I’m putting up a beadboard ceiling in a workshop, after having taken down the origional drywall. My problem is that the rafters under the drywall are not even enough to apply beadboard onto directly.
I was thinking about either
1) putting new drywall under the beadboard
2) putting up and OSB sub-ceiling and leveling it with shims
3) using a belt sander/ powered planer to take off the high spots on the rafters until they’re even. I would use a long jointed 2×4 to run down and across the rafters to mark the high spots.
4) hammer straight 2×4’s onto the rafters, coming down another 3/4 of and inch along each rafter to make a new level surface.
Has anyone faced this problem before? Do any of those ideas sound better than others?
Until I find a good solution I’m stuck with a pile of beadboard and a gutted ceiling.
Thanks!
Replies
vincent,
were i you i would scab 2x4, or a 2x6 ripped in half, to the side of each rafter, building the ceiling down the heigth of the lowest rafter. using a string line as a reference to keep them in plane, you can move the scabs down until they are in the plane of the string, and nail, working your way from the bottom to the top.
Edited 3/20/2007 7:28 am ET by arnemckinley
Could you run 1x3 strapping perpendicular to the rafters? If the variation isn't too great, you can shim under the strapping to straighten things out. This will mean running the beadboard the opposite direction. Another way is to "sister" a 2x4 to the side of the rafter, allowing it to stick down to account for differences. It may be possible to just rip some 1/4" or whatever size strips you need, to fur down. And the last alternative is to just put up the beadboard and shim behind each piece as needed. This will probably be the easiest, once you get the first couple going, the rest will somewhat follow. I use some inexpensive white cedar shingles. Rip a bunch into 2" strips and then crosscut them about 3" long. You'll have a bunch of assorted size, easy to use shims. Keep them half way up on the edge so it will support the next board, too.
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
i was just reading my post from last night. it looks like i mis- typed;). of course i ment scab the rippings to the side of the rafters, not the bottom. LOL. thanks for setting me straight.
Hammer1 has it: strap the ceiling. Find the lowest joist (i think you meant ceiling joists, rather than rafters?), shim the other nailing locations down to that level - good excuse to buy a laser level, BTW - then shoot the 1x3 strapping on perpendicular to the joists with ring-shank nails.
The advantage of strapping is to stiffen your ceiling by making a grid. Also, you aren't bound to the spacing of your existing joists, which may be 24" o.c. - too far apart if you're putting on the thinner (1/4"-3/8") beadboard.
The disadvantage is that fire will spread more quickly between bays if you use strapping.
Thanks everyone- I think you've solved my problem. I will either nail 2x3s along the joists at the level of the lowest point on the current joists, or I will run perpendicular strapping
with shims. I'm going to feel it out based on the room. The laser level sound like a good idea too. I appreciate all the quick help!Vincent
I've had good luck with my Robolaser. I like it bec the dot is very visible and small enough to be useful at 75', the remote is invaluable for working alone, and i wouldn't consider one that wasn't self-leveling. Mine has worked extremely well on a variety of jobs over many years without the slightest problem, but the newer ones are made by PC, so i'm not sure if they are up to the original standards. For the price - you can find them for about $200 - you get a great lot of laser-leveling capability.
Scabbing is quick and easy. (Especially if you use a rotary laser to line everything up.) Strapping is nice because you get a wider surface to land joints on when applying your beadboard. You can just shim under each spot where the strapping crosses the joists. Your choice.
Mike Hennessy
Pittsburgh, PA
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