T & G “V” panel deck ceiling

[Larry]

This



is supposed to end up here.



As normal I’m not quite sure what I’m doing.  My thoughts right now are to snap a line down the center and start the first board there.  I’ll be able to push or pull using a clamp, to get the tongue into the groove...there a pretty tight fit.  Also starting in the center should give me an equal reveal on each side.

I’m planning on putting a couple of galvanized finishing nails into the field to hold the boards on...or maybe in the tongue...or maybe use staples?  I’m really at a lose as to what method is best.

I’m not going to land the board ends on a joist.  Thought it would enhance the random look (and save material).  Going to put a biscuit in the ends of the board to keep things straight.  Of course I’ve never tried this idea before either.

Open to suggestions.

[wampum]

Larry almost all my ceilings are T&G. The large area at the top of my stairs(14x16 foot) is Black walnut,that I cut milled and planned myself,from my farm. The rest is all pine that I cut milled and planed. With the exception of the kitchen which I left rough and stained it white. The others are all natural. I put up boards as long as 16 foot,mostly by myself. You are right I chalked a line to get the first board square then I checked every couple of rows to make sure I stayed square. I made a support out of 2 2x4's and screwed it to the ceiling rafters ahead of the T&G,to support the end I was not holding up. I then tacked my end up(I was holding) and moved across forcing the groove in place,until I reached the end. Each board end had to split the rafter board to start the next board. The first room I did all by hand. The rest of the house I used an air nailer,that made it a lot easier,because I could use one hand for support and nail with the gun at the same time. It helped sometimes to have a long 2x4 wedged in from the ground to the board and then nail. If you have 1 or 2 people to help,you should have it up in know time with out much problem. Once in a while I had to use the next rafter as a wedge to lever against to push the board in the groove. When I was done I finished it off with 4 inch crown molding,that covered any flaw or un-square area. Hope this helped you a little. That nailing gun was by far the best thing to use,and was easily worth the investment.

[Ron Wenrich]

I put T&G on my ceilings when I put on the addition.  Most of these were sloped ceilings, but a few were flat.  Since I didn't know what I was doing, I simply started at one side, then kept on moving across the ceiling until I got to the other side.  My errors went into one side.

I nailed into the tongue on each rafter.  Most of them were old hemlock and not necessarily evenly spaced.  I would stagger my joints.  That helped in cutting out some of the worst defect and cutting boards that had bowed.  Instead of trying to butt the ends together, I cut them at a 45° angle.  That made putting the ends together easier.

Of course, if I knew the right way to put it up, I would have.  I approached it similar to putting down a floor.  I nailed the tongues so the nails wouldn't show.  It hasn't fallen down in 15 years.

[wampum]

Good point Ron,I also started from one side not the middle and only nailed the tongue side. I was re-doing an old farm house. It was really pretty square,so I ended up in pretty good shape. 

[WDH]

If you sheath the ceiling with OSB or plywood, you don't have to worry about ending each board on a rafter or bother with a biscuit joint.  The solid ceiling decking allows you to nail without regard to where the boards end.  That is extra effort and cost that you might not want to deal with.

[pineywoods]

I'm about to install a bunch of V groove tongue and groove paneling on the walls and ceiling of a mobile home. I have a pneumatic flooring nailer that I'm gonna try to use. It shoots a 2 inch staple in the tongue. It works real good on flooring, drives the board in place then shoots the staple. I'll let you know how it works.

[LeeB]

Would that be one of the hammer nailers? It might get a little heavy for overhead work.

[Don_Papenburg]

My opinion fur out the joist and run the t&g the short way .  It breaks up the long runs and hides mistakes better. It is a lot easier to install shorter boards also.

[pineywoods]

Would that be one of the hammer nailers? It might get a little heavy for overhead work.

Yup, probably will take 2 people, one to hold the nailer and another to hit it with the hammer  Looking for volunteers 

[Gary_C]

Yup, probably will take 2 people, one to hold the nailer and another to hit it with the hammer  Looking for volunteers 

Is that where you say "when I nod my head you hit it with a hammer."   

 

[badpenny]

I use a "third hand" adjustable pole to hold v groove boards in place, found them on amazon. A couple of 3' bar clamps, reversed to spread, pushes each board into place, 1 3/4" finishing nail from a nail gun through the tongue on each joist or stud holds the board just fine. I work alone, and these techniques sure help a lot.
Beveling one end of each board, and a double bevel on the next board in line, gives a cross grain v that matches the edge v at each joint. Hope this helps

[Meadows Miller]

Gday

Larry i like the look of those boards is it redwood  linning ?? with roofing dad and i have always tryed to use exposed beams and nail the boards over the top with a 3" framing gun  its alot better than trying to hold a piece of timber over your head and nail it  as it turns it into a two man job  we have done alot of places with the linning nailed from the underside but its more of a pita in longer lengths and takes longer  on diagonals and strait angles its pretty easy in shorter lengths for one person 

if your wanting to secret nail it you cant go past a finnish nailer which uses 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 alloy nails the guns i own are both bostich and about 10 yrs old and about $500 ea but will last you a lifetime if you look after them but there are airtool/gun kits outthere you can alot cheaper and seem reasonably well made 

with coverage work out howmany boards you will need to cover the width (use the cover with of the board as your width)  of the porch and if you want to center it so the start and finnish boards are the same width rip the first (start) board to the  width you need then use the groove as your start board as its easier to pop the tongue board into place you can also arais abit of the tongue to get it to go in easier on the last board  if you want a flush fit up against the weather boards which wont be a problem in your case as you havent done them yet 

 If you started buy starting in the center and nailing out to each side your doubling the amont of buggering around to fit two finnish boards into place mate     

Yup, probably will take 2 people, one to hold the nailer and another to hit it with the hammer  Looking for volunteers 

Is that where you say "when I nod my head you hit it with a hammer."  

 

Havent you boys learnt yet Dont trust anyone else with a hammer noteven your Oldman      Make sure your the one doing the swinging  

Ohh and larry remember the old rule Measure Twice Cut Once ittl save you some dramas Mate 

Regards Chris

[Larry]

Larry i like the look of those boards is it redwood  linning ??

Ohh and larry remember the old rule Measure Twice Cut Once ittl save you some dramas Mate 

Chris, that is our eastern red cedar.  Its a pretty purple and white color when first cut or machined but turns brown and beige after a few days exposure to light.

I always have trouble with that measure twice rule...I usually cut twice and its still to short.

I have a Senco 15 gauge 2" finish gun so I'll try a nail through the tongue and see how that works.

[SwampDonkey]

I always have trouble with that measure twice rule...I usually cut twice and its still to short.

Or the second cut to take a smidgeon off a piece of veneer was taken from the wrong edge this time. More for the scrap pile.

[Meadows Miller]

Gday

Larry
I think we all get those odd ones that are alittle short  Mate  
SD  just a lill bit more ive done that on finnish pieces on the table saw  i use a hand plane now Mate

ERC  i should have taken abit more notice to your location Mate  Duhh 

The sencos are a great gun also just make sure you have got your eye in to where the firing pin comes out of the gun as you can split a tongue pretty quick which aint much fun i usually aim for midpoint between the face of the board and where the tongue starts Mate 

Regards Chris

[pineywoods]

Yup, probably will take 2 people, one to hold the nailer and another to hit it with the hammer  Looking for volunteers 

Is that where you say "when I nod my head you hit it with a hammer."   

 

What I had in mind was, Looking for volunteer to hold the nailer while I hit it with the hammer
So far, no volunteers, wonder why 

[Planman1954]

I would probably snap a chalk line along one of the long sides about 3/8" plus the width of the siding away from the starting point. This will give a gap for expansion of the wood. I used pine T&G in my home too...it looks good...especially when it's finished!

[Ernie]

Larry almost all my ceilings are T&G. The large area at the top of my stairs(14x16 foot) is Black walnut,that I cut milled and planned myself,from my farm. The rest is all pine that I cut milled and planed. With the exception of the kitchen which I left rough and stained it white. The others are all natural.

I'd really like to see some pics please, that black walnut sounds fantastic.  What did you use to cut the tongues and grooves?

[Gary_C]

Do you finish the T & G on all sides before you put it up? Or at least give it a seal coat first?

Seems like you could have some cupping problems if the back side is unfinished.

[SwampDonkey]

Finished or not, unless it's in epoxy or something it's gonna move moister in and out. A "V" groove is put on the back side of any pine I've seen used this way, helps with the cup business.