Renovating old barn ceiling

[longlanefarm]

I have a big old bank barn (mid 1800’s) that we’ve started to restore. We haven’t touched the old dairy section but have started on the front “barnyard” area and have built 4 stalls, added sliding doors on either end, and created a run-in space. The hay lofts are upstairs and there is no way to avoid that issue right now. In old barns, apparently they can’t nail down the floor due to the contraction/expansion of the wood that happens throughout the year (there are no nails anywhere, only wooden pegs and joints). So the “ceiling” of my ground floor area is basically the floating boards of the upstairs (including the hay lofts on either side).

I love the look of the massive old beams that run the length of the barn and would like to keep them exposed. My question is this, is there a way to add “ceiling material” (I’m clueless in this area) in between the beams for aesthetics and dust control? If so, what material would be best to use? Metal? Wood?

What I’m thinking in my mind is something like bead board cut to fit between the large beams. In our old farmhouse we had drywall cut to fit between the joists and the finished product looks lovely. Wondering if that general concept can be applied in this situation.

[Foxglove]

As someone who has lived on a farm with the type of barn you are referring to --I have seen that done. The person who fixed the floor took green oak (I think) 1x2 s (may have been custom cut but these do exist in pine for I believe furring strips), and screwed them across each space of the 2x8 (might have been 2x12, but I think they were 2x8 floor boards on the top where the ramp up the hill goes to the level of the barn where the hay wagons pull in. I think you were talking about doing that from the bottom side of the lower barn.

The only down side was the floor was rough --you could never hold a barn dance there or play basketball inside (yeah, we did that in the barn I had as a kid --before I moved where this one is.) But it did what you say --kept the hay/dust on the main level and off the cows (milking parlor down below --stanchion (sp?) on cement floor down there). The big beams were still exposed. But I will tell you as the person who had to power wash DAILY those beams (and the walls) that was a royal pain. Ultimately the dairy’s ceiling was “sealed” with white cow panels as were the walls making the parlor much cleaner and easier to maintain. Not as rustic but certainly cleaner.

If it were me, as old as the barn is, I cannot see the benefit to using a “batton” for covering the spaces. To me it would make more sense to just skin the boards with 1 x 6 and make a whole new floor on the upper level–nice and smooth. Might even consider a high grade plywood exterior grade, but boards would look nicer I think.

Look on Pintrest for ideas

https://www.thisoldhouse.com/ideas/homes-make-us-just-so-barn-proud?crlt_pid=camp.KH6RxG6MYNL9t

[longlanefarm]

Hey @Foxglove , thanks for your response! I am having a bit of trouble picturing what you’re talking about. Are you saying the upstairs floor/downstairs ceiling is basically double layered?