From the baking heat of Arizona to the chilly hills of New England, 2011 has continued to see our faux wood beams used in home redesign projects all across the country. That’s why, at this time of year, we like to take a moment to think about all those projects, redesigns, builds and renovations we’ve had the opportunity to be a part of over the past twelve month.

From everybody here at Faux Wood Beams: Thank you.

Not just for being customers, but for becoming more – for emailing and writing to us with pictures of your amazing home redesigns, and sending in your tips and experiences. Seeing our products become part of your homes is incredibly rewarding for us; and it’s great to build relationships with our customers.

In addition to the photos, emails and friendships we’ve made through 2011, we’re also incredibly grateful to have been a part of many other great experiences – including continuing to be involved in helping deserving families, in partnership with TV shows such as Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.

We’ve been given so much, so it’s nice to be able to give something back.

We’d like to take a moment to give all the readers of Faux Wood Workshop season’s greetings; and send you our best wishes for 2012. We look forward to hearing from many of you in the coming year – and featuring your stories and photographs right here. Don’t forget to send them to info@fauxwoodbeams.com.

Happy holidays!

Before, Charlene's ceiling was kind of bare and luckluster.

If there’s one thing Charlene Moschella knows, it’s luxury. As part of the emerging luxury property industry in Biloxi, Missouri, she has an eye for detail and a knack for interior design. That much is obvious in the unorthodox way she approached adding a fireplace to her stunning living room.

For most of us, the only thing needed to add a fireplace centerpiece would be the fireplace itself. For others, with more of eye for design, accessories like faux stone panels could give them the look they were going for. Charlene, however, went a step further.

She used our Tuscany Faux Wood Beams as a stunning addition to her ceiling; which simultaneously created a breathtakingly subtle framing mechanism to draw the eye straight to the newly installed fireplace at the far wall of the room.

The look works so well because Charlene created her ceiling design from two different thicknesses of our faux wood beams. Molded from durable polyurethane, Tuscany Faux Wood Beams are available in widths and depths from 4” across, to over 13”.

That meant Charlene was able to install two thick horizontal beams as the “supports” (even though they didn’t actually support anything) and then run thinner beams across the angled room; giving the impression of a structural, practical framework that had been there as long as the roof had.

This strategic use of faux wood beams directs the eye right to her fireplace.

Perhaps the most subtle design cue, though, was the way Charlene left the gap between both horizontal beams bare. Some designers might have been tempted to bridge that gap with more beams – perhaps of the same width as the ones running down the angled ceiling.

But by leaving that bare channel between both sides of the ceiling, the beams act like gun sights; directing the eye towards the fireplace without distraction.

Check out the before and after pictures and tell us what you think of Charlene’s inspired ceiling design. Have you got any tips or tricks about how to focus people’s eyes when they enter a room? We’d love to hear about them; or see any pictures you have.  Send us a message to info@fauxwoodbeams.com. We may even feature them here!

Before: Installing faux beams on Marci's ceiling was going to be a stretch.

Like with the impressive installation that engineering veteran Dan accomplished in this blog post, Marci faced the challenge of getting her Raised Grain Beams installed on a sloping ceiling, with a very wide span to cover.

Fortunately, she had some inside help from the people who knew the house best – her uncle and cousin, who were not only family, but also the contractors who’d built the house.

“It took two people three days to install the beams,” she explains. “Because they’d built the place, they knew the pitch of the ceiling and simply cut the beam on the angle to match.”

(But like they best contractors, they measured twice so they only had to cut once. “They checked it with a bevel square,” Marci reassures us.)

In previous sloped ceiling installations, installers have taken some pretty innovative approached to attaching the beams. Marci’s family is no exception, and knew how to install a suspended beam:

“They secured the beams with joist hangers that are screwed to a block behind the dry wall.” The next challenge was making sure the beam was sturdy over the entire length of Marci’s impressive ceiling. “They did that by laying a 2” x 4” beam inside the faux wood beam, ‘gluing and screwing’ on both sides, staggering the screws about every foot.”

Marci also made use of some of the accessories available for your faux wood beam installation. “Faux straps were used for extra support,” she explains, “and looks!”

After: A 2" x 4" core and Faux Straps delivered great results

Even reinforced by 2” x 4”, the beauty of our faux wood beams is that they’re light enough to be installed by just two people – which is why Marci’s contracting cousin was able to install the row of beams in just three days, using simple trim head screws.

And the results? Spectacular.

“We’re very happy,” Marci writes. “Everybody comments on the beams and thinks they’re real. We love the look of them – we think they make the place look cozy.”

We wholeheartedly agree – and are excited to show off the results of Marci’s handiwork in case it inspires anybody else looking to make things cozier in their own home.

Timber Simulated Wood Beams

That’s because those top TV interior designers keep a few tricks up their sleeves to work their onscreen magic – and here’s one of the best: Look up.

Look up, because your ceiling holds the key to one of their most effective design secrets. In fact, just a few changes to that commonly overlooked (or is that under looked) part of your room have the power to transform your living space.

The irony is that most people’s ceilings never get much more than a fresh coat of paint during a home remodel – and by ignoring their roof, most homeowners ignore the opportunity to transform their room.

Ceiling Beam Choices: Real, Reclaimed or Simulated Wood?

Woodland Simulated Wood Beams

For those living in older homes, exposing existing wooden beams is a fairly simple affair. You’ll need to pull down the plasterboard or beams covering them up and invest in new plasterboard.

And even those living in more modern homes can benefit from the design details wooden beams bring. Obviously, you won’t be able to expose existing architectural beams if your ceiling doesn’t have them – but you can always add your own.

Depending on the style and décor of your house, adding wooden beams to your ceiling could be nothing short of an interior design inspiration. Give your design plan some serious thought before hand; and if you think they make a match, you have two options:

Reclaimed Wood Box Beams

Your second, more practical option could be the use of simulated wooden beams. These are hollow wooden beams created specifically for mimicking the look of exposed beams, without the installation headaches.

There are many options to plump for when it comes to simulated wooden beams. For lightness and cost, you could choose polyurethane molds of real exposed timbers, which perfectly match the look of authentic wooden beams. Alternatively, go one step further with hollow beams made from actual reclaimed wood – which takes the exposed beam aesthetic one step further.

Simulated Wood Advantages

There are more advantages – not just regarding cost. The use of simulated wood beams also offers you a much broader choice of color and style and the ability to match many beams perfectly – which isn’t such an easy task when using full size, timber beams. These advantages mean you can cost-effectively match all your beams to the style and décor of your redesigned room.

Of course, simulated wooden beams aren’t for every home. They work best in larger rooms with higher ceilings – offering a new visual dimension that makes your living space look larger and broader. For smaller rooms, they can often make things cozier and more closed in (although, design gurus, perhaps that’s the look you’re going for?)

Regardless, if you’re considering using simulated wooden beams in your latest design project, check out our photo gallery, which features many styles of their simulated wood beams being used in kitchens, living rooms, bedrooms and even further afield. They’re a great source of inspiration – and even better, the pictures are accompanied by design tips and tricks you won’t find on those home improvement shows.

Unfortunately, this restricts a home or business owner from getting the unique look of wood that they want within these types of areas. Fortunately, there is a solution.

Faux wood beams and ceiling panels are all made of polyurethane – a petrochemical-based material with a closed cell structure that is impervious to moisture, and which also prevents the “moisture migration” beneath coatings or paint that causes peeling.

A large-scale example of a design that used Woodland faux wood beams and ceiling panels in a high-humidity area can be found at the Ameristar casino in Black Hawk, CO. Jeff Arnold, the Project Manager of the construction firm that handled the build explains the project:

“As part of a hotel addition to an Ameristar casino, we needed to cover steel trusses 35 feet above an indoor pool. Because we could get custom-sized beams from FauxWoodBeams.com, we could wrap them perfectly around the steel. The faux beams are lightweight and waterproof, ideal for the humid environment high above the pool. And they look exactly like real wood, very high-quality. I’m really impressed.”

Maybe you have parts of your own home or place of business where you’d like to get that wood look on the ceiling, but shied away because of moisture concerns. Go ahead – let it get hot and steamy – faux beams can take it!

See how other customers used Woodland faux ceiling beams in their own home at our gallery of project photos. If you prefer a stone or brick look for your walls, Faux Panels are made of the same polyurethane material that is immune to moisture.

Installing Faux Wood Beams on Cathedral Ceiling

Installing a Faux Beam on a Cathedral ceiling can be tricky. Here is a simple step by step guide to help you along.

	Measure the inside of the Faux Beam you will be working with.
	Cut two blocks of wood to fit the inside of your faux beam for every 3-6 feet.
	Drill pilot holes in your blocks of wood to prevent splitting when inserting screws.
	You must used screws that will be long enough to go through the wood block, the sheetrock or plaster, and then into the wood structure of the house.
	Screw in another block of wood on top of the one you just installed (remember to drill pilot holes before inserting screws into the block of wood).
	Repeat steps 2 to 6. Space the blocks evenly so that they are placed every 3 to 6 feet until you get to the other end wall. The last block should be about 10” to 12” from the side wall.
	Mark each block of wood with blue painter’s tape to make the next steps easier.
	Measure the length of the ceiling and cut the faux beam to fit.
	Dry fit the beam to ensure a proper fit.
	Attach the faux beam to the blocks of wood at each location that is marked with the blue painter tape, make sure to use long enough screws to go through the beam into the blocks of wood. One screw on each side of the beam at each location is sufficient.
	Make sure not to over tighten. Only countersink the screw a small amount.
	Cover up the screw heads with matched color caulk.
	Tip: It usually isn’t necessary to cut the top edge of the beam on a level to match the pitch of the roof.
	When complete, the edge of the Faux Wood Beam will butt up tight to the ceiling.

Getting a Knotty Pine look on Faux Wood Beams

Thinking about getting the knots on your new Faux Wood Beams to stand out like real knotty pine wood? Follow these few easy steps to get your beams looking great! First you must pick the stain for your beam, in this example we used American Walnut by Minwax. You will need to apply the stain to the knot area of the beam using a small paint brush. When you have finished, you will need to remove any extra stain. you can blot it off using a rag. After the stain has fully dried, you will need to coat the beam with an overall stain.We used English Oak by Minwax. You can use a larger brush to stain the whole beam. Remember to remove any extra stain. Let the beam dry and your all set! Here are some beams that a customer had this process done to. Click to enlarge

Connecticut House Built in 1778

We received these photos from two customers who both own homes that are over 80 years old. While they’ve created these looks with the help of modern materials, their choices of faux wood beams blend seamlessly with the rest of the homes to maintain their original charm.

Kathy from Ellington, CT added Rustic Ceiling Beams and Barnboard ceiling panels to keep the authentic look of her 1778 Colonial intact.

1924 Spanish Revival House

Justin Nylander from Ormond Beach, FL wrote, “I proudly own a 1924 historic Spanish Revial home. We have been enjoying restoring it to it’s former glory…and with the additon of adding these wonderful and very realistic walnut stained faux wood beams to both the kitchen and dining room, the results are stunning…Looks like they were originally installed since 1924.”

Faux Wood Beams in SoCal Home

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!”