# How to Prep/Paint Wood Ceilings



## Gymschu (Dec 12, 2010)

Certainly prime the knots with white pigmented shellac. That will seal the knots and keep the tannins from bleeding into the finish coats. If the wood is indeed bare without any remnants of a clear finish, etc, you could prime with a bare wood primer (oil). It will soak nicely into the wood and provide some "bite" for the topcoats. After that, two or three coats of your favorite latex paint and your job is complete.

You are on the right track with the sanding as well. As for TSP for cleaning, I am always a bit leary of the residue left after the cleaning. After sanding, if you can remove as much dust as possible with tack cloths or vacuuming or even just plain water, well, to me, that would be enough cleaning as prep for the primer and topcoats. After the primer is dry you really should sand with some 220 grit and remove dust again to get that "baby-butt" smooth look you are seeking.


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## chrisn (Dec 23, 2007)

yes ^^^:thumbsup:


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## ToolSeeker (Sep 19, 2012)

Another beautiful ceiling bites the dust. If by smooth you mean you don' want to see the grooves cover with beautiful drywall.


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## Kaveman42 (Dec 27, 2013)

Gymschu said:


> Certainly prime the knots with white pigmented shellac. That will seal the knots and keep the tannins from bleeding into the finish coats. If the wood is indeed bare without any remnants of a clear finish, etc, you could prime with a bare wood primer (oil). It will soak nicely into the wood and provide some "bite" for the topcoats. After that, two or three coats of your favorite latex paint and your job is complete.
> 
> You are on the right track with the sanding as well. As for TSP for cleaning, I am always a bit leary of the residue left after the cleaning. After sanding, if you can remove as much dust as possible with tack cloths or vacuuming or even just plain water, well, to me, that would be enough cleaning as prep for the primer and topcoats. After the primer is dry you really should sand with some 220 grit and remove dust again to get that "baby-butt" smooth look you are seeking.


Thanks for the info Gymschu. The ceiling planks are currently white washed so its not really bare. We did lightly sand it with 100 grit paper to smooth it out. Today I finished filling the knots that had holes with wood putty to cover them up. I'll sand them down tomorrow to smooth it out again and start applying white shellac as you stated. Should I brush it on only the knots or spray it on the whole ceiling? We have an airless sprayer we can use. Which brand do you recommend? How is the Zinsser BIN Advanced Synthetic Shellac Primer?

I'll skip the TSP as you recommended and just clean it with water then let it dry over night before priming. What is a good primer you recommend? Should I go with Zinsser Cover Stain?


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## Kaveman42 (Dec 27, 2013)

ToolSeeker said:


> Another beautiful ceiling bites the dust. If by smooth you mean you don' want to see the grooves cover with beautiful drywall.


No, I want the grooves. I just don't want the imperfections of the wood. There were some area's where the wood had split or the knots had holes that I patched up.


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## Gymschu (Dec 12, 2010)

Just brush the shellac on the knots. As for an overall primer, the more I think about it, the more I think an interior latex wood primer would work best. Cover Stain is great stuff but dries quickly unlike a slow dry oil that most pros use for wood. Something like this would work well:


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## Kaveman42 (Dec 27, 2013)

That primer you mentioned has pretty good reviews. How many coats would you recommend?http://www.homedepot.com/p/Zinsser-...or-Exterior-Primer-and-Sealer-3504/100398403#


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## chrisn (Dec 23, 2007)

Kaveman42 said:


> That primer you mentioned has pretty good reviews. How many coats would you recommend?


one coat primer. 2 finish coats


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

Kaveman42 said:


> What is a good primer you recommend? Should I go with Zinsser Cover Stain?


He was originally talking about Zinsser BIN.


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## Kaveman42 (Dec 27, 2013)

Project Update:

Just wanted to share with you guys how everything turned out. I ended up spraying the whole ceiling with Zinsser BIN Shellac primer because I was afraid of flashing that others were complaining about. After the primer I only needed to sand the beams since they were a little rough with 220 grit. We then finished it off with two coats of BM Advance Satin paint sprayed. 

As far as caulking goes, we only caulked the cracks in the wood and gaps where the plank and beams meet. My wife and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out. It's a shame that the ceiling is so high, because the Satin paint feels amazing to the touch. With the left over paint we decided to spray a couple of our built-in cabinets. 

Enjoy the before and after pics below. Thank you all for helping me!:thumbup:


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## beverlyLynch (Mar 18, 2014)

Perfecto...


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## MauryAnotti (May 9, 2013)

All the rooms in my house, are off-white cream with black ceilings.


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## NutsandBark (Mar 27, 2014)

Hi Kaveman42
The ceiling looks GREAT! Congrats. Question--I have almost the exact same ceiling (ugh) and want to do the same thing, but am dreading the work it's going to take. Looks like you sanded the planks as well as the beams, is that right? If so, how did you manage the grooves? Thanks!
~NutsandBark


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## Kaveman42 (Dec 27, 2013)

Yes, I sanded both the planks and beams. The grooves were only sanded by hand when it looked like it needed it. Since most of the roof is around 8ft high and rising you wont be able to notice a thing unless your Manute Bol. After it is painted white, your eyes blur everything out when you look up because of the reflection. It was a lot of work but it came out great. Just take your time and do it right because you don't want to do this all over again.


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## NutsandBark (Mar 27, 2014)

Agreed. This is a one time deal for sure. As it happens, everything shows b/c my ceiling is flat (a whole 'nother issue tho), so looks like I'll be sanding in the grooves. At least I can use a sprayer to paint. Thanks very much for the advice. I know you are right....


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## Kaveman42 (Dec 27, 2013)

Then you may want to try a sanding block to save the tips of your fingers.


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## NutsandBark (Mar 27, 2014)

Thanks again. A friend told me today that guys she hired partially filled the grooves in with putty. Sounds like a huge pain, but a great idea. This is becoming a bigger and bigger task every time I turn around! You are welcome to come help any time!


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## Kaveman42 (Dec 27, 2013)

I read many posts that suggested against using putty inside the grooves. The reason being is if the planks expand or contract over the years you will have an eye soar. If you want the seamless look then you can install wood paneling, it'll be a lot easier and you'll have no expansion issues. You have to remember that your ceiling planks are real wood and it is nearly impossible to make it look identical to prefinished tongue and groove planks. 

http://www.armstrong.com/residentia...148-plank/14149-92046?N=4294967019+4294967000


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## NutsandBark (Mar 27, 2014)

Oh true, didn't think of that. Thank you again!


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## vanisland (Mar 14, 2017)

Kaveman42 said:


> I read many posts that suggested against using putty inside the grooves. The reason being is if the planks expand or contract over the years you will have an eye soar. If you want the seamless look then you can install wood paneling, it'll be a lot easier and you'll have no expansion issues. You have to remember that your ceiling planks are real wood and it is nearly impossible to make it look identical to prefinished tongue and groove planks.


Hi.

Your ceilings look great and exactly what I am planning. Can I just confirm that you did not use "putty" or a caulk in between the tongue and groove boards. 

I have gaps between the boards ranging from tight, or no gap, to credit card width gap, and up to say 1/8" inch. 

When the boards are left in the original wood stain you dont notice these gaps but when painted white they stick out more.

In particular when the smaller gaps are painted they sometimes fill with paint in some areas while other areas remain void. I thought filling these varying width gaps would make it look more uniform overall.

Some boards suggest not using caulk as the boards may contract from moisture content and may cause the caulk to to crack eventually. I think you already refer to this above but you reference "putty".

If I dont caulk I am thinking if taking a putty knife to clean out the areas where the paint has filled the gaps to match where no paint has filled the gaps and there is a void space. (I hope that makes sense) Did you have this problem?

(By gap in betwen the wood planks I am not referring to the v-bevel at the edges but the voids between boards or at the point of the V bevel where adjacent boards meet.)

Thanks in advance!


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## Kaveman42 (Dec 27, 2013)

vanisland said:


> Hi.
> 
> Your ceilings look great and exactly what I am planning. Can I just confirm that you did not use "putty" or a caulk in between the tongue and groove boards.
> 
> ...


Hi Van,
No I decided not to caulk or putty the grooves. When your painting just do your best to spray between the grooves. Once it's all done your eyes won't be able to tell from 8+ feet away. I did however putty the knots in the wood to make it look smoother. It was a tedious project but ended up nice in the end.


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## getrex (Sep 14, 2016)

We did a place a month ago that had T&G on several ceilings and on the dining room walls. We caulked and painted the walls and one of the ceilings, and stained the dining ceiling. We actually had to caulk the walls twice because the first product (a fast dry caulk) cracked overnight. So if you decide to caulk you need to make sure you get a quality product and that you put a generous amount between the boards.


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