Master Bedroom: Installing A Beadboard Ceiling

The ceiling in the master bedroom has been a long process, pictures of which are available here and here. We have completed the project, save for the finishing trim, which we plan to do after we move in (this Thursday!)

We'll start with a photo of the finished product! It came out great, and has since been painted with another coat of bright white gloss paint, which catches the sunlight through the windows perfectly.

The project began like many other projects- with a trip to Lowe's. After picking out which material we wanted (knotted pine bead boards), we loaded up our trusty ole Blazer and headed home.

Since we decided to go with un-primed boards, I laid some plastic on the floor in what will one day be our office, and set the boards groove-side up. I used a white primer to give the boards an initial white-washed look. To prime all of the boards took about 5 hours. (Note: this is in part because the boards had to dry before I could stack them to make room for the next set... and partly because I was simultaneously making phone calls to chat with friends while I painted.)

With the boards primed and dried, Ken and a few friends installed insulation between the ceiling and where the boards would go to help the now-vaulted ceiling maintain a more stable temperature. Next, they measured the boards (initially 8' long) from one side of the room to the furthest beam it could reach, then they cut the boards to fit along the center beam. Installing the boards required snapping the tongue-and-groove boards together one at a time, and then using a nail gun to secure them against the existing beams. This process was repeated on the other side of the room the following evening. In all, the project took one evening for installing the insulation, one evening for the first half of the room, and one evening for the second half of the room and the ceiling in the storage area we created (visible in the last two pictures of this post).

I am so impressed with Ken and the guys- they worked so hard in incredibly hot conditions and did a remarkable job! The installation of the bead board itself was not hard, but the precision required in the measuring and the collaborating to ensure each piece was fully secured to the previous before nailing it was somewhat time-intensive. That said, we absolutely love the bead board ceiling (and our friends for all their help!) It makes the room feel even bigger since it draws your eye up as soon as you walk through the door, and because it's white, it reflects the natural light back into the room, making it bright and airy.

Eagerly anticipating move-in day,

-Domestic in the District