How to Cover Popcorn Ceiling with Beadboard Planks

Beadboard Planks Over Popcorn Ceiling DIY

Looking for a way to cover those outdated, popcorn ceilings while also adding character to your room?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…

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….

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.

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:

Cut first piece of bead board plank to plus 7” of center line (where your seams are)
Nail Every 16” into stud!
Cut 2nd piece minus 7” of center line
Alternate and repeat process so boards overlap 7” for strength as shown below..
Cut hole for light fixture with jigsaw
Cut mdf beams to length
Secure mdf beams with liquid nails over beadboard.
Reinforce mdf beams with 16 gauge nails every 16” into studs!
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.)
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.
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!!!