It depends on the style of the house, do you have wainscoting anywhere in the house? Or any trim work?

I had the 4X8 sheet kind of beadboard on the ceiling of my half bath in the previous house I owned. I had some board and baton on the walls in a guest room, and molding on the walls. We had planned on putting more beadboard in the kitchen, but ended up selling the house before we could do any more work.

The house we owned was a Colonial home in a Colonial area, Yorktown, Virginia, so the beadboard was commonly used there and wouldn't look out of place for new perspective buyers to see.

We don't have beadboard in the house other than the back of our built-in breakfast room hutch and the end of our island bookcase, but we have a lot of trim work throughout the house. I'm thinking more towards not going that route more on the basis of the simplicity and clarity of the fixture -- not sure I want the lines of beadboard above/behind it. I think when I get to go see the fixture in person I will have a better idea.

I would definitely put beadboard up on a bathroom ceiling, it's a casual room and very appropriate. And over the exterior porch ceilings would look terrific.

I agree that beadboard on the porch is a fine idea, but I would hesitate to use it in a master bath, just because of maintenance. Think about the effect of steam, which will be more of a factor than in a guest or half bath; the upward draft created by exhaust fans, the use of spray grooming products over time, and all those little grooves up there.

I have a lake house in Maine with bead board walls and ceiling. The house is 110 years old and it was the original bead board. We painted it white in the bathroom and have never had any problems with it and we've had it for 17 years. Wood is wood and it's not different than a wood floor (which we also have in the bathroom) I find the maintenance to be very easy and I love the look.

Nowadays you can get PVC beadboard. In our Virginia house we put up new baseboard and crown that was PVC to prevent any future warping from the wood.

For continuity in the house (as if all furniture and accessories were not moved in yet) the beadboard should make sense to the overall design. Unless you are not concerned about resale where someone might view it as an after thought instead of an integrated design in the home.

I agree with Mary Ruth, it needs to make sense in the overall design of the home.

Beadboard is a lovely touch in the right house. But otherwise it is a fad - beadboard is to 2012 what wallpaper border was to 1990.

graywings,
How true! "Beadboard is a lovely touch in the right house. But otherwise it is a fad - beadboard is to 2012 what wallpaper border was to 1990".

I love the 3 1/4" or larger tongue in groove board, like the old pine paneling looked, and you can still get that for beadboard, but it sure is expensive. We were going to get some wider tongue and groove for our kitchen in the Virginia house, but we had to buy a minimum of 900 feet to get the one we wanted, and were not ready for that much commitment to beadboard! lol We had seen it in a house that was being built applied on a tall wall going up 2 stories (w/10' ceilings) and it was a round wall. It was gorgeous, and we fell in love with it. The house being on the shore it was so appropriate for the look of the install and the feel of the house.

Yayagal, I would guess that your old beadboard is made of a far superior grade of wood than what is available now.

It sounds perfect in your Maine house. I envy you the summer in Maine - the perfect place to spend the sweltering months (in Virginia, we are sweltering as I write..).

bronwynsmom, it's Douglas fir which is scarce these days but, boy, does it hold up. To be fair, I have to say I've kept the whole lake house to the period it was built. Old clawfoot tub etc. so those who have said the overall design of the house is essentially the key to decorate successfully are accurate. I do agree of that, yet, if a person loves something and they get pleasure for it, what the heck.:)

I think there is enough woodwork in the house for a beadboard ceiling to make sense in the bathroom, but not all over the house. I like the idea better if we do the porches, but I am also considering the lightly textured or smooth ceiling with extended crown and possibly a ceiling medallion for the chandelier.

If we do beadboard, it would be the PVC or vinyl for both the bathroom and the exterior.

We put beadboard on our bedroom ceiling. You can see it by clicking on the link.

Here is a link that might be useful: Beadboard Ceiling