How to whitewash a pine ceiling

For the last few months, my husband Tony and I have been building a tiny cabin in our backyard to use as a short term vacation rental. The most recent task was the ceiling, and we have made a lot of progress on these last few weeks! After the insulation, the next step for the cabin ceiling was to install the tongue and groove paneling, and whitewash the pine ceiling. Keep reading to find out how to whitewash and install a pine ceiling.

How to install Tongue and groove pine ceiling

Installing tongue and groove boards is not a very difficult job, but doing it on a ceiling by yourself is pretty difficult. I tried to do this job by myself, but it didn’t take me long to realize I should just ask for help. Tony and I spent a few evenings over the last week, and together we threw up the ceiling pretty quickly.

We got all our pine tongue and groove boards from a local auction site, but you can find the same product at any hardware store. To install pine tongue and groove paneling, first you cut the boards down to length. You want the joints to line up on the roof rafters so it gives some support to the cut end. As the name of the material suggests, all you do is slide the groove of the board onto the tongue of the previous board. If everything is lined up correctly, it should just slide in beautifully. You might want to tap the board in gently using a tapping block. If you tap the board in with too much force, it could damage the tongue. 

 

How to Whitewash a pine ceiling

Our main reasons for whitewashing the pine ceiling were to protect the wood, neutralize some of the orange wood tones, and add some contrast to make the ceiling beams really pop.

Now there are a number of ways to whitewash a pine ceiling. To do a whitewash, all you need is a white latex paint and thin it with water. I chose to go the cheap route and found a can of paint I had in the basement. It was primer, but it worked just fine.  A good ratio for a whitewash is 1:1 paint to water. However, since I had primer, and after doing a few test pieces, I decided to do a ratio of 2 parts primer to 1 part water.

I used a 3″ paintbrush and painted the entire ceiling by hand, making sure to get into all the cracks. 

The whitewash is pretty subtle, but I think it accomplished what we wanted it to. I’m still undecided about whether or not I will do a second coat. I wouldn’t mind it if were a little whiter and brighter, but it took me over four hours to do the ceiling, some of that was in precarious positions, and I’m not too anxious to do it all over again. What do you think? Does it need another coat? Or leave it as is?

UPDATE:

We learned a few things after whitewashing the cabin ceiling. I have heard people that have painted all their boards before installing them. I think this is a great idea! We also ended up caulking all the joints, and doing another coat of paint. This was because the boards shrank a fait bit and the cracks were very prominent. It’s a good idea to let your wood acclimate to the surrounding before installing it. We did not have the time so, but it turned out great either way! To see the final cabin, please check out this link: https://thevanderveenhouse.com/tour-of-our-cabin-in-the-woods/. 

 

NEXT STEPS

 I’m slowly working on finishing the vapor barrier on the walls. Tony is working on the plumbing, but the next major step will be to do the flooring. 

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CABIN DESIGN AND PLAN

PHASE 1: SITE PREP AND EXCAVATION

• Trench for water line and electrical
• Basement, gravel pad, blocks, and beams
• Pond and driveway

PHASE 3: CLOSING IN THE CABIN

• Tin roof and tiny cabin exterior framing
• Housewrap, cabin windows, and exterior door
• Exterior siding

PHASE 4: INTERIOR FINISHING

 

• Electrical wiring, interior framing and loft
• Cabin insulation
• Whitewashed pine ceiling
• Vinyl tile click flooring
• Loft flooring and pine walls
• Clawfoot bathtub
• Interior cabin walls
• Ladder and kitchen

PHASE 5: FURNISHING

• Tour our cabin in the woods!
• Or, check out the listing on Airbnb