CEILINGS PHASE I

Back in early December 2020 the wood for our ceilings and soffits was delivered from AP Sawmill in Flagstaff. Since we were running behind schedule it was stacked in the courtyard between the house and the casita until we were ready to install it. We lucked out and had a La Niña winter, which means it was dry and thus only a little rain. But we still covered it to keep the rain off the top. Since it wasn't kiln dried we left the ends exposed to let the air flow through so it would continue to dry.

Boards stacked, covered and drying

When we uncovered the planks to begin installing them we noticed that there were some planks that had faded/weathered more than others and there were a few spots of mold. We knew we wanted a more rustic look, thus we didn't go with the kiln dried tongue and groove ceiling look, but the planks looked a little too rustic for our vision. In an attempt to see if we had enough good quality planks for at least the inside of the house and casita all the planks were sorted for size and quality.

Sorting the planks (this is one of three piles)!

Unfortunately we didn't have enough good quality planks for the job so we had to come up with another plan. Andrew, Lucas and Tom put their heads together and came up with the idea to sand blast the planks. The hope would be that this would strip away the outer layer of the planks thus "erasing" the fading/weathering marks and the small areas of mold, which would be scrubbed with a mixture of water and borax to kill the mold before the blasting. They took a couple of samples to the local sand blasting shop, and after a few tests it was decided that using crushed walnut shells for the blasting medium would garner the desired rustic effect we were looking for on our ceilings.

The other question that needed to be answered was when to do the actual blasting. Would it be easier to do it before the planks were installed on the ceiling or after they were installed? It was decided that in an effort to keep the schedule moving forward the planks would be installed on the ceilings of the house and casita first and then they would get blasted by the walnut shells.

The last step to be completed before the plank installation was the hanging of the weed cloth. We know what you're thinking .... weed cloth? Have the Cokers finally gone off the deep end? The answer is no, we're stilling staring into the abyss, but weed cloth is an inexpensive and non-toxic way to put a black background behind the planks so if they shrink over time all you will see between the gaps is black and not the white of the vapor barrier.

Since we anticipate spending the majority of our time in the house's "great room", they started installing the planks there with the first plank going up on the east end. The planks are oriented north/south for a couple of reasons. First it will make the room seem bigger as the lines will run to the highest point on the southern wall. And secondly, when you come in the front door your eye is naturally drawn to the majestic view through the windows to the south.

It was a slow process at first. Since the planks were rough sawn they all had to be run through the table saw to ensure they were somewhat square. Then the crew had to try and create a random pattern. We used planks of 6", 8" and 10" widths so they had to ensure planks of the same width weren't installed next to each other. Then they had to vary the length of the planks to make sure the joints weren't too close together yet met on a furring strip so the ends could be screwed in tight and hopefully avoid any bowing. They put lines on the weed cloth with chalk string to mark the furring strips.

First ceiling planks are installed. You can see the red chalk lines on the weed cloth if you look closely.

End of day one

On day two the crew started to figure the system out but it was still a slow process as each plank needed to be selected for width, put through the table saw, then cut to length and then scrubbed with borax if there was any mold on it.

Luis and Jacob running a plank through the table saw

Bill scrubbing the mold spots with borax after cutting the plank to length on the miter saw

End of day two looking east in the "great room"

A close up video of the rustic look we're after

Of course we don't have low ceilings so the crew got quite the workout lifting and holding the planks above their heads all day long.

Jacob and Luis getting a good shoulder workout

End of day three ... and suddenly the world doesn't look so black!

A close up look along the north/south axis toward the front door

As they got closer to the kitchen wall on the west end of the room Luis and Jacob came up with a couple new techniques to keep the planks tight against each other while they were screwing in the boards to the furring strips.

They wedged a 2" x 4" between the stove soffit and the plank

Jacob uses a chisel as a lever to keep the planks tight against each other

The kitchen ceiling is almost done

The view as you come in the front door ... high ceilings and the view

The team is wrapping up the kitchen

After they finished with the "great room" they were only getting started. They still had the rest of the house and then it was on to the casita. As it was in the house, the big room in the casita was the first priority. The planks were again installed on the north/south axis to show off the high ceilings and to draw your eye to the view of the Palo Verde tree and sky out the big upper window.

A video of the casita's finished main room

The loft in the casita brought the opposite challenge as the other ceilings ... it was low! Instead of standing on ladders, Luis spent all the time on this back while Jacob worked on his yoga poses.