Faux Wood Workshop

You may find yourself from time to time flipping through Architectural Digest and coming upon the most gorgeous, multi-million dollar home of your dreams, such as the 8,000 square foot house built for Lance Armstrong in Austin, TX. Maybe you wonder how you could possibly incorporate even a small piece of its décor into your own home.

You might be surprised to learn that this home’s luxurious kitchen, complete with state-of-the-art appliances, stainless steel pendant lights and slab stone counters, was also outfitted with faux wood beams on its ceiling.

Faux wood beams can be a considerable design asset for the any homeowner, not just for cycling superstars with a team of first-class designers and unlimited resources. A fraction of the cost of real wood beams, homeowners with even a very modest budget can achieve this look themselves with just a little time and a little creativity.

Faux beams – like our high-density polyurethane models – are popular among builders and homeowners, not only for their price, ease of installation and durable material, but also for their incredible imitation of real wood’s coloring and grain texture. Certified kitchen designer (CKD) and author of The Kitchen Designer blog, Susan Serra maintains that unless structural beams are required, even the most upscale design projects will include faux beams on their ceilings and walls.

So there’s really no need to wistfully put down the magazine and imagine what could be. Take a look at this huge range of beam styles available and start making that dream a reality!

Read more about Lance’s kitchen and the faux beams featured in Architectural Digest.

 

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!”

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!