On Monday when I posted the before and after of my kitchen, I left out the info about my DIY wood slat ceiling. Many of you noticed that it was different than in the original kitchen, and wanted to know more, so today I’m spillin’ the details.
Before I added the wood slat ceiling, my ceiling was really in sad shape. It all started when we added the recessed lighting. We didn’t remove all of the drywall because…well…something to do with the way that the ceiling joists lined up.
So when we replaced the drywall that had been removed, the new drywall was slightly thinner than the old stuff. So I was left with awful ridges in my ceiling. I’m sure that someone a lot more skilled at taping and floating could have hidden those ridge much better than I did. But taping and floating isn’t my thing. At all.
So I decided that a wood slat ceiling was the answer. I purchased four sheets of 1/4″ plywood at Home Depot, and because I don’t own a table saw, I had them cut the plywood into 4″ strips for me. Then I cut those strips into 4-foot sections with my miter saw.
Then, because I was doing this ceiling by myself, I used construction adhesive on each strip, and then nailed it to the ceiling with my nail gun.
I used a scrap piece of plywood as a spacer so that all of the pieces were evenly spaced.
And yes, as you can see from the picture above, I originally had the idea of staining the boards before installing them. Bad idea. Not only did it waste tons of time, but my kitchen looked like a cave.
So then I tried varying degrees of drybrushing and whitewashing. Those didn’t really work out either.
I finally decided to paint the ceiling, but since I had gone to all of the trouble painting the cracks black, I tried to keep those black. I thought it would somehow add depth. It just ended up looking really harsh and overpowering.
So in the end, I just painted the entire thing white…cracks and all. It didn’t completely disguise the fact that my ceiling was uneven, but it definitely looks better than the drywall….and a thousand times better than the original popcorn ceiling that was in the whole condo when we bought it.
I think I ended up using about 4.5 sheets of plywood for the ceiling in my kitchen and dining area. So at about $20 each, the whole ceiling came to somewhere around $100. And overall (without the awful staining/drybrushing/whitewashing/painting the cracks black detour), the process is fairly quick and simple.
Hey there! Thanks so much for visiting! :-)
I'm an interior decorator-turned-blogger, and a DIY fanatic. My blog is where I share 
![framed-magnetic-spice-rack_thumb[2]](http://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/framed-magnetic-spice-rack_thumb2-330x165.jpg)
Looks great, Kristi! We did something similar to my son’s bedroom wall.
Brandi’s Latest Post..Scented Pine Cones
Nice fix, Kristi. I need to do something similar to the ceilings at my house. I may borrow your idea.
Suesan’s Latest Post..Master Bedroom Makeover–The Reveal
If you need to cover an uneven surface like this again, use something thin underneath to even out the surface. You could have glued up some cereal cardboard or something as a spacer.
Why did you use a spacer between the boards? Expansion worries? I’m thinking of doing this on my laundry room wall instead of beadboard. Looks great!!
It looks fantastic! We have plans to do something similar in our kitchen/dining room and I hadn’t thought of using plywood!
Amanda’s Latest Post..A Back Door Upgrade
It really looks fabulous! So much better.
Debbie
Debbie’s Latest Post..Our Canadian Thanksgiving
Great save!! I think it looks fabulous!!
Diane | An Extraordinary Day’s Latest Post..{31 Extraordinary Days} Breathe
That looks great!
Runt’s Latest Post..Anniversary Dinner
Just had an idea…why not use wood grain laminate or real wood flooring on the ceiling? Afterall, the ceiling is a fifth wall, right? Love your makeover!
I totally missed the ceiling in your makeover photos because I was looking at everything else. : ) It looks great and the white was the right color with the dark color of the cabinets. Nice job!
What a great fix! I had a similar problem when I removed the popcorn ceiling in my kitchen but not with unevenness but just bad lumps everywhere. I was going to put up wood, but did textured paint instead. Like the wood better. That’s what I would like to put into our great room.
It looks really good! I would love to do something like this, but we are renters.
I found your blog because I have been looking on pinterest for tutorials on how to reupholster two wingback chairs, and I just wanted to say thank you for posting details!! Im still pretty intimidated by the ones I have, but I think I can do it! Gosh I hope so.
bekah’s Latest Post..Friday Smile
I love this look, I just saw it in person recently at a historic Inn in Georgia and was saying how much I’d love to try it someday… I’ll need to save this to see how to do it!
Thanks,
Shirley
Shirley’s Latest Post..Small Brown Autumn Bow – Chocolaty Velvet Ribbon with Fired Orange Accent – Accessory Size – 6 and 1/2 Inch with Double Trails by ABowForMama
This is a great idea! I love the look of old, weathered barn wood so purchased used privacy fence, dismantled all the pieces and used them on my lanai (screened patio) ceiling. But first, I painted the entire ceiling Black Bean (SW) so that I wouldn’t have to worry about the cracks between the planks. Gives the entire lanai a very laid-back, southern charm. Love it!
Your ceiling looks awesome!! I’d like to know how you “stopped” it? I saw your kitchen makeover post too and it seems that the ceiling from your kitchen/dining area flows into another space in your home? Is that right? So how did you handle the cutoff?
Impressive! The steps are simple and no need to call an expert to do this work. My home is currently undergoing renovation and will try this wood slat ceiling in one of the rooms. This is my first time to visit your blog and I found it very useful and helpful for homeowners.
Hi there! I could have sworn I’ve been to this blog before but after checking through some of the post I realized it’s new to me.
Anyhow, I’m definitely happy I found it and I’ll be book-marking and checking back frequently!
Oscar’s Latest Post..Oscar
As I was reading about the wonderful way you did your ceiling it came to mind, that painting the ceiling white 1st then add the plywood strips, which I would paint before applying to the ceiling. I hate painting ceilings, any nail areas that showed could then be touched up. Fantastic Idea, on I think I will try on an ugly ceiling of my own! Thanks!
I love this! We have a house where they wallpapered every room…including TWO ceilings!!!
My bedroom is like a cave because the put grasscloth wallpaper on the ceiling. I’m afraid to try to take it down, as the walls have at least four layers (we tried steaming it off and gave up and painted over the wallpaper on the walls) I’ve been thinking the ceiling needed something…this could be the answer, you did an incredible job. I’m glad there is one thing you can’t do (mud/drywall like a pro) you do everything else so perfectly (just kidding). You are incredibly talented and skilled.
Hi again, love this. Question: did you remove the popcorn gunk with the “wet and scrape” deal, or just go over the ceiling with the boards? I have popcorn throughout and HATE it but also know how expensive it’d be to do pine T&G, and I just don’t have the patience or the time to go through the messy process.
JoAnn @ SweetPepperRose’s Latest Post..Pot Rack Back Porch Lighting
I have uggo popcorn ceilings and I am SO doing this! Glad to be able to learn from your mistakes too so thanks!