Skip to Content

Beadboard Planks Over Popcorn Ceiling DIY

Beadboard Planks Over Popcorn Ceiling DIY

Sharing is caring!

Looking for a way to cover those outdated, popcorn ceilings while also adding character to your room?  You can install beadboard planking directly on top of your textured ceilings. This DIY gives you step-by-step instructions.

Look at our finished product…

dining room vertical straight-cropped

To fully  appreciate the transformation, let me give you a little bit of background insight. When we first moved in, this is how the dining room looked….

IMG_20150203_172256912_HDR

Check out those nasty, textured ceilings (and don’t even get me started on the paint and wallpaper). To see how we transformed our dining room up until the point of installing our beadboard ceiling, click here

Now let’s get on to the ceilings….

After painting our dining room, switching out the light fixture and adding modern/transitional decor, something in the room was still missing. I would tweak the decor and rearrange furnishings, but still was not getting the results I wanted. That is when it hit me…..we had to do something about the dingy, popcorn ceilings.

After witnessing what a mess it was to scrape off the popcorn in our living room (you can read my tutorial for removing popcorn ceilings here), I decided to try something different. I wanted to brighten the space and add some nice up-scale detailing to the space….beadboard ceiling seemed the best route to go.

For your convenience, I have included affiliate links. That simply means if you click on one of the links and buy something, I receive a small commission, but don’t worry… you won’t pay a dime more.

Materials Used

  • 10 packs of tongue and groove beadboard planks(we purchased ours at home depot)
  • for coffered ceiling look, 8 MDF boards (we used 1” x 4” x 8′). This also hides plank seams.
  • 16 gauge finishing nails
  • Finishing Nail Gun
  • white caulk (to hide nail heads)
  • Liquid Nails(to adhere mdf beams to beadboard ceiling)
  • ultra-white,  high gloss ceiling paint
  • Circular Saw

The Process

I am just going to warn you guys…this project was a bit labor and time intensive, but the pay-off was so worth the effort! We had initially tried to use actual sheets of beadboard…..#fail.

Because we hate to ask people for help,  it was just my husband and I…getting up on a ladder to help hold those heavy sheets of beadboard (while pregnant) was pretty much a freaking nightmare. That is when my husband decided to ax that idea and go with lighter,tongue and groove planking. Wow! This made such a difference- it went from being about a 4 man task to a 1 (sometimes 2) person endeavor.

IMG_20150927_092718632

Prep:

The only prep we did with the ceiling was finding the studs and marking them with chalk. We also had to plot out a pattern (as you would when laying wood floor). We decided we would install the planking so that there was a center seam line (we knew we would be hiding this with our mdf “beams”). Also, the seams on the perimeter would be hidden by molding which we installed last. If you already have molding, I suggest removing it. Also remove any light fixtures.

Covering popcorn ceilings with beadboard planks:

  1. Cut first piece of bead board plank to plus 7” of center line (where your seams are)
  2. Nail Every 16” into stud!
  3. Cut 2nd piece minus 7” of center line
  4. Alternate and repeat process so boards overlap 7” for strength as shown below..
    beadboard plank ceiling diy
  5. Cut hole for light fixture with jigsaw
  6. Cut mdf beams to length
  7. Secure mdf beams with liquid nails over beadboard.
  8. Reinforce mdf beams with 16 gauge nails every 16” into studs!
  9. Cover nail heads with white caulk and sand once dry. Also, caulk additional seams or gaps as needed. (This is when you can also install molding at the perimeter.)
  10. Apply ultra white, high gloss paint to ceiling (we used a roller on planks and brush on beams and molding). I went with a high gloss to really accentuate the beadboard and  create a nice, reflective surface for light to bounce off.beadboard over popcorn ceiling
  11.  Pat yourself on the back and slam down a cocktail. It was a lot of work, but worth it!While it took us about a week to complete this project (we only worked on it a few hours at a time), I am thrilled with the dramatic results. Not only did it brighten up the space, it gave the room more of a custom, upscale look….it just “completed” the room.And the beams…not  only did they hide the plank seams, it gave the room a bit of a coffered effect (which I love).Do you have a thing for beadboard detailing or Modern Farmmhouse projects? You may want to check out the tutorial I shared for creating a custom Mudroom Entry  for under $200 using beadboard. Click here to read that post.

I would recommend this project to anyone looking to transform their outdated ceilings. Just know this project is a bit of a process and about a $300-$400 investment.

Hope this inspired some of you. Now go out there and design some good vibes!

 

And please don’t forget to spread the love and Pin!!!

beadboard ceiling over popcorn ceiling diy

 

 

Featured on Remodelaholic

More Posts Related to Popcorn Ceilings:

Sharing is caring!

Creative Collection group link party » Lolly Jane

Sunday 13th of March 2016

[…] Designing Vibes | DIY Planked Beadboard Ceiling […]

pamward777

Tuesday 29th of December 2015

Did you do this on 8ft ceiling & did it make it appear smaller or larger? It looks beautiful

Designing Vibes

Tuesday 29th of December 2015

Yes, we have 8ft ceilings in the dining room and although I was concerned it would make the ceilings look lower, I think it did the opposite. The room looks larger and brighter now. I think it is because of the white, glossy paint. Although, if it were a darker color, it may have made the ceilings look lower.

The Creative Collection Link Party

Friday 11th of December 2015

[…] Designing Vibes | DIY Planked Beadboard Ceiling […]

Mary Vitullo

Sunday 6th of December 2015

This is such a great idea. I would love to do this in my home!

Designing Vibes

Sunday 6th of December 2015

Thanks, Mary. It was a lot of work but I am so thrilled with how it turned out.

Silver Pennies Sundays Link Party (147) - Finding Silver Pennies

Sunday 6th of December 2015

[…] you have popcorn ceilings?  If you do, you might want to check out this great DIY by Erica over at Designing Vibes.  Bead board ceilings right over that popcorn ? This breakfast casserole by Simply Stacie […]

Comments are closed.