My front porch ceiling

[Mike OMelia]

Well, I got the dormer project finished. Next, the front porch under the dormers needs attention. On the inside of the porch, there are 8 foot pillars that support a covered section that has 4 foot walls to the ceiling. The walls are bead board. The ceiling is that vinyl stuff common today. I would like to replace it. Question is, what would look good with bead board walls? More bead board?

The walls are a taup color. Shoul I go with a taup ceiling, or white like the vinyl?

Thanks!

Mike

[Mike OMelia]

I promise to get back to real woodworking once I get my honey-do list done!

[Duane Bledsoe]

I'd go with a beaded look to match the walls. They make this in vinyl also if you want a maintenance free product (looks just like the original wood bead board, only vinyl), and it also comes in 12' lengths whereas using the plywood bead limits you to 8' lengths. This way you can cover a wider ceiling with possibly no seams showing (12' or less).

[Mark Godlesky]

How about tin ceiling tiles. Or one of the big box stores has a vinyl facsimile of the tin tiles. Might be better for outdoor use. If you want wood I'd consider a tongue and groove in wider widths than the beadboard,

[Bruce Page]

I'd go with a beaded look to match the walls. They make this in vinyl also if you want a maintenance free product (looks just like the original wood bead board, only vinyl), and it also comes in 12' lengths whereas using the plywood bead limits you to 8' lengths. This way you can cover a wider ceiling with possibly no seams showing (12' or less).
Duane, do you have a source for 12' beadboard? I'm going to referb our back porch next year.

[Bill ThompsonNM]

I promise to get back to real woodworking once I get my honey-do list done!

Doesn't happen.

[Richard Wolf]

As far as color goes, traditionally the ceiling should be painted sky blue. Porch ceilings were painted this way so when you look outside it always looks like a beautiful day. Start looking at porch ceilings and you will notice a lot of sky blue ones.

[Jaromir Svoboda]

Alside.com
http://alside.com/index.aspx?page=68

[Bruce Page]

Thanks Jarimir. Got it bookmarked for next spring. There's even a distributor right here in town!

[Larry Edgerton]

As far as color goes, traditionally the ceiling should be painted sky blue. Porch ceilings were painted this way so when you look outside it always looks like a beautiful day. Start looking at porch ceilings and you will notice a lot of sky blue ones.

There is another reason for this Richard as well. Spiders do not collect on sky blue ceilings. I just finished up a restoration on a 130year old place that had sky blue porch ceilings, and although the site was overun with spiders, there were never any on the blue ceilings. I thought it was just an old wives tale when I first heard of this but I have seen it stand true several times.

My porch ceilings will be sky blue.

Larry

[Larry Edgerton]

Porch ceilings are a great place to show off some real wood, and it will stay nice as it is protected from the elements. I talk people into clear western red cedar, and they always love it.

Beadboard on the ceiling as well is too busy. I would recommend a 6" wood product or a plastic alternative that is solid such as Azek, but for the money, clear western red 6" T&G would be my choice. Knotty Cedar is again too busy with the many lines of the beadboard.

That thin vinyl beadboard looks bad. If you put it up you will have to look at it for years. Just my opinion, but I have not put up a single piece of vinyl in 35 years of construction. I hate vinyl!

Larry

[Richard Wolf]

Larry, thanks for the heads up about the spiders, I have never heard that one but will file that into my memory bank. I find that as I get older, I am a wealth of long forgotten knowledge.