Wood Over Metal Ceiling

[Danjo]

I’m planning on installing that 1/4” thick wainscoting sold at Lowe’s over the aluminum ceiling. The problem is the row of #12 screws at each rib. They stand proud about 3/16”.

I thought of putting a real thick stripe of liquid nails to take up the space, but that’s a lot of adhesive.

Then I thought I could shim the space with something. Maybe ripping strips of wood to take up the space.

But then I thought that the easiest would be to install the wainscoting between the ribs and then put a strip of aluminum or stainless or something over the gaps at the ribs.

Any ideas?

Thanks

[musigenesis]

Originally Posted by Danjo

I’m planning on installing that 1/4” thick wainscoting sold at Lowe’s over the aluminum ceiling. The problem is the row of #12 screws at each rib. They stand proud about 3/16”.

I thought of putting a real thick stripe of liquid nails to take up the space, but that’s a lot of adhesive.

Then I thought I could shim the space with something. Maybe ripping strips of wood to take up the space.

But then I thought that the easiest would be to install the wainscoting between the ribs and then put a strip of aluminum or stainless or something over the gaps at the ribs.

Any ideas?

Thanks

How regular are the screws? You could use a large drill bit to make a shallow depression in the panel where it goes onto the rib. I've done that on my framing in a lot of places where the wood has to fit up tight against something on the bus with a screw head or rivet sticking out, but I'd probably lose my mind trying to do that many. Maybe rout out a shallow channel on the back that would fit over the screws? Kind of difficult when the screw head is almost as thick as the wood.

[Danjo]

Originally Posted by musigenesis

How regular are the screws? You could use a large drill bit to make a shallow depression in the panel where it goes onto the rib. I've done that on my framing in a lot of places where the wood has to fit up tight against something on the bus with a screw head or rivet sticking out, but I'd probably lose my mind trying to do that many. Maybe rout out a shallow channel on the back that would fit over the screws? Kind of difficult when the screw head is almost as thick as the wood.

I thought about cutting a dado, but the wood is only 1/4” thick so it would probably get too thin

[HazMatt]

I begrudge the loss of every vertical millimeter, so here's a couple thoughts. Three, if combined.
Set be each plank where it will wind up, wind up and swat it with a mallet where the screws impinge, and drill out dimples of appropriate depth.
Glue 1/4" insulation to the plank's reverse, and let installation compress it.

[Native]

Here is a thought ... back out the #12 screws and use them to hold the panel in place. Add some sort of cover over the heads. You could also counter-sink the holes before re-installing them, cutting down on the amount they protrude.


I think I like adding a 1/4" insulation strip (even self-stick) on the back-side of the 1/4" wainescoating or to the ribs between the #12's to make it a little higher than the #12's as HazMatt suggests.

[Danjo]

What kind of insulation? Reflectix?

[HazMatt]

I thought a flexible, compressible shim might be a low effort work around with the protrusions you're "faced" with.
Less so any added R-value. Since there will be no air gap to provide Reflectrix' marginal heat bounce, non-mylarinized (if indeed that actually is a word), small cell bubble wrap would suck up a lot of the gap caused by the irregularities, and at a sight more inexpensively.
$0.02...

[TheHubbardBus]

One way might be using a good construction adhesive. It will fill the void, and once cured, harden to the point where, if you felt it necessary, you could screw fasteners through it. Though if you use the stuff we used to secure our A/C frame to the roof, you likely wouldn't need fasteners.

[Native]

How about foam packing/craft tape/pads like this?


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CK9R66N...ing=UTF8&psc=1

[Danjo]

I like the idea using some foam sheet-like material.

[Native]

I did not search long, but I know you can find 2" wide foam in rolls with adhesive that would make it simple to tape to the ribs.

[musigenesis]

Kingspan makes a 1/4" thick XPS foam product. If you completely covered your ceiling with it (ribs and the spaces in between) and then put up the wainscoting, the foam would compress over the screw heads on the ribs and not leave a gap anywhere.