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. After finishing the insulation, our next big project was installing a tongue-and-groove pine ceiling.

We decided to whitewash the pine to tone down some of the orange colour, brighten up the cabin, and make the ceiling beams stand out. Here’s how we installed and whitewashed our pine ceiling, plus a few things we learned along the way that I would do differently next time.

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Tools & Supplies

For installing the tongue-and-groove ceiling:

Tongue-and-groove pine boards
Miter saw
16-gauge finish nailer
Finish nails
Tape measure
Tapping block
Small piece of trim

For whitewashing the pine:

White latex paint or primer
Water
Measuring and mixing container
Paintbrush (this one is my favorite)
Drop cloth (if desired)

How to install Tongue and groove pine ceiling

Installing tongue-and-groove boards isn’t a very difficult job, but installing them on a ceiling by yourself is another story! I tried doing this job on my own, but it didn’t take me long to realize I should just ask for help. Tony and I spent a few evenings working on it together, and the ceiling went up pretty quickly.

We got all of our pine tongue-and-groove boards from a local auction site, but you can find similar boards at most building supply stores.

1. Cut the boards to length

Cut your tongue-and-groove boards to length using a miter saw, measuring and planning your cuts so the joints land on the ceiling rafters. This gives the cut ends of the boards something solid to attach to.

2. Fit the boards together

Fit the groove of each new board over the tongue of the previous board. If everything is lined up properly, the boards should slide together fairly easily. If needed, gently tap the board into place using a tapping block. Be careful not to hit the tongue too hard, since it can be damaged.

3. Nail the boards in place

We used a 16-gauge finish nailer and put a finish nail through the tongue of each board at every rafter. Nailing through the tongue hides the fasteners once the next board is installed.

You might be wondering whether you can use an 18-gauge brad nailer instead of a 16-gauge finish nailer for this project. The main difference is the size and holding power of the nails. An 18-gauge nailer uses thinner brad nails that leave a smaller hole, while a 16-gauge nailer uses thicker finish nails with more holding power.

For our pine ceiling, we used a 16-gauge finish nailer because we wanted the extra holding strength for attaching the boards overhead. Since we nailed through the tongue of the boards, the nail holes were hidden anyway, so the larger nail wasn’t really a concern.

4. Finish the final gap

After the last board was installed, Tony added a small piece of trim to cover the gap between the boards and the highest beam.

We wanted to whitewash the pine ceiling for a few reasons: to tone down some of the orange colour in the new pine, brighten up the cabin, and add some contrast so the ceiling beams would really stand out.

There are a few different ways to whitewash pine, but a simple whitewash can be made by thinning white latex paint with water. A 1:1 ratio of paint to water is a good starting point.

I decided to use what I already had and found a can of white primer in the basement. After trying a few test pieces, I ended up using approximately 2 parts primer to 1 part water. I’d definitely recommend testing your mixture on a scrap piece of the same wood first so you can adjust the amount of paint or water until you get the look you want.

I used a paintbrush to apply the whitewash to the entire ceiling by hand, making sure to work it into all the cracks between the boards.

The whitewash is pretty subtle, but I think it accomplished what we wanted it to. I wasn’t sure at this point whether I wanted to do a second coat. I wouldn’t have minded it a little whiter and brighter, but it took me over four hours to paint the ceiling—some of that in some pretty awkward positions—and I wasn’t too anxious to do it all over again!

What We Would Do Differently

We learned a few things after finishing the cabin ceiling that would have made the project easier.

Let the pine acclimate before installing it. Our boards shrank quite a bit after installation, which made some of the gaps between the boards much more noticeable. If possible, bring the boards into the space ahead of time and give the wood a chance to acclimate before installing it.

Consider whitewashing the boards before installing them. I’ve since heard from people who painted or whitewashed their boards before putting them up. After spending more than four hours painting an entire ceiling overhead, I can definitely see the appeal! It would also make it easier to get the whitewash into the tongue-and-groove joints.

We eventually added another coat. After the boards shrank, we ended up caulking some of the more noticeable joints and applying another coat of paint. In the end, it turned out great, but allowing the wood to acclimate first would have saved us some extra work.

Follow Our Tiny Cabin Build

This ceiling was just one part of our tiny cabin project. We built the cabin from the ground up and documented the process along the way. If you’re planning a cabin of your own, or just want to see how ours came together, you can follow the entire build below.

How to whitewash a pine ceiling

This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through one of these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

Tools & Supplies