Hello! I have been installing cedar T&G ceiling (four months acclimated) in a new addition. 12″ joists spaced 10″ OC spanning 16 foot with blocking at 8 foot roxul safe and sound between the joists. The upper level is OSB subfloor, dryfelt paper and birch hardwood floor, installed after two months acclimated to the room, and about a month ago completed. We heat with wood, but it doesn’t feel dry. Foundation is slab on grade with frostwall.
Here’s my question, after installing the ceiling shown in the picture, when I walk around upstairs I hear crackle popping. What could is is causing this? It’s the first time I’ve heard it and coincides with the ceiling install.
Thanks gang!
Replies
Joists are deflecting. Call it character and embrace it
Ok, thanks for that, I was thinking the same thing. I can embrace it, the old part of the home squeaks like crazy. I wonder if I added some more blocking between the joists? Or not worth it?
Is the osb glued and screwed? And what’s the 10” o.c. on those joists? A typo?
And
Why not break the joints on your ceiling bds over a joist?
Yep, OSB is glued and screwed well, used the subfloor spray foam glue. The joists are spaced at 12" sorry yes, I believe code called for 16 but we went 12". It's 10 inch between them I was thinking of, for blocking. As for putting the joints on a joist, I just wanted to save material. Since they are fairly straight and not weight bearing I thought it would be ok. Especially if I didn't have two joints within one span. But I'm just learning all this. I also chamfered ? The joint butt ends with a router. I like the look better than a scarf. I think the chamfer hides what might be more apparent with a scarfed joint gapping from not matching up on a joist. Maybe I will try to end on joists if that is better practise?
Well I would break on a joist or at the least slather glue on a scrap, tack it from below to the first bd, butt the next to it (glued to the block) and tack it as well.
Even tho you eased the end, warp up or down on either bd could show up ugly.
All the years as a carpenter and doing all sorts of beautiful things and I might say that until it was finished, wood on ceilings certainly wasn’t my favorite.
Vaulted magnified it several fold.
Oh yeah, if you were going to stain or seal, I hope you did that first.......
Thanks guys, I think I can try harder to join on a joist without too much waste. About the crackling sound, do you think adding blocking might help? Could I have added tension to the joists that is showing up in my floor? I'm just not sure if I should take what I've done down, and put it back up a bit more loosely. Or maybe use a strip of felt paper on the underside of the joists?
I'm not planning on staining it. I like the bright colour of it. There really isn't any functional need for it is there?
Try this. Get your ear close to one of the unsupported cedar butt joints and have somebody with some tonnage to walk around that area.
At any rate, from below try to isolate the areas of the pops.
Wood on wood will always make noise unless glue is installed. In addition to nailing the ceiling I would glue as well. I would actually install plywood to underside of joist (glued) before cedar boards as well, to stabilize the surface and minimize expansion/contraction, but that’s just me.
I agree that the noise is caused by joist deflection. There’s a lot of t&g joints in that ceiling and it doesn’t take much to make them ‘talk’