Tags: Faux Tongue & Groove Ceiling Planks, Faux Tongue & Groove styles, Faux Wood Beams, Faux Wood Ceiling Beams, Tongue & Groove Faux Wood Planks
Thanks to the pandemic, many of us are spending a lot more time in our homes than we used to. Home design is taking on an increased place of importance, and reports show a 58% increase in new leads for home projects.
If you are a home builder or contractor, chances are you’re seeing an upswing in business. Recently the homebuilding market has undergone a surge, seeing an 8% rise from last year.
Wooden ceilings are an evergreen favorite, and if you’re reading this post, you probably have a project that incorporates them.
T&G faux wood planks are an ideal way to achieve the wood look for less. However, if you haven’t installed a tongue & groove ceiling using faux wood products before, you’re probably wondering how it’s best done.
There are various methods for installing tongue & groove ceilings. When it comes to faux tongue & groove, there is a particular installation method that can save you time and installation costs and guarantee stellar results. If you want to know what this is, keep reading to find out how we install our T&G faux wood planks, as well as their benefits.
Benefits of Faux Tongue & Groove Faux Wood Planks
Before we get into the best installation method, let’s quickly take a look at the benefits of T&G faux wood planks. Faux wood tongue & groove planks offer all the pros of real wood and also have some unique advantages of their own.
Reliable Designs
When selecting T&G faux wood planks, clients are assured of a reliable result. Faux wood tongue & groove planks come pre-colored and ready to install. This removes a lot of the variables that come with custom staining.
While you can’t guarantee the color outcome of real wood after staining and sealing, you can guarantee the look of faux wood tongue & groove. This means that clients can match the pre-manufactured colors minutely to their color palette and overall design theme.
Affordability
Besides being reliable in the hue department, faux wood planks are also more affordable than real wood. Faux wood products can be massed produced without the need to cut down trees or utilize expensive timber. This results in lower price points.
Sustainability
T&G faux wood planks also come with an increased sustainability factor. Using faux wood planks means that fewer trees need to be harvested. What’s more, when faux wood reaches the end of its lifecycle, it can often be recycled.
Longevity
One of the biggest benefits of using faux wood planks for a tongue & groove ceiling is it will last indefinitely.
Faux wood is highly resistant to environmental factors and pests. It does not absorb moisture and, therefore, won’t warp, mold, or rot. It is also impervious to pests.
Real wood is notorious for being vulnerable to termites, boring insects, and other pests. Faux wood doesn’t have this problem, making it an ideal ceiling material. This attribute also holds true for faux wood plank flooring.
Easy Installation
Another benefit to T&G faux wood planks is they are relatively easy to install. There are a few reasons for this.
Firstly, faux wood planks do not absorb moisture—as we just mentioned. This means that they don’t shrink, expand, or twist. You can store them without worrying about the product warping. When it comes to installation, you also won’t run into any issues with planks not fitting together snugly.
If you have purchased quality T&G faux wood planks, they will fit together perfectly, every time.
Faux wood planks also won’t shrink or expand after installation. Because of this, you can install them using adhesives. Adhesive installations are typically quicker and more fuss-free than installations using nails or screws.
If you install real wood planks, adhesive installations are not recommended. This is because any future warping, shrinkage, or expansion will force the planks away from the surface they’re adhered to with the adhesive.
Over time, this can cause the planks to loosen and develop an uneven ceiling surface. Because T&G faux wood planks don’t have the same inherent issues as real wood tongue & groove ceiling planks, you can install them using adhesive products and cut down on installation time and costs.
How to Install Tongue a Tongue & Groove Ceiling
Now that we’ve gone over the benefits of T&G faux wood planks, it’s time to get into how to install them.
As we just outlined, you can install T&G faux wood planks using adhesives rather than nails or screws. But what is the process, and how do you ensure a flawless result? Below we will go through the steps to install a faux tongue & groove like a pro.
Get an Even Surface
The very first step to installing a faux wood tongue & groove ceiling is to make sure your ceiling surface is as even as possible. This ensures best results with the adhesion installation method.
Once you have corrected any uneven areas, you can move on to installing the planks.
Install Using Adhesive and Brad Nails
Once you have cut your T&G faux wood planks to length, it’s time to mount them to the ceiling.
First, apply your adhesive (we recommend PL adhesive) by putting a bead around the plank edges and an s-shaped bead down the middle of each plank.
To hold the plank in place while the PL adhesive dries, we recommend using brad nails in the planks’ middles and corners. You can also screw the center and edges down and then remove the screws after the adhesive takes hold.
For a neat finish, touch up any areas that have mechanical adhesion (brad nails or screws) with colored cork or paint.
Install Any Beams
If you are installing faux wood beams as well, we recommend you mount these by attaching 2”x2” nailers (tracks) to the ceiling. After this, you can attach the beams to the nailers. Once the beam is put up, the nails will disappear, as they are set within the inside edge of the beam.
To ensure a snug fit, apply a bead of PL adhesive on the edges of all beam edges that butt against the ceiling or wall.
Lastly, touch up any areas where you inserted screws or nails.
Are You Looking for High-Quality T&G Faux Wood Planks?
Are you looking for high quality T&G faux wood planks for your project? If so, you’ve come to the right place.
Here at Diamond Resin Products, we stock a variety of faux wood products.
Take a look at our tongue & groove faux wood planks to choose between a range of colors, textures, and groove styles.