You can get a white oak planked ceiling for a lot less than you may think. The secret… use white oak plywood! Here’s how I did it:
Main Supplies Used:
• 1/4 in. x 2 ft. x 8 ft. PureBond White Oak Plywood Project Panel
• 3/4 in. x 2 ft. x 8 ft. PureBond White Oak Plywood Project Panel
• Varathane Dark Walnut Semi-Transparent Gel Interior Wood Stain
Prepare the Ceiling
First things first, we need to get the ceiling ready for planks and beams. I painted the entire ceiling a brown color that matched the dark walnut stain. This step may not be necessary, but I do highly recommend it. This way, if you happen to see in between the gaps in the planks, it will just blend in with the stain color.
Your individual room size will vary and so will your beam placement. After planning out my beam placement for our space, I landed on 5 total beams spaced about 32″ apart. I attached 2×4 boards to the ceiling where my beams will go. This provides a secure surface for attaching your box beams. To secure the 2×4 boards to the ceiling, I used construction adhesive and toggle bolts (this is just attic space above, so the toggle bolts worked best for drywall).
Create Your Ceiling Planks
For the ceiling planks, I used the 1/4 in. x 2 ft. x 8 ft. PureBond White Oak Plywood Project Panels and ripped them down to 5 1/2″ wide strips on my table saw. Once I had my stack of planks, I did a very light sand on them all with a 220 grit sanding block. I prefer to use my jobsite blower to get most of the dust off and then wipe each board down with a microfiber cloth (you could also use a tack cloth). Gel stain seemed to have the best coverage for this white oak plywood, so I used Varathane Dark Walnut Semi-Transparent Gel Interior Wood Stain. Apply the gel stain, as directed, one plank at a time. Shortly after applying the gel stain, I came back through and wiped off any excess stain. Let them sit to dry overnight and they apply your preferred topcoat.
Construct Your Box Beams
This was my first time making beams and making them out of plywood was a pretty seamless process. I found it much easier that trying to do it with dimensional lumber since the plywood is so stiff and straight. I used the same white oak plywood that was used for the planks, except I used the 3/4″ thickness version to build the beams. With the ceilings being 8′ tall in this room, I made the overall size of my box beams 5″ wide by 3 1/2″ tall. The 3/4″ thick plywood at 5″ wide wraps perfectly around a 2×4 board! I followed a basic box beam technique (45° mitered edges) that fold up to form a “u” shape. I found it easiest to use painters tape to help hold the box beam together while popped a few brand nails in and let the wood glue dried. I followed the same stain and topcoat process as I did with the ceiling planks.
Installing the White Oak Ceiling
Since my ceiling planks are completely finished and sealed, all I had to do was cut them down to length to install. Just like the beam placement, the length of your ceiling planks will vary depending on the size of your room and your beam spacing. My planks ended up being about 28″ in length per section (in between the beams). I applied construction adhesive to back of each plank and used my brad nailer to attach them to the ceiling. You can choose whatever spacing you would like between the planks. I found a stiff piece of cardboard that worked perfectly as a spacer, but a nickel or thin piece of wood would work well too.
After all the planks are installed you can move onto the beams. I cut these down to size as I moved across the room since each one might be ever so slightly different from one another. I nailed them near the top of the beam to hit the 2×4 boards that we already attached to ceiling.
The Final Results
This is such a great way to get a white oak ceiling for less! If you were to do this same ceiling in dimensional lumber, the cost would be outrageous. The white oak plywood gives you the same look at a fraction of the cost. Not to mention I found the plywood easier to work with too! If you are looking for any of the bathroom sources, you can find them here.
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