Material for Porch Ceiling

[buck12]

I am in the process of building a small cabin on our rural property. This is not a house we will ever live in permanently. The property has been in the family for well over a 100 years. My goal is to build something that can be handed down to my kids and grandchildren. With that said I don稚 want fancy, love low cost, and want this cabin to stand up to the test of time.

I am at the point of choosing material for the porch ceiling. I am thinking exterior plywood. The porch is 8 x 32? The rafters are on 16 centers. Is there a material better than plywood? If I go with plywood how thick?

 

[s219]

You might want to see if T1-11 panel would work -- it would look better than plain plywood and cost is similar. Make sure it's a reputable brand, as the cheap stuff likes to delaminate (same is true of plywood of course). I have found that the good T1-11, when painted or stained, will last a long time.

The other option, if you have access to it, would be rough sawn pine boards. That is an economical material and looks great on a ceiling.

If you have wood bees in that area, choose your materials carefully for fascia and trim. They don't normally eat into a ceiling surface, but they'll love every other wood surface around a ceiling.

 

[buck12]

You might want to see if T1-11 panel would work -- it would look better than plain plywood and cost is similar. Make sure it's a reputable brand, as the cheap stuff likes to delaminate (same is true of plywood of course). I have found that the good T1-11, when painted or stained, will last a long time.

The other option, if you have access to it, would be rough sawn pine boards. That is an economical material and looks great on a ceiling.

If you have wood bees in that area, choose your materials carefully for fascia and trim. They don't normally eat into a ceiling surface, but they'll love every other wood surface around a ceiling.

Thanks. Most of the cabin is Hardi Plank so insect damage should be minimal. Is T1-11 available with a bead board look? How thick should I go?

 

[PILOON]

You could check out metal panels, some of which have the look of narrow planking.
I did my porch roof with is and it makes a bright room as well as is permanant.

 

[s219]

You know, Hardi panel would be another great choice for the ceiling. We used it for soffit at my mother in law's place and it worked great. If you could manage the panels to get them up on the ceiling, that would be a good material.

I have seen T1-11 with various groove widths in the pattern, some as narrow as 4". Most of the time it seems to be about 8". It's usually 7/16" to 9/16" thick, or so (cheap stuff is thinner and should be avoided).

The only bead board paneling I have seen is very thin, like 1/4", and seems to be intended for faux waynscotting on walls. Might work on a ceiling but I'd be concerned about sagging.

 

[downsizingnow48]

Old houses I have worked on and some new, used doug fir beaded boards about 3x5/8. Clear straight grain. Very nice material. Might not be available these days.

 

[Tractor Seabee]

I would use tongue and groove pine or fir. Available in several widths and has a V groove at each joint. Makes a classy looking finish. I would also back prime it before install. Cheaper than a lot of alternatives and easy to install. Use a pneumatic nailer in the joints for a blemish free surface.

Ron

 

[Dan Lamb]

Hey Buck ,
I built a cabin in 2007 in the mountains at the base of Mt Shasta in Northern Ca , was in the same budget position as you , I used some 4x8 x 1/2 “ sheets of rough sawn plywood and treated it with some clear wood treatment for a rustic effect . It was a very good price for my budget and looked good and clean . But be sure to put block backing between your ceiling joist at each end and in the middle depending on your span , also I trimmed the edges out with 1 x 2ç—´ for a clean looking edge and painted them the same color as the trim on my cabin , Good luck and enjoy your project. Dan

 

[mikester]

Go metal T&G and maintenance free. Easy to vent too. Less for the critters to munch on.

 

[ericm979]

There's a Hardi panel in bead board profile. We have that on our porch ceiling. It looks pretty nice.