Plasterboard Ceiling Hibijeebies - Alternatives

Hello all!

I'm originally from Norway but we just bought our first house here is Australia. We've decided to make use of the government money for insulation. We've got a very pleasant estimate from an insulation specialst for the actual fluffy, insulating stuff, and all is looking good.

Problem:
Half our ceiling is at an angle (?raked) with exposed ceiling beams, currently with simple but nice, painted finish. The insulation will of course be easily installed from the inside between these beams, but the ceiling will need new inside cover. Now, we thought we would do this bit ourselves. Back home in Norway I have used MDF-style panels with white film finish and "tongue and groove" edges to do this, enabling modern looking, panelled ceilings with no visible nails, no painting or maintenance required. These panels would typically have a slight textured finish so that they don't appear shiny or cheap.

However, down here it seems like plasterboard in practice is the "one-and-only" ceiling solution for residential use. I have no plasterboard experience, and would prefer not to fiddle with this awkward and heavy invention with all the filling, sanding and painting required (trying to stir some response here :-). The raked area is open-planned and living area, so I would like to avoid sanding and painting as much as possible. I've had a look in a few building supply stores and a lot online, but I can't seem to find similar panel products in Australia.

Anyone aware of any such products? I thought of pre-painting my own panels before installing, but will still be left with the problem of visible nails and edges. I have also looked at some products such as Ortech's durra panels, but I am unsure of their uses, they seem mostly aimed at commercial use.

Happy for any input!


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