Need help with roof

[Seekadvice]

I read through a few forums and a lot of knowledgeable people on here so want to get feedback. I dont know much about handy man related work so I hired a company to install ceiling in my two outside porches. The porches are all metal with sheet metal roof, I recently had an outdoor kitchen installed under one of the porches and I wanted the ceiling to look nice as well. I have seen a few people post roofs with vinyl flooring and liked how they looked and since I had recently purchased a lot of closeout vinyl flooring, it would be fairly cheap to do it. The vinyl floor is waterproof and the porches dont leak so I wasnt too concerned about doing the install outside. My concerns are with how the company is installing the flooring and Im concerned about it lasting long term. The company installed 3/8 plywood and reinforced the porch with metal bars every 4 feet so the plywood is mounted on those with screws. They have not yet begun installing the flooring but I am concerned that it will sag after awhile and the flooring will just look terrible. The vinyl flooring is heavy so I am concerned it will sag in a few years. Has anyone done something like this or can provide any feedback?

 

[The Cobbler]

simple answer is; vinyl flooring for a ceiling is the wrong material .

 

[Seekadvice]

simple answer is; vinyl flooring for a ceiling is the wrong material .

This is the flooring I purchased (https://www.homedepot.com/p/Lifepro...k-Flooring-20-06-sqft-case-I966104L/300461637) although I didnt pay anywhere near that much. The plywood is already up as of today but not flooring.

 

[billconner]

3/8" ply supported 4' on center will sag. Maybe 2' on center but I'd want thicker ply or 1'-4" on center joists.

 

[Renegade1LI]

So you’re installing a floating floor in a ceiling, that stuff is heavy and how is it being fastened? As mentioned should be framed 16” oc, but i think the vinyl itself will want to say unless it’s fully glued but it needs to move, I’d pick a different material.

 

[Seekadvice]

So you’re installing a floating floor in a ceiling, that stuff is heavy and how is it being fastened? As mentioned should be framed 16” oc, but i think the vinyl itself will want to say unless it’s fully glued but it needs to move, I’d pick a different material.

The plywood itself is being fastened to the steel beams with these (https://www.homedepot.com/p/Teks-10...ng-with-Wings-Screws-100-Pack-21380/100160285) and the planks will be fastened with first some type of glue then will have a few finishing nails to ensure it stays put. I really am thinking it is going to sag now. Short of taking down all the wood and scrapping it as a total waste, anyone have any suggestions? I figure I can do a few things maybe double down and take down all the plywood and reinfoce it with beams every 2 feet then fasten it back or scrap all the plywood and buy 1/2 inch or paint the plywood somehow and just roll with that or fasten something else on there like wood or some metal of some sort to hide the plywood

 

[CombatNinja]

I don't like the math on 3/8" ply with vinyl flooring fastened to it 24" on center. I can't see that not sagging. Vinyl flooring is HEAVY.

I'm not sure what to offer by way of a solution to this. Can you post pictures of the construction?

 

[Seekadvice]

I don't like the math on 3/8" ply with vinyl flooring fastened to it 24" on center. I can't see that not sagging. Vinyl flooring is HEAVY.

I'm not sure what to offer by way of a solution to this. Can you post pictures of the construction?

Yes of course, here are 3 pictures of mine, one of them the installer started doing it but stopped. The 4th picture is what I wanted it to look like

 

[Shiftless]

When we moved in, there was a plywood ceiling on our front porch that looked terrible with old peeling paint. I scraped and repainted. It still looked bad up close because of the irregular surface.
Many years later I sanded, primed, and then resurfaced it with a mixture of plaster, water, and Elmer’s white glue. Finish with drywall tools and light sanding afterwards. Then prime and paint. Looks great and has held up fine for the last 5 years.

No way I would consider applying vinyl flooring to a ceiling.

If I were you, I would stop work, tear that stuff out and start over.

 

[Seekadvice]

When we moved in, there was a plywood ceiling on our front porch that looked terrible with old peeling paint. I scraped and repainted. It still looked bad up close because of the irregular surface.
Many years later I sanded, primed, and then resurfaced it with a mixture of plaster, water, and Elmer’s white glue. Finish with drywall tools and light sanding afterwards. Then prime and paint. Looks great and has held up fine for the last 5 years.

No way I would consider applying vinyl flooring to a ceiling.

If I were you, I would stop work, tear that stuff out and start over.

Do you have pics of what this looks like? Might be the best option at this point. Apologies, as I mentioned I am not very handy but can make it work, this mix you used to resurface, you just do it all in a bucket and apply to entire porch?

 

[Fav Onefour]

The flooring product is rubber backed. Glue is a band aid. I know the product a little bit from using it on a few projects. It's flexible to a point. It's more flexible with heat. It's not a light material. It would take a lot of finishing nails and they will struggle to hold in 3/8 wood. The idea of using 1/2 is better, but the finishing nails will be working both ends. The shank might hold in the wood, but small finish heads will have a challenge with the flooring material. Most of the material is flexible vinyl with a thin layer of hard top surface. In your application the small heads of finishing nails are really only holding by the hard surface layer on the flooring.

I see the wiring hanging without boxes. Does that also mean no framing for fixture locations. You might be ok lighting like the can fixtures. I wouldn't hang a ceiling fan with the setup.
How long do you want the ceiling to last? 24" on center would help. It still won't fix the flooring issues.
I get the idea of saving money with a good looking product you already have on hand. In the end, it seems like a lot of money and effort for a short term bling.

 

[Seekadvice]

The flooring product is rubber backed. Glue is a band aid. I know the product a little bit from using it on a few projects. It's flexible to a point. It's more flexible with heat. It's not a light material. It would take a lot of finishing nails and they will struggle to hold in 3/8 wood. The idea of using 1/2 is better, but the finishing nails will be working both ends. The shank might hold in the wood, but small finish heads will have a challenge with the flooring material. Most of the material is flexible vinyl with a thin layer of hard top surface. In your application the small heads of finishing nails are really only holding by the hard surface layer on the flooring.

I see the wiring hanging without boxes. Does that also mean no framing for fixture locations. You might be ok lighting like the can fixtures. I wouldn't hang a ceiling fan with the setup.
How long do you want the ceiling to last? 24" on center would help. It still won't fix the flooring issues.
I get the idea of saving money with a good looking product you already have on hand. In the end, it seems like a lot of money and effort for a short term bling.

The lights that will be installed are these (https://www.homedepot.com/p/Commerc...model-Wet-Rated-Dimmable-53807101-A/320954722) so they are canless, very thin and just clip on the ceiling and dont weight much. I am putting fans and the fans were places so they would be installed on the metal beams and not on the wood or flooring so that the weight wouldnt be too much

 

[Shiftless]

Do you have pics of what this looks like? Might be the best option at this point.

Here is my front porch ceiling. The plywood ceiling is original to the house and 75 years old. It was in poor condition but I resurfaced it and to me it looks fine. Certainly not perfect, but good enough for most folk.

(In the background beyond my rock wall, you see my neighbor’s house)

 

[Seekadvice]

Here is my front porch ceiling. The plywood ceiling is original to the house and 75 years old. It was in poor condition but I resurfaced it and to me it looks fine. Certainly not perfect, but good enough for most folk.

Thank you for sharing, I think it looks pretty darn good. Was the resurfacing difficult? How did you prepare the material?

 

[DGersic]

I don’t think that your proposed ceiling will sag. I think it’ll fall long before it has a chance to sag. Theres no way I’d trust any sort of glue to hold that flooring up.

 

[Shiftless]

It was experimental. First I sanded and primed the whole ceiling. I mixed powdered drywall compound (45 minute If I remember correctly) and water with generous amounts of Elmer’s white glue. I bought a gallon and used it all. If I did it again, I would use 90 minute.
Then just apply like you are finishing a drywall ceiling. The next day you can sand it as smooth as you want and then prime and paint.

Difficult?
Of course it is difficult.
Using an electric sander overhead is not fun. Spreading mud overhead is harder than doing walls. With the added glue it is much harder to sand smooth.

 

[DGersic]

It was experimental. First I sanded and primed the whole ceiling. I mixed powdered drywall compound (45 minute If I remember correctly) and water with generous amounts of Elmer’s white glue. I bought a gallon and used it all. If I did it again, I would use 90 minute.
Then just apply like you are finishing a drywall ceiling. The next day you can sand it as smooth as you want and then prime and paint.

Difficult?
Of course it is difficult.
Using an electric sander overhead is not fun. Spreading mud overhead is harder than doing walls. With the added glue it is much harder to sand smooth.

Other than making the job harder, what benefit is the Elmers glue providing?

 

[Fixr]

Vinyl flooring on a porch ceiling? Not only no, but HELL NO! Absolutely terrible idea, terrible material for the application, and terrible installation method. As others have said, it will sag and likely fall off. It's heavy, and relatively soft, and cold-flows over time, so it will stretch out between fasteners and possibly pull down off the heads of the finishing nails. Vinyl flooring is totally designed to lay on a surface, not hang from it.

 

[Shiftless]

Other than making the job harder, what benefit is the Elmers glue providing?

I was concerned that drywall mud is designed for indoor use. The porch ceiling is outdoor and even though we don’t see a lot of rain (annual rainfall avg, is under 20 inches) it is damp outside most days. I thought the glue would help it stick and provide some long term stability to the mix.

Maybe regular hot mud would have been just as good for my application. Has anybody reading this thread used hot mud for an outdoor ceiling and seen it last for years and years?

 

[Seekadvice]

Really appreciate all the feedback. Since the plywood at this point is a sunk cost, its been cut to be put up and cant return it any longer, any suggestions on how I can make this look decent? Just cover the joints with putty or caulk then sand, primer and paint at this point or what can I do? Would really appreciate any ideas or information you can provide to this noobie. Thanks!

 

[Fav Onefour]

I was concerned that drywall mud is designed for indoor use. The porch ceiling is outdoor and even though we don’t see a lot of rain (annual rainfall avg, is under 20 inches) it is damp outside most days. I thought the glue would help it stick and provide some long term stability to the mix.

Maybe regular hot mud would have been just as good for my application. Has anybody reading this thread used hot mud for an outdoor ceiling and seen it last for years and years?

I like the process you laid out with your porch ceiling. It's a pretty interesting method.
I have not used hot mud on outdoor projects. I had issues with the stuff in my garage. The previous owners didn't paint and the garage showed signs of major water logging all around. The mud was chalk.

@Seekadvice , Plaster might be worth a look on this project. It's not easy, but it can be a DIY project. I add that part because of the cost around here. Skilled trade plaster and stucco guys make big bucks and they are already spread thin. Maybe there are more contractors in the trade around your area?

 

[Shiftless]

Plaster might be worth a look on this project.

If stucco wire was attached to the plywood and a skilled DIY’er troweled on plaster, that would look great. A pro would probably charge more than the O.P. wanted to pay.

 

[DGersic]

I was concerned that drywall mud is designed for indoor use. The porch ceiling is outdoor and even though we don’t see a lot of rain (annual rainfall avg, is under 20 inches) it is damp outside most days. I thought the glue would help it stick and provide some long term stability to the mix.

Maybe regular hot mud would have been just as good for my application. Has anybody reading this thread used hot mud for an outdoor ceiling and seen it last for years and years?

Yeah, I’d be concerned about it holding up to ambient humidity, but I suspect that paint should keep it pretty dry. Both mud and Elmers would be water soluble though.

 

[DGersic]

Really appreciate all the feedback. Since the plywood at this point is a sunk cost, its been cut to be put up and cant return it any longer, any suggestions on how I can make this look decent? Just cover the joints with putty or caulk then sand, primer and paint at this point or what can I do? Would really appreciate any ideas or information you can provide to this noobie. Thanks!

Beadboard, or just cover the joints and paint.

 

[Seekadvice]

Beadboard, or just cover the joints and paint.

You think the beadboard would be ok just sitting on top of the plywood? And covering the joints, you think putty or caulk would be better? Thank you

 

[DGersic]

You think the beadboard would be ok just sitting on top of the plywood? And covering the joints, you think putty or caulk would be better? Thank you

Porch ceiling ideas?

Finally getting to fixing up the porch this spring, a few structural repairs and then correcting 40yrs of cosmetic neglect. Current "ceiling" is vented vinyl soffit. Looked like hell, dirty sagging and just installed wavy. Currently looking at plywood headboard, T&G beadboard and tin. Any...

www.garagejournal.com

I'd use caulk, not putty.

 

[kiole]

I’d use a bead board, or tongue and groove siding product that’s lightweight and attach it to the plywood. Timeless look and it’s meant for the application.

Search tongue and groove porch ceiling. They make it in PVC, treated wood, PVC and other materials depending on your price point.

 

[CombatNinja]

The PVC tongue and groove stuff is incredibly light.

 

[Renegade1LI]

As a test, rip some 1/4"ply into 2" strips and start by covering the seams. See how you like the look or layout a pattern, maybe 2' oc and mock up a panel, or do 2 x 2 squares. You could even paint the plywood one color and the strips another, at least saving the plywood. A black ceiling looks great and it just disappears.

 

[Burt Shaver]

I didn’t read through all the posts so this may have already been suggested but what about some v groove tongue and groove pine? Fastened with brad nails or 8d nails which are covered by the next board. ?

 

[bluedog225]

Consider a corrugated metal ceiling.

May want to take out the ply. The corrugated can self support. I suspect 4’ is ok but depends o the gauge. Edit-I imagine any gauge will be fine.