How to Install a Cedar Tongue and Groove
A cedar-lined closet looks great, smells great and repels moths and other pests. Installing one yourself is an easy weekend project, especially with modern tongue-and-groove lining systems that snap together, cut easily on your miter saw and can be affixed to the wall with a standard trim nailer. You can install it over either drywall or plaster, as long the drywall or plaster is solid and not crumbling. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Electronic stud finder
- Pencil
- Level
- Cedar tongue and groove wall system
- Carpenter's glue
- Trim nailer
- Miter saw
- Floor and ceiling trim
Instructions
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1
Pull off any floor or ceiling trim on the walls before you start.
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2
Find and mark each stud in the room, using your electronic stud finder, pencil and level. Draw lines from floor to ceiling showing where the studs are.
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3
Draw a horizontal line along the bottom of the wall, about 1-inch up from the floor, using your level and pencil. Make sure the line is level.
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4
Run a line of carpenter's glue along the length of the back of your first piece of cedar tongue and groove planking. Set the piece on the line, with the grooved side facing down. Using your trim nailer, shoot pairs of nails into the face of the board everywhere it crosses a stud, as located by your pencil marks on the wall.
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5
Hang additional planks, end to end, in the same fashion, with glue and nails, across the whole bottom of the wall. Cut the final piece on your miter saw to fit.
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6
Set the groove of a second set of planks over the tongues of the previously laid boards in order to install a second row of planks. Spread glue on the back and lock them together tightly. Using your trim nailer, shoot a nail at a downward angle into the side of the plank, just above the tongue, which should be facing up, everywhere where it crosses a stud. Repeat for each board in the course, cutting the final one with your miter saw to fit.
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7
Continue working your way up the wall. Face-nail the top course as you did the first course, as you won't be able to get the trim nailer above it.
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8
Repeat the process for each wall in the room. Install ceiling and floor trim, using your miter saw and trim nailer, to cover the edges at the floor and ceiling.
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Tips & Warnings
Wear eye protection when using your miter saw and nailer.
