Ceiling beams can add a distinctive look to any room, whether a modern living room or a cottage-style bedroom. Faux ceiling beams are relatively easy to create and install with beginner woodworking skills and simple tools. But the scale of the beams and the finishes are important considerations if the faux are to trick the eye into believing they are solid and more expensive than they really are.
Instructions
1. Design the layout of the beams. Measure the ceiling width to determine the length of your faux beams. Don't assume all the beams will be of the same length: measure each "run" of beam to accommodate small changes in the width of the walls. You want the to fit tightly against the sidewalls. Use a chalk line to snap guidelines indicating where the beam should be installed in the ceiling. Use two lines to outline each beam's width.
2. Shop for 1-inch-thick dimensional lumber to create beams: 4-, 6-, 8- and 12-inch wide boards are available at home improvement centers. Cut these standard widths down to odd widths if necessary. Boards will come in 8-, 10- and 12-foot lengths. If possible, avoid splicing boards to span your ceiling or use faux iron "straps" to hide splices.
3. Distress and finish all the wood boards to suit after cutting them to the proper length. Use various tools to mar and pit the wood if you want an antique look. Stain the boards and then finish with a sealer. Finish only one side of the boards: the other side will be hidden from view, inside the beam.
4. You'll be constructing each beam from a squared-off "U" shape using three boards per beam. Attach 3-inch metal angle irons to the unfinished inside top edge of two of the boards that will make up the sides of your three-sided beam. Place an angle iron every 12 inches on center. These angle irons will be used as "hangers" to attach the beam to the ceiling securely. Use these to mark where to predrill holes in the ceiling for screw anchors or molly bolts. Space these two boards so that the third, or "bottom," board can be attached to the edges of the two boards anchored to the ceiling.
5. Mount the two sides of each faux beam to the ceiling, one at a time, using the chalk lines on the ceiling as a guide. Once the two sides of the trough are mounted, use finish nails or a nail gun to close up the U with the . Countersink the nail heads with stainable caulk. Use caulk to fill in any gaps between the beam and the ceiling.
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