Cedar 2x6 decking for exposed vaulted ceiling
#1
06-25-18, 02:20 PM
Cedar 2x6 decking for exposed vaulted ceiling
I have a ton of 2x6 cedar lumber. This is really nice stuff with beveled edges and grooves on the underneath to prevent cupping. The lumber is not T&G.
Would it be a acceptable application to use this material to make a cedar exposed vaulted ceiling. The trusses are 24” ok and I would fasten the 2x6’s to the trusses and cover the seams with a faux beam.
I am worried about the wood shrinking and gaps appearing between the boards.
What do you think?
Would it be a acceptable application to use this material to make a cedar exposed vaulted ceiling. The trusses are 24” ok and I would fasten the 2x6’s to the trusses and cover the seams with a faux beam.
I am worried about the wood shrinking and gaps appearing between the boards.
What do you think?
#2
06-25-18, 02:26 PM
Group Moderator
The ceiling would need to be drywalled and be fire taped first, but what you put on it after that is up to you.
#3
06-25-18, 03:58 PM
Yes understood mainly wanting to know if dimensional lumber with no interlocking can be used of if it will shrink too much and create unsightly gaps between the boards. It would be on a vaulted ceiling application
#4
06-25-18, 04:13 PM
Group Moderator
It's possible it will shrink if it's wet. The main thing is possible cupping and twisting. Without tongue and groove it may not lay completely flat over time. That's why ceilings are normally tongue and groove in the first place.
One idea would be to saw or router your pieces to create a shiplap edge. Better than nothing.
One idea would be to saw or router your pieces to create a shiplap edge. Better than nothing.
#5
06-25-18, 04:23 PM
Member
What you have sounds like it was made for decking not a ceiling.
Yes there will be gaps showing along every long seam and at the butt joint with seasonal changes.
There's also the issue of how to attach it to the rafters.
There's going to be exposed screws or holes showing.
Most often a wooden ceiling like that can be done with with 3/8 or even 1/2 T & G and there are no exposed fasteners, no gaps at the joints.
Yes there will be gaps showing along every long seam and at the butt joint with seasonal changes.
There's also the issue of how to attach it to the rafters.
There's going to be exposed screws or holes showing.
Most often a wooden ceiling like that can be done with with 3/8 or even 1/2 T & G and there are no exposed fasteners, no gaps at the joints.
#6
06-25-18, 04:27 PM
That’s a good idea I’ll router a shiplap groove and the faux beams every 4’ will hold down and hide the ends and hopefully prevent any twisting and cupping, thanks for the advise
#7
06-25-18, 05:53 PM
Member
Just a really bad idea for many reasons.
Just to name a few, Faux beams will do nothing to stop to stop twisting or cupping,
Really need a shaper, not a router.
Just because you have the wood for free does not make it a good idea.
Just to name a few, Faux beams will do nothing to stop to stop twisting or cupping,
Really need a shaper, not a router.
Just because you have the wood for free does not make it a good idea.
#9
06-26-18, 06:26 AM
Originally Posted by xsleeper
...what you put on it after that is up to you.
#10
06-26-18, 07:41 AM
That's kinda what I was thinking a 1.5" thick wood ceiling will be HEAVY, even in cedar. Probably more than the design load of the truss.
If the cedar is kiln dried it will not shrink or expand much once installed but you might see little gaps open in the winter. If it's air dried it might move quite a bit. One solution is to use a V-groove pair of router/shaper bits to machine the edges. Poor man's way of doing that is to set the bevel angle on your table saw to 10 degrees and rip each board into a parallelogram and overlap them, so when there is a gap between boards you can still only see the cedar because the gap opens at an angle to the viewer. Painting the ceiling substrate black/brown before you hang the wood will also make the gaps disappear.
If the cedar is kiln dried it will not shrink or expand much once installed but you might see little gaps open in the winter. If it's air dried it might move quite a bit. One solution is to use a V-groove pair of router/shaper bits to machine the edges. Poor man's way of doing that is to set the bevel angle on your table saw to 10 degrees and rip each board into a parallelogram and overlap them, so when there is a gap between boards you can still only see the cedar because the gap opens at an angle to the viewer. Painting the ceiling substrate black/brown before you hang the wood will also make the gaps disappear.
#12
06-27-18, 09:22 AM
I seriously doubt that your structure could hold all the weight you are talking about installing. Save the 2x material for another job, and get tongue-groove in the thinnest dimension available. Even then I would be hesitant about adding that much extra weight over original framing specs without a TRUE professionals evaluation first. The risk you are talking about here is a possible devastating failure of the structure, which will NOT be covered by insurance since you did it yourself, and violated original design load-carrying specs.
