How To Add DIY Wooden Beams Round a Tray Ceiling | Thrifty Decor Chick

Costume up your boring tray ceiling with these simple wooden beams!
These wooden beams are a straightforward technique to give some character to your tray ceiling. I additionally painted our ceiling so as to add to the comfortable really feel.
This beam challenge is considered one of my favourite DIYs on this home to date! I work with Minwax sometimes and this challenge is one other one I achieved utilizing their superior merchandise.
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It has modified a lot since then! These beams and the painted ceiling added a lot heat to this area.
Once I see a tray ceiling I see a possible challenge! I’ve seen many therapies on some of these ceilings, from including crown to putting in wooden to the tray half.
This was a distinct tackle the standard tray ceiling remedy and we LOVE the way it turned out!
I had assist with the primary a part of this challenge and due to that I did the steps slightly backwards. I’d have a lot most popular to color the ceiling after which stain the wooden after, however as a result of I used to be on the mercy of another person’s schedule, I did the steps the other manner I’d sometimes suggest. Extra on that in a bit!
The aim was to create “beams” across the sides of the tray ceiling. We had two choices — take the wooden and 45 it on the desk noticed so after we nailed the aspect and backside collectively, it could appear to be a true beam.
Or, take the 2 items of wooden and simply nail them into one another to create the look of a beam. You may see the seam the place they meet, so it would not look fairly as genuine.
We went with the latter, principally as a result of we had been utilizing very lengthy items of wooden — two at ten ft and two at 16 ft. I do not belief that the mitered corners would have met up completely at these lengths.
I am glad we did not go that path. It could have been WAY extra work and the ultimate end result appears nice with out that additional step.
Add your helps to the ceiling and wall
To start out, you may want one thing to connect your wooden to. The wooden “beams” are solely two sides — the underside and the aspect.
So the piece on the ceiling (make sure to connect to studs) was there to stabilize the aspect board, and the wooden connected to the aspect of the tray ceiling was there to carry the underside piece in:
I hope that is smart. The arrows are pointing to the items that the wooden that makes up the beam had been connected to. You’ll be able to see the underside a part of the beam began in that picture above.
Full dimension boards aren’t wanted — you might even use scrap wooden to do that. Simply be certain it is the identical distance from the tray wall all all through.
Set up the edges and backside of your beams
When the underside items had been up, the edges may go on — nailed into the board connected to the ceiling after which nailed to the underside piece. The arrows present you the place to nail:
Whenever you’re carried out you’ve gotten “beams” working across the exterior of the tray ceiling.
Like I mentioned…the best technique to full this challenge can be to prep earlier than hanging the beams. I painted the ceiling after the wooden was up.
Portray a ceiling isn’t enjoyable but it surely went faster than I although it could. I used a protracted portray pole to get the 2 coats up.
We moved furnishings and put an enormous painter’s material over every thing as I moved across the room. I did need to climb up and down the ladder one million instances to chop in across the wooden.
Portray earlier than the wooden goes it up can be SO a lot simpler since you would not have to fret about reducing in.
I painted the ceiling in Westchester Grey by Sherwin-Williams (flat end!) after which it was time to start out the staining course of. Even with the wooden already put in, it went a lot simpler than I believed it could!
Prep in your stain
I taped off the ceiling after which began with what I believe is a VERY necessary product, particularly on a challenge like this:
Extra importantly, it offers you time to stain the wooden, which is extremely necessary on a challenge like this that has giant items you are engaged on:
It is necessary to maintain a “moist edge” when staining — which implies you need to ensure you do not apply the stain after which let it dry in any respect at any level. In case you do, you may see the place you stopped and began.
This wooden conditioner makes it way more forgiving so you’ve gotten much more time to work in your stain.
Stain and shield the wooden
Over time I’ve discovered the best technique to apply stain is with a rag. Gloves are wanted!
You simply use the rag to wipe the stain on, then rub it into the wooden:
See that edge the place it is moist and assembly the half I had simply carried out? (The stain to the proper appears prefer it’s dry however I had simply utilized it.) If the wooden was not conditioned a few of that line would keep — and it would not look good!
Due to the pre-conditioner, it got here collectively properly. No line!:
On the primary beam, I did the primary coat and stepped all the way down to test it out. I normally solely use one coat of stain on my initiatives — extra coats will deepen the stain however I discover it is not often wanted.
I really like the Provincial coloration, but it surely was leaning slightly orange on this pine. I did not actually discover it till I stepped again.
It is a phenomenal coloration! Undoubtedly extra brown, which is what I wished.
This is a have a look at the distinction — Provincial on the left, then with a coat of Jacobean on prime on the proper:
That is one more reason I really like working with stain! You’ll be able to experiment with totally different layers of colours and get a customized look. It’s also possible to combine stains forward of time to discover a coloration that is good in your wants.
Once more, you may want gloves and a clear rag to use. You’ll be able to see how the poly on the left actually deepens the stain and makes it look even higher!
One factor to notice right here — if you stain there will likely be fumes! I had the home windows open all day every day and had an air air purifier working always. We did not sleep on this room for a pair days.
In spite of everything was dry, we had been lastly in a position to get pleasure from this room once more…and we’re obsessive about the ceiling! It appears superb and I could not be happier with it:
It utterly modifications the texture of the entire room. It would not darken the room in any respect — simply provides a heat, customized contact that I like to put in mattress and have a look at. 😉
Due to the ceiling peak and having a bunch of home windows in right here, it would not make it really feel closed in in any respect. It does make it really feel way more cozy and that is our favourite half:
I am contemplating portray the dresser now too — nonetheless deciding on that one. Perhaps black?
My favourite half — the earlier than and after pics! This is a reminder of the way it appeared just a few weeks in the past:
And the way it taken care of this ceiling and beam challenge! Does not that fixture look nice towards the darkish ceiling?:
Listed below are just a few suggestions for this tray ceiling wooden beam challenge:
- If you are able to do the staining and portray earlier than the wooden goes up, that is supreme. However it actually wasn’t that huge of a deal to do it after. I believed it was going to be lots worse!
- We did not lower down the width of the boards — they’re off the shelf and simply the size was lower. We used 1×4 and 1×12 boards. We discovered the lengthy 16 foot boards at a neighborhood lumber retailer (I do not consider the large field {hardware} shops carry that size however I could possibly be improper.)
- The 1×12 used for the aspect piece did not go all the way in which to the underside of the tray ceiling, which does not trouble me in any respect. You do not even discover it.
See one other considered one of my favourite stain makeovers right here!: