Wood ceilings lend rustic beauty to a room.
Natural wood ceilings give a sense of rustic charm to a dwelling. If you are remodeling a home to include natural wood ceilings, plan ahead and be sure to decide on a style and species of wood that will work for you in the long run. Find other houses with a similar design to look at before committing yourself to the change.
Beams
Exposed natural wood beams, topped with a white ceiling or a raw wood ceiling, give an old fashioned feel to a home. Many older homes have large beams hidden inside the ceiling with drywall or plaster obscuring them. A remodel can remove this layer and expose beautiful sawn or hand-hewn beams that will add to the beauty of your home. You can even install ceiling beams in a pre-existing home by supporting them with posts that are attached to the walls.
Cathedral Ceiling
Cathedral ceilings follow the lines of the house roof rather than being built flat with an attic above. A natural wood cathedral ceiling gives a room a large, spacious feel and allows greater air flow. A beautiful cathedral ceiling can be created using knotty pine tongue-and-groove boards that run horizontally across the room span. Installing a fan at the top of the ceiling peak can help to circulate air within the room.
Finishes
Natural wood should have a clear finish applied to it to help protect and prolong its beauty. Polyurethane is often used on natural wood surfaces that will receive a lot of wear, such as floors. You can use polyurethane on ceilings, but they will also look beautiful with a few coats of linseed oil. Linseed oil will deepen the tone of the wood colors and bring out the beauty of the grain.
Trim
After installing a wood ceiling, the ends of the boards in the ceiling will be exposed at the edges of the room. You can cover these unsightly ends and edges by installing crown molding around the sides of the room where the walls meet the ceiling. Crown molding can be a simple piece of quarter-round wood, or something with a more elaborate profile. You can paint the trim to match the walls or give it a natural wood finish to match the ceiling.
Tags: natural wood, , cathedral ceiling, wood ceiling, wood ceilings