Bathroom Main Wood Slat Ceiling

Slatted Ceiling Inspiration

This page describes one of the major phases of the multi-year Master Bathroom Remodeling Project. This was the second phase that targeted redoing the main ceiling. The bathroom also has a drop ceiling by the sink and another by the shower area, which would be done in subsequent phases. The ceiling design was inspired by the look of wood slatted ceilings such as the one at right which I found through some web searches. One thing I do not like about the picture at right is that you can see the seems. I would make it a goal to not have any seams or any visible fasteners. These self-imposed constraints would complicate the installation of this new ceiling.

Popcorn and Wallpaper Removal

Before redoing the main ceiling for the master bathroom, we had added a stone accent wall as described in Bathroom Stone Veneer Wall Page. This involved a demolition phase to remove all the sheetrock from the wall which left a lot of cleanup work. The bathroom was already a mess, and it is better to do this before the stone is installed (the popcorn gets on everthing). Knowing that we would covering the ceiling with wood meant we did not have to get it completely smooth or even worry about nicking the wall board a bit (which we did often). Removing the wallboard itself was an effective way to rid ourselves of the dated wallpaper, but there were some other non-demolished walls that we needed to take care of before putting up the ceiling.

Popcorn Ceiling Removal

Popcorn Removal Mess

Popcorn Removed

Stripping Remaining Wallpaper

Light Removal

The two recessed lights in the ceiling were not properly installed. I planned to replace them anyway, but it annoyed me to see such shoddy work. They were just laying on top of the ceiling sheetrock without being supported by any beams. As expected, especially one of them, the wall board had bowed under the weight and with the passage of time. When I would screw up the new ceiling, I would have to actually push back the bowed out section of the ceiling to straighten it out.

Wood Purchase

Wood Shipment

I do not have a vehicle to bring home lumber in bulk, so I rely on the lumber yard to deliver it. Because there is a non-trivial delivery charge, I ordered the materials for the entire bathroom remodel project, not just the main ceiling.

By the time I calculated exactly how much wood I needed, and how much that would cost, I had invested a lot of time in the design phase of this project. So despite the cost being much higher than I expected, I was compelled to spend the money. What made it more palatable was thinking about how much I would pay a professional to do a bathroom remodel. From that perspective, the wood was dirt cheap.

Basic Construction Description

The ceiling would consist of backing boards of 1/2'' thick hardwood plywood. The wood slats would be mahogany 1x4's, 3/4'' thick and mounted to the backing boards with wood screws. In this way, I could assemble the slats on the boards in the shop (a.k.a., garage) and just have to put up a few panels.

Backing Board Layout

Initial Measurements

One reason I could not just screw the slats into the ceiling was because the ceiling joists ran in the same direction as the slats. I could have run the slats in the other direction, but that would have them running in the long direction which I did not like (aesthetically) and which would have meant there would be visible seams. The other reason is that the screws would then be coming from the visible side. So I choose to add the extra layer of backing board to solve these problems.

The backing boards solution still meant I had to be careful about laying it out since the backing boards themselves needed to be screwed into the ceiling joists. I had to make sure all the edges of the backing boards met at the ceiling joists with enough room to screw both edges into the one joist.

Cutting and Fitting the Backing Boards

Cutting the Backing Boards

After measuring the ceiling, I cut the backing boards from 4' x 8' plywood sheets. There is a curved wall in the bathroom, so I had to have precise measurements for getting the curve right. There is also a skylight and A/C register that had to be accounted for.

Makeshift Support

Screw Hole Testing

After cutting, a very important next step it to actually mount the backing boards to the ceiling to test fit them. The edges of two backing board pieces would meet along a ceiling joist, so I had to make sure the screw hole locations on the edge were close, but not too close.

I also needed a way to hold the boards up to the ceiling while I screwed them in. We had the two of us to hold it up, but not a third person to screw it in. I used a makeshift tool made from an extendable pole and a 2x4. This worked for the backing boards, but I would have to improve upon this later since it was a bit dodgy and would not stand up to the extra weight once the slats were mounted..

Fitting the First Backing Board

Aligning Backing Boards

Backing Boards Fitted

Backing Board Closeup

A/C Vent Hole

Another important reason to test fit the backing boards was to be able to precsiely measure and mark where the slats would go and how long each needed to be. If the backing board had a 1'' gap to the wall, I could cut the slats 1'' longer and they would fill the gap. This made for a very uniform gap between the slat edges and the walls in the final result.

In the end the backing boards were annotated along all the edges to indicate exactly how far away the walls were. With the screw holes now already drilling into the joists, as long as I lined up the holes, I could be sure that the backing boards would be installed in precisely the same position as they now were.

Planning Slat Locations

Laying out the slats on the backing boards is trickier than you might think. The slats were 3-1/2'' wide and there would be 1/4'' between them. However, if you just naively start marking them off at the boundaries (skylight, A/C register, walls) you could be left with an inconvenient remainder. If the remainder was 1/2'', then you either have to cut and deal with a very thin (fragile) piece, or leave and unsightly extra gap.

Slat Location Calculations

Backing Board Edge Close-up

All Backing Boards

Cutting the Holes for the Lights

Light Hole Cutter

There originally were two recessed lights and these would be retained, though relocated. Rather than mess around trying to get a nice round hole with a jigsaw, I splurged and bought a fancy hole cutter. Having never used one like this before, I did some amount of testing before applying this to the actual backing boards which I had now invested a lot of labor in. The tool cut a nice even hole, was only a little tricky to use, but had some tearout for the plywood I was using. I solved the tearout problem in the real pieces by only drilling halfway, then flipping it over and drilling the remainder from the reverse side.

Testing Light Hole Fitting

Test Light Hole Cutout

Test Light Hole Tear-out

Bad Light Hole

The original recessed lights were installed with no support and over time it warped the ceiling drywall board and which crumbled once I removed the light. I would make sure the new ones were properly installed by being supported by the ceiling joists.

For the appearance and simplicity, I wanted the lights to be evenly lined up with the slats so that the center of the light was in the center of a slat. This meant I would need to relocate the holes, so I drilled new holes (from the attic side) in the ceiling drywall. Since I had precise measurements of where the wall boards went, I could just transfer that over to know exactly where in the ceiling to drill the holes. I did not need to cover up the old holes, because the backing board would do that naturally once they were up.

New and Old Light Holes

Light Hole Partially Cut

Real Light Hole Cut-out

Slat Cutting and Assembly

First Rough Slat Layout

Before doing any finishing work, and to know exactly where to cut the slat edges, I lied up the slats into position, clamped them, then screwed from the back of the backing boards to set their final location. I had already rough cut the slats to length before this. Once the slats were screwed to the backing board, I could use the backing board annotations to know precisely where the slats should be cut, both for length and to deal with the various obstacles.

Securing First Slats

Reverse Side Slat Screws

Slat Spacers

Slat Layout Around Vent Cutout

Stacked Raw Slat Boards

Slat Layout, Curved Board

Light Hole in Slats

Disassembled Numbered Slats

After all the slats were layed out, I marked all the places they needed to be cut. After disassembly, I made the final cuts of the slats based on the markings. Note that every slats was also marked with a number that corresponded to the backing board.

For the cutouts around the light, there was not really a circle to be cut, but a series of arcs spanning a few different slats. I used a jigsaw to cut these as the circle cutter did not seem a wise choice for this. Maybe I could have made it work, but a jigsaw seemed much safer.

Sanding

Sanding is boring and annoying. Nothing more to say than there was a lot of it.

Staining the Backing Boards

Very little of the backing boards would ever be seen. There would only be a 1/4'' gap between each slat and the depth of that channel would be 3/4''. Still, I wanted it to visually match and the light colored plywood would have been fairly noticable. I wanted to gaps to be gaps and go unnoticed, not be a color that would be highlighting the gaps. I got a stain they call 'red mahogany' because it was the closest they sell locally, but it doesn't really match the mahogany I was using. Still, just being a darker color in the right neighborhood was all that was needed.

Preparing to Stain Backing Boards

Stained Backing Boards

All Stained Backing Boards

Polyurethane for Slats

Laying out for Polyurethane Finish

All Cut Slats Stacked

The slats would get no stain, but would get a couple coats of polyurethane to help seal the wood and protect it from moisture. Mahogany is naturally a good wood to use in damp locations (such as a bathroom) so the polyurethane would just be adding extra protection, plus a relatively nice finish.

Polyurethane, Before and After

Polyurethaned Slats, Closeup

Polyurethaned Short Slats

Polyurethaned Long Slats

Cross-joist Extra Supports

Ceiling Joist Cross Beams

By this time, I had developed a worry. When I dry fit the slats to the backing boards, I got to understand just how heavy these panels would be. If they were only screwed into the joists on the long edges, I worried that time and gravity would cause the middle of the boards sink and the ceiling would take on a scalloped shape. I decided to solve this by adding additional supports between the joists that I could use to screw the backing boards into. Putting a couple of these extra supports should be plenty to prevent any sagging over time.

Gear Needed in the Attic

Working in the attic is no fun. It is a mess of blown-in fiberglass, dust and is usually quite hot. Mask and gloves are a must, and that just makes it hotter. The lighting is not very good either, so a drop light is also needed. Finally, all the A/C ductwork is up there and it made accessing some of the locations very, very difficult with little room to get leverage to screw things in. Why do I put myself through this?

Ceiling Light Area, Attic View

Light Holes, Attic View

Tricky Cross Beam Installed

Final Slat Assembly

Slats Ready for Assembly

Putting the finished slats on the finshed backing boards was a satisfying milestone. I needed to leave out the slats at the backing board edges and in the middle to allow screwing into the ceiling joists and the newly installed cross-beams. This was all part of the "no viisble screws" design constraint. After installing these, I would then return to the attic and screw from there into the remaining slats. This would require figuring out how to hold the slats in place while I went back and forth to the attic.

Slat Assembly with Gap

Slat Boards Stacked

Curved Slat Boards

Adding Edge Trim

Edge Trim

I had made a bit of a measurement miscalculation. The ends that were adjacent to the stone veneer wall came up to the wall, but the gap between the top stone and the ceiling was actually wide enough to accomodate the thickness of the slats. Thus, when installed, you would see this large, unsightly gap. My solution was to put some edge trim on the ends that could be tucked over the stones and fill that gap.

Edge Trim Assembly

Edge Trim Close-up

Edge Trim Assembly (closeup)

Intalling Ceiling

Each board was pretty heavy, even with some slats missing. With my wife's help and a step-stool, I could get it up to ceiling, but not for long. I needed something to support it and hold it firmly in place while I screwed it in. The makeshift pole contraption I used to dry fit the backing boards would not be enough, so I bought two proper support poles and mounted a 2x4 to let it span a greater distance. This worked out really well.

Board Support Spanner

Support Pole

Board Support Spanner (closeup)

Before installing, I felt we needed more help to lift all these boards up and hold them there. Because the boards were now finished, I wanted as much strength and as many eyes on things to prevent the wood from getting damaged as we manuevered them into place. I enlisted a couple of friends for what was overhyped as a serious work day. I had everything lined up and ready to go when my friends arrived, and we we made pretty short work of putting up the panels. They were disappointed by the amount of work there was for them to do.

Slat Boards Installed

Slat Boards Installed (left)

Slat Board Vent Hole Close-up

Slat Board Light Hole Close-up

Slat Boards, Sink View

Slat Boards, Door View

Intalling Remaining Slats

Mising Slat Install Spacers

Missing Slat Installation

To install the remaining slats, I need to poisition them with a uniform gap, hold them in place, then scoot up into the attic to screw them in from the reverse side. I did not want to do this back and forth for each missing slat, so being able to position multiple ones at a time with the new support poles and 2x4s was very convenient.

The tricky parts were:

Setting the slat positions - I had 1/4'' spacers I used when installing the slats, but I didn't consider gravity going in the opposite direction here, so I had to use some masking tape to hold them.
Locating the screw locations - I did have very accurate measurements, but it was still tricky to translate that to the attic view of the ceiling.
Ensuring I did not drill too deep - If I drilled the required pilot holes too deep, it would come through and I would have a visible hole in the ceiling.

Slats Installed (right)

Slats Installed

Slats Installed (closeup)

Recessed Light Installation

Light Hole Close-up

The light installation had its own logistical problems long before I got to the installation phase. I had to carefully shop for the right light housings. First, they had to be properly rated for the attic and direct contact with insulation (something I needed to learn about). Second, they had to be adjustable enough to be flush with the ceiling. Trying to buy these online, you quickly realize just how information poor or ambiguous the product desriptions are. It was non-trivial to find the right housings.

Light Fixture Modification

Recessed Light Fixture

The key thing I needed was unique to this project: it had to adjust to stick out by 1-7/8''. That is the thickness of the existing 5/8'' ceiling drywall, the 1/2'' backing board and the 3/4'' thick slats. Nearly none of the housings claimed to adjust this far because no one (besides me) has ceilings this thick.

I finally found one that said it adjusted to 2'', but then I found the same exact one whose description only committed to 1-1/2''. Confused, I took a gamble and ordered 5 of them. I lost the gamble. They did not adjust far enough, however, it was relatively easy to make them adjust further by extending the adjustmen slot using a dremel tool.

Fixture Installed (attic view)

Fixtured Installed (closeup)

The recessed light installation require yet another session in the attic. I had to drop them in the two holes, affix them to the neighboring joists, then wire them up.

There are two light switches next to door, and it used to be that each one individually controlled these two lights. It always seemed odd to me that you would need to separately control these two lights that are furthest from the sink area where you need the light the most. I decided I would have one switch simultaneously control these two and the other switch's wiring would get re-routed to control a light over the sink. The sink area would be the next phase of remodeling project that would add matching wooden slats to the sink's recessed ceiling.

Special C-clips for Lights

After the work in the ceiling, I then just needed to adjust the depth of the housings and install the new LED lights. I was stumped with how to install these with their fairly aggressive springs. Nothing I did would work and I started to fear I bought housings and lights that were not compatible. Somehow, I stumbled upon the answer: I was missing a crucial part: retrofit C clips. The housing did not come with these, and the LED lights did not come with these: you just have to know you need the special clips to make this all work.

Fixture Installed

Light Installed

Light Installed (closeup)

Final Result

Final Result