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[Gene GeRue <genegerue AT ruralize.com>]

> In lieu of using sheetrock for ceilings, since you do not want to do the
> work involved (and I agree it is prodigious), what do you suggest for
> ceilings?

Sheetrock is less work than boards but I don't like the atmosphere of 
it; too cold modern for my sensibilities. I sheetrocked the ceiling 
of the Heartwood living room, which we have used as an office, to 
help control humidity, which was important in the early days of laser 
printers, when we were publishing. In the future I anticipate using 
boards of solid wood. Tongue and grooved if I choose to take the time 
and effort to do that, plain boards otherwise. Btw, I did our present 
Heartwood kitchen ceiling in pine boards, one by six, not tongue and 
grooved. I put a plastic vapor barrier above, then the insulation. 
Even though I had those sixteen-foot boards stacked in the room for a 
couple months, they have shrunk, showing the reflective plastic. So, 
if not T&G, I will in the future top ceiling boards with black building paper.

Depending on the room, I will use pine or oak, both homegrown. Pine 
imparts a more casual atmosphere, oak more formal.