Installing a Pine Tongue & Groove Ceiling on Our Skoolie

Hello blog readers! Long time, no blog!

Just because I’ve been a bit silent here doesn’t mean things weren’t still happening offline! In fact, the quieter I am on this blog, the more likely that I am very busy in real life.

Anyway, believe it or not, the bus build is still happening. I’m hoping to finally catch up on everything we’ve done at some point. To start, let me go ahead and recap our ceiling installation!

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Installing Our Ceiling

Part One: Studs & Insulation

After removing the original ceiling, we attached 2x2 boards along each steel rib on the bus ceiling to act as studs. First, we pre-drilled holes for each screw into both the 2x2 and the steel rib. After installing the studs along each rib, we cut and scored PolyPro insulation board to size. The final result is what you will see in the image below.

Supplies Used:

• 2-in X 2-in x 8-ft Furring Strips (x18)

• 2-1/4-in Bronze Epoxy Flat Exterior Multi-Material Screws (86-Count)

• Ryobi Cordless Drill 18V

• DEWALT 5/32-in x 5-7/8-in Titanium Twist Drill Bit

• DEWALT 2-Piece 1/8-in x Set Titanium Twist Drill Bit

• 1-in x 4-ft x 8-ft Faced Polystyrene Board (x8)

• Utility knife

• 3M 2.5" HVAC Tape

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Part Two: Preparing the Boards

Preparing the boards consisted of coating each individual board on both sides with clear polyurethane. This activity was very weather dependent because we needed plenty of time to do three coats on each side of the boards.

Supplies Used:

• 1 in. x 6 in. x 8 ft. Pine Tongue and Groove Siding, 78 pieces

• 1 in. x 6 in. x 8 ft. Tongue and Groove Pattern Common Softwood Boards, 50 pieces

• Minwax Polycrylic Clear Satin Water-Based Polyurethane (1-Quart), Three Quarts

• 2-inch paintbrushes

• Sawhorses

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Part Three: Attaching the Boards to the Ceiling

We began by measuring the distance between studs on ceiling and then cutting our tongue and groove boards to size. Then, we used a nail gun to attach each board to our studs. Starting in the center, we worked our way outward, sliding each next piece into the groove or tongue of the piece before it.

Supplies Used:

• Polyurethane-coated tongue and groove boards (see above step)

• Porter-Cable 18 Gauge Brad Nailer

• 1-1/4-in 18 Gauge Finish Nails (x1000)

• Air compressor & hose

• Rubber mallet

• Measuring tape

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Part Four: Attaching Crown Molding

Once the ceiling was finished, we were left with a gap along the bottom above the windows on both sides. We wanted to cover this gap while still leaving room behind to tuck in some of our electrical wiring. Ultimately, we decided to run more 2x2 studs above the windows. We then used our brad nailer to attach crown molding to the outer face of the studs along the bottom.

Supplies Used:

• 9/16 in. x 3-5/8 in. x 192 in. Primed Finger-Jointed Crown Moulding (x8)

• Porter-Cable 18 Gauge Brad Nailer

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There you have it! Our complete ceiling. It’s been about a year since we completed this project. If I missed anything and/or you have any questions, please let me know in the comments!

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