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One of the popular design ideas many homeowners are considering is vaulting a ceiling. Although some people have reservations about vaulted ceilings, they continue to appeal to homeowners looking to add a lofty, dramatic appearance to their space. Many people also like how vaulted ceilings make rooms look larger and allow more natural light in. By adding skylights, even more light can shine in.

If this type of ceiling appeals to you, you might be wondering whether vault ceilings is an option for you. In this blog, we’ll discuss all things vaulted ceilings, including advantages and considerations before installing one in your home.

Key Takeaways

  • Vaulted ceilings feature upward-arching or angled designs that create a grand, open, and airy atmosphere, often reminiscent of cathedrals.
  • Popular styles include cathedral, barrel, cove, fan, groin, rib, and shed vaults, each offering a unique architectural look and feel.
  • These ceilings visually expand the space, increase natural light (especially with skylights), improve room ventilation, and add dramatic architectural appeal.
  •  Installation requires structural changes such as removing or modifying joists and trusses, and adding new supports like collar beams or ridge beams.
  • Professionals (engineers, electricians, HVAC specialists) are highly recommended for safe design, especially for ventilation, insulation, and wiring.

What is a Vaulted Ceiling?

A vaulted ceiling is a ceiling design that is constructed in an upward arch, giving a curved appearance. Some have more angular slopes, making an A-shape.

Vaulted ceilings are constructed by installing self-supporting arches above the wall space, right under the roof. They are architecturally stunning and give a grand, airy appearance to the space, reminiscent of Gothic cathedrals and Roman domes. As a result, vaulted ceilings are often referred to as cathedral ceilings.

Vaulting a ceiling is an advanced project, but it can be taken on by DIYers with engineering and carpentry knowledge and experience. If you do decide to vault your ceiling yourself, be sure to obtain a permit and consult a structural engineer and electrician.

Understanding the Basics of Vaulted Ceilings

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First, it is important to know your local building codes and get the necessary permits. It is also key to understand a few terms that will be used throughout this post.

As part of ensuring the ceiling’s structural safety, you’ll need to pay attention to the rafters, joists, and trusses.

These are the sloped structural beams that support the roof’s load. Simply put, they’re like the slants on the letter “A”.

These are horizontal beams that extend from wall to wall and also support the roof’s load. They’re like the horizontal part of “A”.

Rafters and joists intersect to form vaulted ceiling trusses, which are the triangle-shaped units that frame and stabilise the roof. Trusses are meant to redirect some of the stress the roof would otherwise place on the walls.

Some of the joists and trusses will need to be removed to install a vaulted ceiling. This means you’ll need to replace them with other support mechanisms, which will be removed after the ceiling’s installation. One way of doing this is to remove all the joists and nail boards along the rafters’ sides through a process known as sistering, in addition to adding collar beams, also known as collar ties.

Collar beams are horizontal pieces that extend from rafter to rafter, but much higher up. You can picture the horizontal part of the A-shape, but much higher. Another way is to remove the joists, then add a beam that runs all the way along the roof ridge with each end supported by vertical posts.

Considerations Before Vaulting a Ceiling

Ventilation – You’ll also need to think about the roof’s ventilation so that there’s no buildup of heat between the roof and the ceiling’s drywall. You can get the air flowing by adding gable or soffit vents. With gable vents, you need two on each side of the roof peak. If you opt for soffit vents, each rafter bay will need its intake and outtake vent.

Space – Ceilings are convenient places to conceal ductwork, HVAC equipment, plumbing vents, and wiring. When it comes to vaulted ceilings, it’s more complicated because of the limited space between the ceiling and roof. It’s advised that you hire an electrician to help you with the rewiring and an HVAC professional to help you modify the system, since you’ll likely need a bigger system to heat and cool your home with a vaulted ceiling.

Structure – Chimneys are easy to work around if the part of the chimney that extends into the attic is finished. If not, then there’ll be an extra cost to add.

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With these considerations in place, we can now focus on the actual vaulted ceiling construction.

Essential Tools and Materials

To build a vaulted ceiling, you’ll need the following tools:

  • Circular saw
  • Cordless drill
  • Electric miter saw
  • Hammer or pneumatic nailer
  • Ladder or scaffolding
  • Pry barrel
  • Reciprocating saw
  • Safety equipment (dust mask, goggles, work gloves, etc)

You’ll also need the following materials:

  • Collar beams or ties
  • Drywall (or whatever ceiling material you’re using)
  •  Finishing materials (paint, etc)
  • Insulation material
  • Lumber (for backing)
  • Nails
  • Screws
  • Two-by-fours
  • Two-by-tens

How to Vault a Ceiling

Be sure to consult professionals when more expertise is needed. Certain types of vaulted ceilings might also be best left to experts. This is recommended especially for wiring and drywall installation stages. You can hire a general contractor who can consult with an architect, structural engineer, HVAC technician, etc., as needed.

A general contractor is also helpful when acquiring the necessary building permits. Some building codes may require a professional to install the ceiling because of the structural changes that are often needed.

Step 1: Prepare the area. Clear the workspace. Move furniture and other fixtures. Remove everything that is on the joists. This could be the HVAC vents, insulation, lighting, or wiring.

Step 2: Remove the existing drywall. To protect your floor or floor covering, consider either removing the floor covering altogether or placing plywood on the floor.

Step 3: Support the roof. You’ll need a vertical support structure that stays in place when you remove elements of the roof. A common support structure is a temporary wall made out of two-by-fours that extends from the floor to the roof ridge. If there is a basement or crawlspace under the floor where you’re working, then you’ll need extra reinforcement under the floor.

Step 4: Remove the webs, which are the smaller parts of the trusses. As for the joists, you can remove them as well or cut them to within 2 or 3 feet of the wall. These will form the perimeter of the ceiling. Do this removal or cutting work carefully so that you maintain the structural integrity of your home.

Step 5: Sister the rafters. Nail two-by-ten boards to the sides of the rafters to help support the weight of the roof.

Step 6: Add the collar beams or ties to the rafters.

Step 7: Remove the temporary wall.

Step 8: Construct the perimeter ceiling. You can either build it from scratch or use the cut joists. The lights will be added to the perimeter. When you complete the rest of the construction, the ceiling will blend into the walls along the perimeter.

Step 9: Install electrical wiring and lighting.

Step 10: Insulate the ceiling. Proper insulation will make the room as energy efficient as possible. The most common insulation choices are fiberglass, rigid foam, or spray-in foam. The best insulation option will depend on your ceiling’s rafter depth as well as the local climate. Spray-in foam with a high R-value is ideal when your rafters are less than 5.5 inches deep, as other forms of insulation may not be sufficient. It is generally the go-to option because it is versatile.

Step 11: Add the drywall. Place the drywall along the perimeter ceiling. After this, add the drywall compound and let it dry. Once it dries, you can then smooth it by sanding it down.

Step 12: Paint the drywall. This can either be done with paint rollers attached on long poles or by using a scaffold to move around and paint. Let it dry, and just like that, your vaulted ceiling is complete.

FAQs

Vaulted ceilings make the space look lofty, rustic, and charming. They also make use of the dead space that a flat ceiling would have and let more natural light in as well as make the area look generally larger. They can also ventilate warmer rooms well.

Vaulted ceilings offer a variety of designs. These include cathedral, barrel, cove, fan, groin, rib, and shed ceilings.

  • A cathedral ceiling, named after the structures it was typically found in, has steep symmetrical sides that meet at an apex in a sharp A-shape.
  • A barrel-vaulted ceiling is also known as a half-vaulted ceiling because when you look up at it, it is arched in a way that looks like a barrel sliced halfway.
  • A cove ceiling is similar to a barrel-vaulted ceiling except that the sides and top are more angular rather than smoothly curved. It’s commonly found in churches and theatres because of how it enhances the room’s acoustics.
  • A fan vaulted ceiling has inverted ribs and panels that fan out from the top.
  • A groin vaulted ceiling is essentially the result of two-barrel vaulted ceilings that intersect at a right angle.
  • A rib vaulted ceiling is similar to a groin vaulted one but has sharper angles at the top rather than smooth arches.
  • A shed vaulted ceiling is also known as a monopitch vaulted or asymmetric vaulted ceiling. It has a mild slope that then joins the wall or connects to a flat ceiling.

Vaulted ceilings work especially well in houses with a rustic, Victorian, or mid-century aesthetic. Modern and contemporary houses can also incorporate vaulted ceilings, especially when they have unique slopes and features.

Lighting that draws the eye upward to the stunning architecture of the vaulted ceiling is ideal. If you’re looking for something more subtle, consider accent or recessed lighting. If you’d like a more eye-catching look, pendant lighting or a chandelier might be for you. Overall, think about the lighting in the evening. If the lighting is too sparse or dim, the ceiling will give the room a gloomy, cavernous feeling.

You could consider adding ceiling fans, exposed or faux wooden beams, skylights or windows, and textured finishes to the ceiling, moulding, or trim. Another idea is to use a feature wall to complement the ceiling by adding textured finishes (such as brick, stone, or wood), fabric, or wallpaper.

When you remove the dead space taken up by a flat ceiling, you’ll need to figure out how to conceal wiring, plumbing ducts, HVAC vents, etc.
Another disadvantage is that vaulted ceilings are more expensive to install than flat roofs. Rooms with vaulted ceilings also take more energy to heat or cool, so your energy bill may go up. But by adding proper insulation, you can minimize some of this effect.
Since vaulted ceilings are so high up, maintenance is a little trickier. For example, changing a lightbulb or dusting for cobwebs takes longer than it does when you have a flat ceiling. A final drawback is that there may be acoustic changes to the room once you convert a flat ceiling to a vaulted one.

The size of the room is a big determining factor in vault ceiling costs. The complexity of the ceiling design and any modifications that your roof needs to undergo also impact labour and materials costs.

It can take 3 to 4 weeks in total, with about a week or two dedicated to actual working time. If certain complications arise, such as rerouting HVAC ducts, then you can expect the project to take longer.