Cedar Porch Ceiling

[Duds13]

I am having my porch remodeled and will be putting up tongue and groove cedar on the ceiling. Wondering if I should leave the cedar untreated or if I should at least seal it. It's protected from the elements so I'm wondering if it needs anything at all. Thinking about putting a clear Ready Seal on it though. Any recommendations?

 

[JJT]

I'd seal it, both sides before installation. You'll never get another chance to seal the backside.

 

[EddieWalker]

Before Covid, I tore down my small back porch and started building a bigger back porch that's 16x24. My ceiling is 8 foot long T&G Western Red Cedar that cost $14 each at Lowes. I bought enough to get started, but not enough to do half of the ceiling.

After the Lockdown, it disappeared for a year. I got lucky and found some that had been returned to McCoys that was 10 feet long with damaged ends for $14 each. That got me just over halfway.

When it showed back up on the shelves at Lowes, it was $34!!!

I slowly bought a couple at a time, until I had enough. It was stupid expensive, but I had already committed to it and there isn't anything out there that I liked better.

Before installing each board, I set it on a saw horse and soaked it with Sherwin Williams Super Deck Exterior Oil Based Transparent stain. To me, it makes a very attractive wood into something of extreme beauty. I couldn't imagine not using it, the difference is night and day better!!!

I install each board with a stapler, and when I get to where a light is going to go, I install the board, drill the wood to fit the light, and install the light. Then I move on. I did the same with my two ceiling fans. When I was almost done, I realized that I wanted a couple more lights in my soffit, so I had to play that game of getting 14/2 romex to go about 12 feet to where it needed to be, in a small space.

Be sure to have a solid plan on lighting, and to have everything in place before you install your wood. I went with 3 inch LED can lights, which we really like.

First Year



Second Year



Forth Year

 

[buckeyefarmer]

I'm thinking of doing my porch roof, but probably tongue and groove pine.

 

[JJT]

I'm thinking of doing my porch roof, but probably tongue and groove pine.

That's what I did. I hit the pine T&G with Thompson's water seal front and back before nailing it up.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

I priced 8”x 16 ft pine t&g at $24 each, I’ll need 50 for the porch. Existing ceiling is 1/4” painted plywood with no batons, a quick cover when I built and it stayed. will run new long ways, porch rafters 24” oc. . Will have to lower siding j channel some, thinking of removing wall lights and using LED ceiling lights. Even debating new hardi siding on front of house, but don’t know how that would look with siding on the rest. Originally was going to brick the front, that got cut due to price.

 

[EddieWalker]

I went with 8 foot T&G on my ceiling because it was so much easier to work with by myself, and it's easier to find 8 foot long boards that are straight, then it is to find longer ones. Even at 8 feet, some of them had to be persuaded with a rubber mallet to get them into position.

Always stain or seal them before installing them.

 

[oosik]

I have a Pan Abode cedar timber house. 100% cedar - inside and outside.

I've tried a few different products on the outside. Behr log oil - polyurethane - InWood Semi-translucent oil stain.

BY FAR - the InWood oil stain is the very best. I see Eddie had good luck with an oil stain product also. It's been twenty years since I've had to recoat any outside surface on the house. Except the SW side that faces the afternoon sun. That side gets a new coat every ten years or so.

I'm sure there are many companies that make an oil stain product. I know that InWood comes in many different colors.

For goodness sake - do not use any kind of polyurethane product. It is like coating the cedar with Suran Wrap. Cedar breathes. Large bubbles will form on the cedar and will end up in humongous mess. I have direct experience with polyurethane on cedar.

The log oil yellowed after five or six years and proved to be an inferior product. At least for cedar.

This is the entrance to my house. I've put InWood semi-translucent oil stain on the outside of the house. I used their coffee color. This was last recoated 21 years ago. I really like the darker color as compared to the yellowie color of the natural cedar. All the darker shadows are from the morning sun shining thru the large pine trees.

 

[jyoutz]

I'd seal it, both sides before installation. You'll never get another chance to seal the backside.

Agree. I did the same thing about 5 years ago on my porch ceiling, except I used spruce tongue and groove boards. I used the Thompson water seal with stain and treated both sides before installing. I know the ceiling doesn’t get direct moisture, but it is outside and exposed to humidity and such. Being on the ceiling, the OP would probably never have a rot problem with cedar, but sealing preserves the appearance from staining.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

If the ceiling makes a 90 deg angle for a wrap around, would you run a piece at the 45deg and run each side into it, or just run eachside in without a piece between them? does that make sense? Here’s a picture showing both ways