathroom/laundry room

Thankfully, the living room, kitchen, hallway, my son RJ's room, and stairwell already have gorgeous cedar ceilings. When I get to the renovations of these rooms, the ceilings will be staying as is...

The master bath is in the process of renovations right now, so even though the boards are already up, the construction around them is still happening so it will be a little easier for me to give the tutorial.

Other than the main bath, I use 6 inch 3/4" thick bead board.  I buy it pre primed since I am painting it anyway. It is less expensive because it is PFJ (prime finger jointed) and has a few flaws here and there. But, this is fixed this with caulk, filler, and paint....All of which I'd be using anyway. It is real wood. Just not as gorgeous and well made as the pine we used in the main bath.

This is what it looks like with the tongue and grooves:

You obviously buy boards longer than the length of the room.  Each board is cut to size as you go along. Do not assume you can cut all boards ahead of time to the length. Even if you are working in a square or rectangular room, the lengths can be off slightly due to the original framing. We worked with a gutted ceiling so our studs to nail the outer boards to were exposed. If you are working on a sheet rocked or popcorn ceiling, be sure to mark off the studs prior to starting.

Cut your first board to size.  A nail gun was used and placed the first board. We nailed the length and ends to the studs. These nail holes and uneven edges will be covered later with crown molding.

Cut your next board to size. Fit the tongue into the groove.  It helps to cut a small piece to use as a tapping block. Put this on the outside of the board and bang the board into the stationed board. This prevents damaging the board you are using. At this point you don't not want any nail holes on the surface of the ceiling. Nail the edges that will be covered with crown and nail the groove into the sheet rock. It is ok if the nails in the groove don't go directly into studs. These are just stabilizers. The nails at the ends and the next piece you put in will hold it into place. Continue on until you hit an obstacle such as a fan, light fixture, or a wall that may jet in or out.

Notice in the second picture above there  happens to be a boxed in area for the heating system. When we got to the end of this area our ceiling became wider. If you get to a point such as this, you may need to notch part of the board out to fit the puzzle of the ceiling. We use a jigsaw for this. When you get to something such as the light or ceiling fan gap I have shown, just cut two separate boards to butt up to each side of the hole. You might have to do a little notching here too. Don't worry, the cuts and notches will be covered by the fixture you are putting up.

When you come to the last board, be prepared to be stressed!! This is unfortunately a difficult board to put up. You have to angle it in.  A chisel is used to place between the last board and the stud.

Be sure to nail the last board along the edges and the length to the stud. The next step is filling any knicks or dings in the ceiling. Sand when dry. Do not paint until you are done putting up your crown, filling holes in the crown, and caulking the top and bottom of the crown.

Again, here is the before....

And after....

I highly recommend you spend the little bit extra and purchase your wood from a reputable lumber yard. Although I purchase a lot from Home Depot or Lowe's I steer clear from getting our wood there. You may think you are saving, but the wood you get from Home Depot will be damaged, not as durable, and the quality just isn't the same. You will end up throwing boards away and spending more in the long run. Surprisingly, my crown molding was even less expensive at my lumber yard than Home Depot and they delivered  for free because we had a large order.

Please remember this tutorial is coming from a stay at home mom.  LOL


Have a great Sunday...
Lisa