The day is finally here! LuLu’s ceiling is up and it looks amazing! It really makes her feel like home, and while I don’t want to jump too far ahead – that also means her curtains can go up!
If you missed last weeks blog, check it out HERE. I went over the steps it took to get here.
LuLu’s rear cabin is exactly 8 ft long, and I couldn’t be happier about that! Why? Because Home Depot sells packs of cedar tongue-and-groove in 8 ft sections (and 10 ft, if you need it). That means I didn’t have to do any cutting or sanding to get here!
Thankfully, I had another set of hands to help me hold one end while I was anchoring the other. If you don’t and its just you – fear not – check out this video I found super helpful. This man is really a gem and not only does he walk you through cladding the ceiling, but also how to do it by yourself.
Starting the Ceiling
For this project, I actually wanted to start dead center of the van, and then work outward. Wood is a natural material, so that means it is naturally flawed. Find your straightest piece and start with it. Everything else that comes after is going to be pushed together against that first piece you lay.
With centering comes measuring. This part was partially taken care of when putting up the anchoring blocks previously, but you’ll want to measure again. With the help of your friend or rig, place your board were you want it. Make sure its flush with the front cabin and line it up nice and straight.
Once you’re lined up, you can screw that board to the ceiling. With only one end attached, you’ll still have the ability to move the far end, so measure again and make sure you’re lined up where you need to be. Then, screw that into place.
Finally, look down your board and make sure that you don’t have a large curve in the middle of your board. If you do, you’ll want to correct it before you screw it into place. This will more than likely just required a second set of hands pressing it so that its where you need it to be. Remember: This was your straightest board. I don’t expect it to have any outrageous curves. Once its positioned correctly, screw it into the anchor.
Congrats! You’ve placed your first board.
Continuing the Ceiling
To finish cladding the ceiling, once you’ve placed your first board, you’ll proceed down one side, then the other. To place your second board, you’ll want to do the same thing as the first, but you’ll want to push it flush against your first board. You may need to take a mallet here and there to nudge your board into place before screwing it down. Once you’ve been all the way down on one side, continue the other side
For this project, I purchased 3 packs of cedar tongue-and-groove, which totaled to $80. That’s a lot better than the hundreds of dollars it would have taken to put up a factory style ceiling.
Final Touches
The final touch I’m going to be adding before all is said and done is a wood piece all the way around the rear cabin to cover the point where the wood meets the metal. This is partially for aesthetics, but is primarily to serve as an anchor point for the curtains. I have curtain cord I’ll be using, that utilizes hook-style and eyelet-style screws.
For LuLu’s cabin, I actually did purchase factory-style headliner, so once I’ve put that up, I’ll also be constructing a fixture to cover the front cross-brace of the van. I’m going to keep her stock overhead light up there, so I’ll cut out a piece to go around that. Then, I’ll have the exciting task of curving a board to go across the van. It doesn’t look hard, but it sure looks like it requires skill!
What do you think of LuLu’s new ceiling? Do you think cladding the ceiling with cedar was the right choice? Tell me down below!
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