What kind of power tools do you have? Do you have a skill saw or a table saw?

I have both a skill saw and a table saw. I have a miter saw, drill press, and your basic must have tools. What I don't have, my grandfather does. Neither him nor myself have a plainer though.

Thank you for the response!

Perhaps the first tool to use is a stud finder, to figure out where your joists are and what you have to nail/screw to. Also, figure out how you are going to handle the ends... if there is trim there now, taking it off might give you a hint of what's underneath. You need to plan your trim for the new stuff too. And come to think of it, perhaps you already have a better ceiling underneath, if this is an old house.

Oh, and when you take down the beadboard, beware of what may come down with it (mouse nests, insulation, etc). Wear protective glasses, masks, and probably a hat.

KarinL

Thank you KarinL!

This is a new home, CBS block. Hopefully we don't have crtters living up there! : )
I think i'll take your advice and start with the stud finder before I start ripping the ceiling down.
This is also going to depend on how wide of a board to go with too, correct?

Thank you again!!!
-Shannon

Your new boards will go across your joists, so the position of the joists will determine how long your new boards should be, not how wide. I haven't looked into floors much but I'm guessing it's a rule to do these end-to-end joints on a joist, so for best results you'd want to do the same thing on your ceiling.

In my old house I have an attic ceiling that was done with tongue-in-groove boards where the end-to end joints were made at random, mostly out in mid-air between joists, and now they look horrendous, jutting out at all angles. Don't do that!

KarinL

Thank you Karen.
I am going to have to take a look at my options as far as the type of cedar that I can find. I'm sure that I can find tongue in groove cedar. If not, I may have to take on the table saw. I appreciate your help.

Thank you :)