Faux Wood Workshop

One of our customers sent us some photos recently that really impressed us. One especially impressive bit was the way he fitted the ends of a couple of big beams against the very irregular rock surface of his fireplace. I mean, take a look at the one on the right.

We’ve talked about scribing here before, and the basic technique is pretty straightforward. In the photo, we’re using a compass to draw a scribe line on one beam where it butts against another beam. You hold the compass flat and straight, and slide it up so the point follows the beam’s contour while the pencil draws a line. You do this around all sides of the beam and then cut along the lines. Finally you test-fit and use a saw or file to fine-tune the fit.

The catch is that you’ve got to place the beam you’re scribing in exactly the right position relative to the thing it’s butting against. That’s easy when you can lay out a couple of beams on the floor before installing them, as we’ve done here. But when you’re scribing against a rock wall ten feet off the floor, it’s a bit more of a challenge.

The key to success is that you’ve already attached all the mounting blocks for the beam to the ceiling. (You have, right?) So with a helper or two, you can fit the beam over the mounting blocks and hold it in place — or even temporarily screw it in place — while you do the scribing.

So here are the steps:

1. Cut the beam a little longer than its final length. Allow enough length for the beam to extend into the deepest cranny of the wall it’s butting against, plus another inch or two for tweaking and final fitting.

2. With a helper, slip the beam over its mounting blocks. Have the helper hold it in place, or temporarily drive a few screws to hold it, so you’ll have both hands free to do the scribing. Because the beam is oversize at this point, the far end might be bumping against another beam or surface. Do the best you can to hold it so the end you’re scribing is properly aligned.

If you do use temporary screws, position each screw near the far end of the mounting block, away from the wall you’re fitting against. Then, when the beam is in its final position an inch or two closer to the wall, you’ll be able to re-use the same screw hole through the beam and still hit the mounting block.

3. Scribe lines using a compass around all sides of the beam. Make sure to hold the compass straight as shown in the photo, so the point properly follows the irregular surface as you draw the line. Also make sure your scribe line won’t leave the beam too short!

4. Take the beam down and cut along the lines with a jigsaw or coping saw. Angle your cut inward by 20 or 30 degrees so the cut edge is well-defined and a little “sharpened.” This will allow the edge to deform a bit for a tighter fit as you press the beam into place.

5. Test the fit, and use a saw or coarse file to make adjustments as needed. Resign yourself to several trips up and down the ladder to get it right, and don’t rush it. Keep in mind that you can fill small gaps with matching caulk.

6. When the fit is nice and tight, cut the other end of the beam to its final length.

7. To ensure that no raw polyurethane will ever show at the ends of the beam, stain the cut ends to match the beam’s finish.

8. Mount the beam in place with screws and adhesive, and carefully fill any gaps at the scribed end with matching caulk.

9. The usual: La-Z-Boy, cold drink, self-congratulation, good night’s sleep.

Click here for more tips, videos and instructions on installing faux wood ceiling beams.

We recently received these photos from professional builder and a homeowner who both chose faux wood Timber beams for their ceiling design projects. Jim of Better Build Enterprises used the Timber ceiling beams throughout a client’s home in San Antonia, TX, while Jennifer installed them in her own home in Sioux Falls, SD. We’re not going to tell you which photos belong to who…if you can tell the difference you get a medal!

“Everyone that walks through our door comments on our timber beams. They look at us in disbelief when we tell them they aren’t really wood. They just keep looking up and staring at them! I am a designer and am VERY picky on what I choose to use for products in a home. I personally picked Faux Wood Beams because of the fair price, practicality, but most importantly their GREAT look!! One of my clients saw them, thought they were real, and when they found out they weren’t-gasped in disbelief! She said that they had just spent a lot of money on real beams and the reinforcing of their ceiling/rafters to be able to support them. I can’t wait to find more places to use these faux wood products!” – Jennifer S. Sioux Falls, SD

Read more testimonials or view our extensive photo gallery for more design ideas using Timber and other faux wood ceiling beams.

There are many elements that need to come together to make a kitchen appear cozy and welcoming rather than utilitarian. Cupboards, flooring, lighting and countertops are just a few of the things that need to be considered for the heart of the home. But what about the ceiling?

Brenda and her family from Santa Rosa, CA installed Woodland faux wood ceiling beams in their kitchen as an “easy and a fun project to do together”. Brenda sent us these photos to show off the beautiful final result. Way to go!

Whoever invented the butt joint should have called it something else if he didn’t want people making bad jokes and puns about it.

No matter. The point is that you might have several reasons for using butt joints between beams, and you need to plan them and dress them up so they look beautiful rather than ugly. I’m talking about butting the end of one beam against the end of another so the two look like one continuous beam. You might do this if:

- You can’t get a single beam long enough to span the distance
- Piecing beams together turns out to be cheaper than using one longer beam
- Handling a long beam is difficult in the space you have available

Whatever the reason, you can’t just squeeze the butts together and leave the joint exposed. Not even if you stain the ends before you install them, so that no raw polyurethane is accidentally exposed. No amount of care will hide the fact that you’ve got two beam ends hanging unsupported in midair. (If the joint rests on a post or another beam, that’s a different story.)

The solution is easy. Cover the butt joint with a strap. This preserves the illusion of a continuous beam and adds a nice decorative touch as well. It also requires extra planning, because you don’t want straps scattered randomly about. They need to line up nicely across a series of beams. So you have to plan joint locations carefully, and you might need to add straps where there are no butt joints for a consistent look.

Check out our straps page and our previous post about straps for more information.

Timber, Raised Grain, Regal, Rustic, Woodland, et cetera, et cetera. Sometimes the choices are overwhelming. Where do you start? How can you home in on just the styles that suit your project?

Fortunately, if you know something about what you’re looking for, you don’t have to wade through page after page of descriptions and specs for each and every beam style. You can let the Beam Selector do the work for you.

Say your project design calls for one or more beams with an exposed end. The end doesn’t butt against a wall or against another beam, but hangs in the middle of somewhere exposed to view. Obviously you need to know which beam styles are available with a cap to close that exposed end.

It’s a perfect 1-2-3 job for the Beam Selector:

1. From any page on the website, click Beam Selector Tool.

2. Let your eye scan down to item 8, Available with closed ends, and choose Yes.

3. Click Search for Beams, and behold the results.

In 10 seconds you’ve narrowed your choices to Timber, Woodland, Sandblasted and Chalet. Not only that, but at a glance you can see essential specs for each style: shipping time, largest dimensions, number of sizes, number of sides, endcap availability (of course) and suitability for truss construction. Click any style to see the full details.

I always believe in letting the computer do as much of the grunt work as possible, so I can do the brain stuff.

With all the chef competitions and restaurant wars on reality television today, even the average layperson knows that presentation counts for big points in a dining experience…almost as much as yummy food.

While the chef will take care of how the plate looks, restaurant owners and managers have the equally daunting task of creating an enticing appearance in their dining rooms – creating an ambience that will have customers and their friends make it the new favorite foodie haunt.

We were excited to see one of our customer’s restaurant come to life with our Raised Grain faux wood beams.They sent us a photo to show us the final outcome. Now only if we could get a New York Strip Steak to go with it…

Raised Grain Faux Wood Ceiling Beams