Drumroll, please…Today we installed a faux wood beam in our kitchen! Yiiiipeeee! Isn’t it pretty? I just love the character that an old looking beam adds to a home, and I had the perfect spot picked out in our home…right between our kitchen and our dining area. It would give the rooms just a tiny bit of separation, while adding some farmhouse charm to both spaces.
We bought a 14 ft. long faux wood beam from Home Depot, or should I say “foam” wood beam. Seriously, this thing is made of polyurethane foam! It is molded to look like an 18th century barn beam, so not only does it look very realistic and have a ton of character, but it is also super light weight. They even make the claim that these beams are easy to install, and I would say that’s mostly true, except for one minor (not so minor) detail…cutting it to the right size. It literally took us 3 hours to cut it, and about 15 minutes to install it.
Here’s how we did it…
Step 1: Watch an Installation Video
A competing manufacturer of our faux wood beam has a nice installation video that you can view here. It lays out all of the steps, and makes it look really easy, so you’ll feel pretty confident going into things.
Step 2: Lay Out Where You Want Your Beam
We measured and marked the location for each end of the beam on the ceiling. Then, we used a chalk line tool to mark the location of the centerline of our beam from one wall to the other. You just pull the chalk string taut, and give a little snap to make a mark on the ceiling. This was very helpful! If you don’t have one of these, you may want to invest in one for these types of installations.
Step 3: Cut the Faux Wood Beam to Size
Ummm, this part sucked…big time! Don’t get me wrong, the beam is actually really easy to cut with a saw (like butter), but neither end of the beam was a straight cut to begin with. So, we tried, and retried many times over to make a perfectly square cut on one end of the beam that would sit flush against the wall. We finally had to bust out our 90 degree angle tool and make vertical lines, and then hubby had to do his best to stay in the lines while sawing. In the end, the cut was not perfect, but it was pretty darn close.
Next, we measured from our “square” cut to the other end, and again did our best to cut straight up and down. When, we fitted it to the wall, it was a little too long. Grrrrr. Instead of trying to cut it again, I brought out my sander and shaved off about 1/8 of an inch. You cannot imagine our glee when the darned thing actually fit, and was pretty close to being flush with the walls. The complete and utter frustration of Step 3 is why I have a glass of wine next to me, while hubby is drinking a beer in the other room and watching sports.
Step 4: Mark Stud Locations on the Ceiling
If you are lucky, your ceiling beams will run perpendicular to the faux wood beam. That’s what happened for us, and it meant that we could install our wood mounting blocks on studs in the ceiling. If you aren’t so lucky, not to worry. You can use molly bolts to install the wood blocks into the ceiling drywall, and the installation will work just as well. Mark the locations of your ceiling beams/studs with some painter’s tape.
Step 5: Cut Mounting Blocks
The manufacturer recommends spacing your mounting blocks every 3-4 ft. So, we ended up only needing 4 blocks to install our faux wood beam. We cut the mounting blocks to fit within the interior of the beam. The blocks ended up needing to be slightly bigger or smaller than the next, depending on the location within the beam cavity. In other words, the interior cavity of the beam was not exactly the same measurement from one end to the other. But, that wasn’t a big issue.
Step 6: Install the Mounting Blocks
We screwed each mounting block into a ceiling beam/stud using 3″ screws. We matched up the centerline of each mounting block to the chalk line that we had snapped.
Step 7: Install the Faux Wood Beam
Once the ceiling mounting blocks are installed, you can fit the faux wood beam over the blocks and screw the beam into each block (using 2″ screws). This was the easiest, and by far the most rewarding step in the process. Then, fill each screw hole with a little wood putty that matches the beam. Once this part is done, pat yourself on the back and celebrate a bit! You’ve just added a ton of character to your home!!!
Hope you all have a great 4th of July weekend! We’ll be staying home and working on a few more projects…and glancing up at our ceiling occasionally to admire our new faux wood beam.
See this and other fabulous projects at the following link parties:
- Coastal Charm
- Julie’s Creative Lifestyle
- Create With Joy
- Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson
- The Pin Junkie
This post was featured at:
Finding Silver Pennies
Abbotts at Home
I love the look of this beam – totally does look like real wood – and the way it defines the two spaces with an architectural element. I think sometimes we don’t think enough about the ceiling and how it effects our experience of a space. Thanks for sharing this! ๐
Thanks! It really is amazing how real it looks in person! Just by adding that one beam to the ceiling, the entire look and feel of the room is now more cozy.
Great idea, I often have thought that beams like this would add so much character…..this single one works perfectly, and there are cases in large rooms where four or so would be perfect if the ceiling is high, like in a old stone house. Thanks for sharing on craft schooling Sunday, i really had no idea that “faux” was an option, so great to know!
It definitely adds a lot of character! Faux beams are not only much more affordable than the real thing, but also really lightweight and easy to work with. I can’t imagine trying to hoist a real beam up to the ceiling! The great thing is that no one call tell it’s fake just by looking at it!
I love the contrast between the beam and your bright airy space! So pretty. ๐
Thank you! It’s amazing what a difference the beam makes in the whole look and feel of the room.
It looks like it’s always been there ๐ I had to smile when I read that it was polyurethane foam because I bought an old apartment when I first moved to Denmark, partly because of its beautiful crown moulding. Imagine my surprise when I went to paint the living room and discovered it was made of polyurethane foam! My new (c.1899) apartment has the real deal and I’ve spent a fortune having it restored ๐
Oh my! Foam crown moulding would be quite a surprise! Hopefully no one will want to paint this foam beam in the future. ๐
I LOVE the beam! I have been considering adding one or two to our house as well, but just haven’t been brave enough yet. Thanks so much for sharing the how-to.
Thanks! It took us a few days to get the nerve up to tackle this project, even when the beam was already lying in our garage. ๐
This looks beautiful. I pinned it!
I’d love for you to share it at Talk of the Town at Knick of Time. The party starts tomorrow at 7pm central time here – http://knickoftime.net/
Thanks Angie!
I want to install faux beams in our living room, so I was very glad to read your post. Thank you for sharing!
If you decide to install the beams, let us know how it goes! We are certainly enjoying our new beam!
very cool idea!
Thanks!
Oh wow, it looks great…………and so does your kitchen and dining room area……….
Don’t you just love how a small change like that can make such a difference.
Blessings, and Happy 4th of July,
Nellie
Thanks Nellie! We are really enjoying the beam, and how much character it adds.
This looks so great!
I would love for you to share this with my Facebook Group for recipes, crafts, tips, and tricks: https://www.facebook.com/groups/pluckyrecipescraftstips/
Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!
Thanks!
Your beam looks fantastic. What a great project. Thanks for sharing it on Show + Tell. xo
Thank you!
Wow! That looks amazing!
Thanks Kate!
What a difference adding the beam makes and it looks like it was always there. Thanks so much for sharing your DIY ideas with us at #BloggersPitStop. I have shared on social media. Have a great week and see you at next weekโs link up! Sue from Sizzling Towards Sixty & Beyond
http://www.sizzlingtowardssixty.com.au
Thanks so much! It’s amazing how natural the faux beam looks in the room!
Our house has those type of beams throughout our living room, dining room & kitchen. Real wood though. lol. Yours looks great though.
http://therantingsofadramaqueensmum.blogspot.com
Real wood would be amazing! I can’t imagine how hard it would be to install solid wood beams (so heavy), so you are lucky if you have them already! ๐
What a gorgeous outcome! I love that it seems like it’s easy for all to do, and that it still looks amazing up on the ceiling. I bet everyone is going to enjoy this! Thanks for sharing it with us on The Creative Circle Link Party!
Thanks Iris! The faux wood beam is surprisingly easy to install (once you get it cut right). Definitely a good candidate for a DIY project, and one that adds so much character!
I’m so happy to have found this post . . .thank you. Very interesting ๐
Thanks Connie!
I absolutely love this idea, and the tutorial provided. It adds just the right touch to your farmhouse kitchen:) Shared on Facebook! Thanks for sharing at Vintage Charm! xo Kathleen|Our Hopeful Home
Thanks Kathleen! We love our new beam!
Oh gosh, I absolutely love it! I wish I could do this in my kitchen, but it wouldn’t work. it drops down from a 25 ft. ceiling in the family room. Thanks so much for sharing with SYC. I will be featuring you tomorrow.
hugs,
Jann
Thanks Jann!
A beam adds tons of character and warmth to a room. You have really done an exceptional job with this.
Thank you, Mary! It really has added so much character to the room!
I have seriously wanted to do this on my kitchen ceiling ,But my master bathroom plumbing is directly above my kitchen & I’m scared that drilling in those wood blocks I may hit a pipe & cause a huge flood in ceiling & ???
Hitting a pipe would be awful! If you can find the studs in your ceiling, you shouldn’t hit any pipe, but better safe than sorry!
This looks so amazing! Sounds like a doozy to install but seriously the final product is gorgeous!!
We are wanting to install beams in our home. Where did you buy your beam?
We bought ours from Home Depot, and had it shipped to our house. Click here for a link to the product. Good luck with your project!