I’m replacing a patio ceiling approx. 17 x 10. The current painted plywood ceiling always gets mold and mildew in one corner. The AC duct in the attic is almost touching the ceiling. Could this be the cause of the condensation? I want to put up a tongue and groove wood plank ceiling (unless you have a better suggestion?) and stain and seal it, to give a nice natural ceiling contrast to the house. Do you have any suggestions for what planks to use, and where they would available? Do I need to sheet rock the ceiling and then add the wood? Or a moisture barrier first?
Love your show! Thank you!
Dennis
Tom: No, I think wood’s fine. It’s more expensive but it’s fine. It looks great. As far as this mildew problem which I’m more of addressing, is what you might want to do because that duct touching the wood is making it really cold and that’s why it’s growing that mildew on there, because it’s getting dirt and reaching dew points, sweating a little bit, and a perfect place for mildew to grow, is maybe take a piece of styrofoam and shove it between the ceiling that you choose that you’re going to use and the duct so the duct doesn’t touch it and the ceiling stays the normal temperature. That way it won’t get cold and be a place for mildew to grow.
As far as that being said, exterior gypsum would be one choice if you want a nice smooth ceiling. It would be a lot cheaper and can be done, probably not by yourself. Get somebody else to do it, but it’s done very inexpensively. Or if you want to do the beadboard and do it yourself and hang that up, it sure is pretty. That’s it.
Charlie: The one thing on that duct, with putting the styrofoam on there, you’re saying putting the styrofoam on the thing make sure that it’s firm against the duct, right? You don’t want something that’s going to allow the styrofoam to create an airspace in there?
Tom: It sounds like the duct is pushed down against the ceiling.
Charlie: Right. Okay.
Tom: So if you just shove that styrofoam between the two the duct will move a little bit. It’s a little flexible.
Charlie: Okay.
Tom: Maybe three-quarter inch just right there where it’s touching it. It’ll just keep it from transferring that coldness or pulling the heat out of that wood and giving it a place to grow mildew. It just keeps the temperature more balanced on that one little spot there.
Got a question?
Click here to ask Tom
Podcast: Play in new window