Basement ceiling with reclaimed boards

[Bottlecap Baron]

I'm working on my basement ceiling and considering tongue and groove cedar planks. Right now, it's drywall with some uneven areas. Can I attach the planks over the drywall or should I remove it first? My neighbor gave me some old cedar fence boards and after planing a few, they look pretty good. Would these work for an indoor ceiling or will humidity cause too much movement?

 

[w0odshap3r]

You can definitely go right over the drywall for the tongue and groove.
I'd recommend locating your joists and marking them out, then screwing furring strips into the joists, maybe every 16 or 24 inches on center, perpendicular to the joists.
This gives you a nice, flat surface to nail your planks to and helps with any minor drywall imperfections.
The old fence boards are a clever idea and can work, but you do need to be cautious.
First, make sure they aren't pressure-treated since that's a big no-no for indoor use. Even if they're untreated, they're used to being outside. Bringing them into a climate-controlled basement means they will shrink and move.
So to prevent excessive gapping, you'll need to let them acclimate in your basement for a couple of weeks before you start milling and installing them.
Using reclaimed wood is actually a riskier move than using new, kiln-dried planks, but if they're free and you're up for the extra work, I imagine it can be a really unique, rustic look!

 

[IntoTheWoods]

You can put up the cedar planks over the drywall by using furring strips to create some space and let air circulate. While cedar fence boards can do the job, just make sure they're dry and treated for indoor conditions to help reduce any movement from humidity.

 

[Bottlecap Baron]

It's great to hear you both suggested using furring strips over the drywall, since that gives me a clear way to handle the uneven surface. I appreciate the heads-up about reclaimed fence boards and I'll make sure to let the wood sit in the basement for a few weeks. I plan to stack it there for the rest of the month. When I attach the furring strips to the ceiling joists, do I need to use shims to get them perfectly level or is it okay if they're just reasonably flat for a rustic look?