I AM IN THE PROCESS OF PUTTING CEDAR ON MY VAULTED CEILING AT MY COTTAGE.THE ROOM IS 14X28 AND I AM USING 1/2 BY 6"BY 14FT. LENGTHS T AND G.THE CEILING HAS 5/8 DRYWALL AND THE TRUSSES ARE 24"APART.WHAT SHOULD I USE TO ATTACH THE CEDAR TO THE TRUSSES THRU THE DDYWALL AND SHOULD I PREDRILL?ALSO DO I START MY FIRST LENGTH AT THE HIGHEST POINT AND WORK TOWARDS THE WALLS AND WHAT IF MY LAST LENGTH IS LESS THAN 6".
Answer:
First, chalkline the rafters so you are sure to get every nail into them and avoid having to pull out the ones that missed and damaging the surface. I would rip off just enough of the groove to match the wall-to-ceiling agnle and then start at the bottom and work upward. It's far easier to nail downward than upward and again, that prevents damaging the surface with "pigeon tracks" made by the hammer. You have to nail at an angle and because you already have drywall there, I would use 2-1/2" hot galvanized finishing nails. No matter what you do, there will be a certain amount of condensation up there and you don't want rust stains on your finished product. At the top, you'll again have to rip pieces to fit the width. You may even have to put a joining strip over the meeting joint to finish it off.
