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

Gown up your boring tray ceiling with these straightforward wooden beams! 

These wooden beams are a straightforward option to give some character to your tray ceiling. I additionally painted our ceiling so as to add to the comfortable really feel. 

This beam mission is one among my favourite DIYs on this home thus far! I work with Minwax often and this mission is one other one I achieved utilizing their superior merchandise. 

bedroom with wall of windows

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It has modified a lot since then! These beams and the painted ceiling added a lot heat to this area. 

After I see a tray ceiling I see a possible mission! I’ve seen many therapies on a majority 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 mission and due to that I did the steps slightly backwards. I might 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 alternative manner I might usually suggest. Extra on that in a bit! 

The purpose 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 seem like 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 does not look fairly as genuine.

We went with the latter, principally as a result of we have been utilizing very lengthy items of wooden — two at ten toes and two at 16 toes. I do not belief that the mitered corners would have met up completely at these lengths. 

I am glad we did not go that course. It might have been WAY extra work and the ultimate consequence appears nice with out that additional step. 

Add your helps to the ceiling and wall

To start out, you will 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 (be sure you connect to studs) was there to stabilize the aspect board, and the wooden hooked up to the aspect of the tray ceiling was there to carry the underside piece in:

fake wood beams on tray ceiling

I hope that is smart. The arrows are pointing to the items that the wooden that makes up the beam have been hooked up to. You possibly can see the underside a part of the beam began in that photograph above. 

Full measurement boards aren’t wanted — you can even use scrap wooden to do that. Simply be sure that 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 have been up, the edges may go on — nailed into the board hooked up to the ceiling after which nailed to the underside piece. The arrows present you the place to nail: 

Building wood beams

While you’re completed you have got “beams” operating across the outdoors of the tray ceiling.

Like I mentioned…the best option to full this mission can be to prep earlier than hanging the beams. I painted the ceiling after the wooden was up. 

Portray a ceiling is rarely enjoyable nevertheless it went faster than I although it could. I used an extended portray pole to get the 2 coats up. 

We moved furnishings and put an enormous painter’s fabric over all the things as I moved across the room. I did need to climb up and down the ladder 1,000,000 occasions 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 slicing 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 mission like this: 

Prepping wood for stain
I speak about utilizing the pre-stain wood conditioner lots as a result of it’s SO necessary. Conditioning the wooden preps for stain so it is not blotchy. 

Extra importantly, it offers you time to stain the wooden, which is extremely necessary on a mission like this that has massive items you are engaged on:

Pre-Stain conditioner for wood

It is necessary to maintain a “moist edge” when staining — which suggests you need to make certain you do not apply the stain after which let it dry in any respect at any level. If you happen to do, you will see the place you stopped and began. 

This wooden conditioner makes it rather more forgiving so you have got much more time to work in your stain. 

Stain and shield the wooden

Provincial wood stain Minwax

Over time I’ve discovered the best option 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: 

apply stain with a rag

See that edge the place it is moist and assembly the half I had simply completed? (The stain to the suitable 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 does not look good! 

Due to the pre-conditioner, it got here collectively properly. No line!: 

provincial stain on pine

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 tasks — extra coats will deepen the stain however I discover it is not often wanted. 

I really like the Provincial coloration, nevertheless it was leaning slightly orange on this pine. I did not actually discover it till I stepped again. 

Due to that, I went again with one other coat of stain, however this time with one other favourite, the dark brown Jacobean:
Jacobean stain Minwax

It is a ravishing coloration! Undoubtedly extra brown, which is what I needed. 

Here is a take a look at the distinction — Provincial on the left, then with a coat of Jacobean on high on the suitable: 

provincial and jacobean stain

That is another excuse I really like working with stain! You possibly can experiment with totally different layers of colours and get a customized look. You can even combine stains forward of time to discover a coloration that is excellent in your wants. 

The ultimate step (after letting the stain dry) was so as to add a coat of polyurethane. I solely did one coat since these won’t ever be touched. Fortunately Minwax has a wipe-on poly that was excellent for this mission!:
Wipe on poly over stain

Once more, you will want gloves and a clear rag to use. You possibly can see how the poly on the left actually deepens the stain and makes it look even higher!

One factor to notice right here — while you stain there will likely be fumes! I had the home windows open all day every day and had an air air purifier operating continually. We did not sleep on this room for a pair days. 

In spite of everything was dry, we have been lastly capable of take pleasure in this room once more…and we’re obsessive about the ceiling! It appears superb and I could not be happier with it: 

wood beams tray ceiling

westchester gray ceiling

It fully adjustments the texture of the entire room. It does not darken the room in any respect — simply provides a heat, customized contact that I like to put in mattress and take a look at. 😉

DIY wood beams around tray ceiling

Dark gray ceiling wood beams

Due to the ceiling peak and having a bunch of home windows in right here, it does not make it really feel closed in in any respect. It does make it really feel rather more cozy and that is our favourite half: 

dark gray tray ceiling and wood beams

I am contemplating portray the dresser now too — nonetheless deciding on that one. Perhaps black? 

My favourite half — the earlier than and after pics! Here is a reminder of the way it seemed a number of weeks in the past:

bed centered on windows

And the way it taken care of this ceiling and beam mission! Does not that fixture look nice in opposition to the darkish ceiling?:

Dark ceiling with wood beams
short four poster bed

Listed below are a number of ideas for this tray ceiling wooden beam mission: 

  • If you are able to do the staining and portray earlier than the wooden goes up, that is ideally suited. However it actually wasn’t that large of a deal to do it after. I believed it was going to be lots worse! 
  • We did not reduce down the width of the boards — they’re off the shelf and simply the size was reduce. 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 might be mistaken.)
  • 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. 
I really like the facility of stain! And I simply love the heat of it in opposition to each lighter and darkish colours.

See one other one among my favourite stain makeovers right here!:

Wood planked wall with stain