On the web, I find examples of flooring materials being used for wainscot and ceilings. Are there standard ways of doing this?
Modern vinyl, hardwood, and laminate flooring is often designed to be assembled as interlocking pieces and the floor "floats" over the subfloor, it isn't attached to it. Provision for expansion of the floor is made along the edges of a room. Since a ceiling or wainscot material can't "float", what's the best way to attach it?
One thought is to cut off enough of the locking edges so the pieces overlap but can move relative to each other. Then attach each piece to a plywood substrate.
Many flooring materials have a fiberboard type of backing that must be protected from moisture by a vapor barrier. Do they need a varpor barrier when applied on a ceiling?