Easy DIY Rustic Planked Ceiling- The Lived-in Look

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Learn how to create a stunning statement with this tutorial for a rustic planked ceiling.

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Statement Ceilings are the New Accent Wall

Do you remember way back in the early 2000s when painted accent walls were all the rage? You know the look. Where 3 walls were painted one color and one wall, typically the focal wall, was painted a much bolder color to draw attention.

To me it feels like that overeager kid in class always raising their hand yelling “pick me! Pick me!” The accent wall is trying too hard and asking for way too much attention.

I’ll admit, I was guilty of following this trend in my first
home. This was right about the time when tans, beiges and browns were the IT color of home improvement.

The old accent wall trend

This was actually my old living room.

Accent walls aren’t totally gone, they’ve just evolved to include awesome molding and trim designs like the one in our sons rustic teen room makeover.

make way for the Statement Ceiling

How many times have you actually paid attention to your
white ceiling when you’re painting a room? It’s literally a blank canvas and we
typically just slap some flat white paint up there and call it a day. Because
you only decorate the walls right?

Wrong.

You guys, the ceiling is prime real estate to tie in your décor theme.

Just look at some of these gorgeous ceilings and tell me you don’t want to run right out to Home Depot, like now?!

My Statement Ceiling

When we bought our home last year I immediately knew I wanted to incorporate some rustic wood elements into the living room ceilings. I’m patiently waiting for the right time to sweet talk my husband into installing some gorgeous faux wood beams in our great room here. [If you’re reading this honey, I’m sorry] 😉

But in the meantime, I settled for an area that wouldn’t require him to scale 20 feet of scaffolding where he’d have to fear falling and breaking a limb. Because I’m a good wife like that.

Our dining room came with an awesome tray ceiling topped off with some pretty intricate crown molding. It was practically screaming “Dress me up!”

The perfect area for a statement ceiling

I love tray ceilings because they feel like a small enclosed
area where you can take a risk and get creative without overwhelming a room
design.

The Plan for a rustic planked ceiling

I wrestled with so many different options for a rustic wood
planked ceiling. I considered how easy it might be to throw some peel and stick
wallpaper up there and call it a day. Then I saw some large 8 foot faux wood
panels and thought that could get the job done with minimal cuts.

Neither option would have given me the real wood look I was
going for though. This project was going to require actual wood planks if I
wanted it to appear timeless.

In the end, I chose these weathered wood tongue and groove planks from Lowes.

For the price, we couldn’t beat it, and the installation was
incredibly easy. At least from my perspective (I was supervising).

Tools needed for the project

*I’ve linked a few
options you can purchase below

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Steps to create the statement ceiling

Again, I was only supervising (and wrangling toddlers), but
I promise this project is super easy with your basic handy skills.

First, measure it out

Measure the area of your ceiling that you would like to
cover. Be sure to add an additional 10% onto your measurements to account for
wood that gets wasted during the cutting process.

Next, choose your wood

With all the different options and styles of wood on the market, I encourage you to look for something that’s high quality. You can’t go wrong with real materials over faux. But if you do choose faux wood just make sure that you can cut and install it just as easily as the real thing.

I highly suggest using tongue and groove planks for this
project as it makes the installation so much easier when you don’t have to
worry about spacing out your boards.

Bonus, when placing our planks on the ceiling, they
practically held themselves in place for us to nail them. Hey, I am all about
efficiency.

Now mix it up

Planked boards in packages like the ones I purchased are manufactured
similar to hardwood flooring. Meaning they’re made and packaged in lots, so one
box is usually all from the same color lot.

You’ll want to take a few boards out of each package to mix
them up with various colors and sizes as you’re planning you’re layout for
install.

The last thing you want is to have patches of wood on your
ceiling that look uniform and identical. Take a look at this example on the
wrong and right way to install wood planks for variation.

Alternate your boards

Then, make your cuts

The great thing about the boards I used is that they already
come in varying lengths, but you’ll still need to break out the miter saw for
additional cuts.

I’m a huge fan of the miter saw for DIY projects. It may
seem pretty intimidating at first, but it’s actually one of the easiest power
tools to use in my opinion.

Youtube tutorials can be a DIYers best friend when it comes to getting comfortable with power tools. So take some time to learn some valuable tips on how to use the most basic tools.

Anika, over at Anika’s DIY life has a great tutorial here on everything a beginner needs to know about miter saws. It’s a really great resource to check out if you’re timid about using power tools.

It’s incredibly empowering to complete an awesome project
and know that you accomplished it yourself.

Lastly, install your planked ceiling!

Using a brad nailer, start attaching your first board. I
swear this tool is just as fun as a staple gun. Once you get going, you just
can’t stop!

Install each board side by side keeping the seams as close together as you possibly can. The first row is the hardest, but once you get it installed the rest is a breeze.

Continue each row by inserting the tongue and groove boards together to secure them in place before nailing. 

Voila! Stand back and admire your gorgeous planked ceiling!

This project was one of the first ones we attempted in our
new home and it’s still one of my favorites. It’s a huge transformation at a
pretty low cost, which was right up my alley.

We ultimately all want to love our homes, and sometimes the smallest updates are those that can make the biggest difference.

Update!

I recently painted over this gorgeous ceiling to give it a modern moody vibe for our dining room makeover. You can read all about that decision and the full reveal here!

pin this rustic planked ceiling for later

I hope this post inspired you to take on a project that can
help you love the home you have. If you enjoyed it, please share this on social
media so that I can help others create a beautiful space!

P.S.

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