Installing beadboard over stucco ceiling on a lanai – Tampa, Florida
What preparation should I take to install wood (pine) tongue-and-groove beadboard on an outdoor lanai stucco ceiling?
[1] Pressure-treated furring strips screwed into the ceiling joists
[2] Pine beaded ceiling planks (ceiling side facing) prepped with waterproofing such as Mapei Aqua Defense
[3] Stainless steel fasteners
[4] ¼ – ½” gap at ends
[5] Viewable beadboard surface primed then painted with a durable acrylic paint
As I understand the stucco ceiling still needs to breathe, by design, hence the pressure treated furring strips and end expansion gaps for the tongue-and-groove beadboard planks.
Should I take additional precautions for moisture issues with tar paper or Tyvek?
Call for rainguard (i.e. bug shield) to further enable breathing and to keep bugs out at end expansion gaps? (even with a pool cage, bugs in Florida can make their way in)
Suggestions or re-evaluate this approach?
Thanks!
Replies
I'd be sorely tempted to use either Boral or Azek edge & center bead, instead of the pine. Either would hold paint, and endure the Florida weather, better than pine. The PT furring strips should be fine.
Thanks for those product tips. I'll look into them.
In nearly 50 years of building where stucco is the prefered building cladding, I have never once heard that stucco needs to "breathe".
"Stucco is porous and it needs to breathe. Moisture penetrates the surface and then evaporates away. When it’s installed, a waterproof membrane (tar paper, house wrap, Styrofoam, etc.) goes between the stucco and the structure of the house, so the inside stays dry."
Blame "The Last Supper" ... https://www.doityourself.com/stry/stucco-should-you-or-should-you-not-paint-it
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
You could save a lot of trouble and consumerism by leaving it stucco.
Paint the tongues of the beadboard before install. If they contract at all, bare wood can show if not painted first. The air gap made by the strips is critical to the longevity of the wood. FYI - I have seen PVC beadboard for sale in the past.