Faux Wood Workshop

One of the more interesting customer projects that was submitted to us recently was from a 58 year old woman and her husband who teamed up to build their own house in Texas.

Having no experience with carpentry whatsoever, Ms. Smith came up with ingenious idea to incorporate her skills as a hobby seamstress to create some of the exterior design on this house using Rough Sawn faux wood planks.

“I made up some paper patterns and put the patterns on the wood so I would know where to cut and how to put it together…. The lace cut fascia board you see, I cut out myself with a jigsaw and router, after my husband showed me how to hold the tools. Never touched them before in my life.”

Ms. Smith also designed and cut the Tudor trim seen on the left side of the house, as well as cutting and installing the shutters, all also made from the Rough Sawn planks.

“We showed everyone that stopped by along the way your product and they were all amazed at how real it looked. No one can tell it isn’t wood.”

Using real wood to create a Tudor-style typically requires a massive amount of upkeep after the fact. But by choosing to use maintenance-free faux wood planking, the Smiths are saving themselves a massive amount of time, headache and expense.

Nice job Smiths!

There is a ton of information and knowledge out there on how to retrofit a house properly to minimize damage caused by natural disasters such as earthquakes and hurricanes, especially in those areas right in the heart of the action like Southern California.

One consideration is a home’s ceiling beams. A real wooden beam that can weigh up to hundreds of pounds can be a somewhat ominous thing to have hanging over your head during an earthquake. Homeowners or builders may want to take their safety precautions a step further by choosing polyurethane wood for their ceiling beams rather than traditional wood. A typical faux wood beam weighs an average of 20 lbs, so if in the event of an earthquake or heavy winds strong enough to cause a beam to fall, the lightweight faux version would cause a lot less damage or chance of injury.

Tammy from Southern California sent in the photo of her beautifully finished kitchen and living rooms area with Timber faux wood beams and wrote, “The faux wood beams were the way to go for me. The first reason I looked into them was I live in So. Cal and I wasn’t sold on having a heavy wood beam on the ceiling and the chance of it not holding up in an earthquake…When the project was complete everyone complimented on how beautiful it was and no one even knew it was faux!”

Corbels are beautiful architectural features that add class, flair and realism to your project. A corbel visually anchors the end of a beam so it looks solid and well supported.

But how do you know what size corbel to use? The answer depends on the kind of beam you’re using.

Suppose your beams have well-defined edges that are square and straight or just slightly rounded. These include our Raised Grain, Woodland and Sandblasted beams. In this case, choose corbels that are the same width as the beams or just slightly narrower.

The first photo shows a corbel slightly narrower than the beam it supports. An equal-width corbel would also look great with this beam.

On the other hand, suppose your beams have irregular edges that are distressed and significantly rounded. Our Timber beams are like this. In this case, choose corbels that are at least a couple of inches narrower than the beams. This lets the corbel rest against the flat part of the beam and avoid overlapping the rounded edges.

The second photo shows corbels narrow enough to rest against only the flat part of a heavily distresssed and rounded beam.

 

Pergolas and trellises can add an elegant, stately element to your client’s property, especially in a season when they’re looking forward to spending time outside. The kits from Faux Wood Beams are easy to assemble and made of strong poly resin materials designed for long-lasting outdoor use.

A variety of styles, including Spanish, Roman, Corinthian and classically traditional allows you to match any building’s decor. Add them to a store’s entranceway, over a home’s patio/sitting area, or install one as a charming backdrop to a garden or backyard.

 

 

 

 A Few Benefits of Faux Pergolas and Trellises:

• Easy to assemble and install – a typically assembly takes under 2 hours.
• Maintenance free – easing any concerns your client may have regarding upkeep
• Will not rot, warp, sag or fade
• Weatherproof and pest proof
• Extremely realistic look of wood and stone

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For more outdoor design ideas, visit our sister blog’s Spring Spruce-Up Series at Creative Faux Panels.