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

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

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

This beam challenge is one among my favourite DIYs on this home thus far! I work with Minwax sometimes and this challenge is one other one I completed 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 house. 

After I see a tray ceiling I see a possible challenge! I’ve seen many therapies on some of these ceilings, from including crown to putting in wooden to the tray half. 

This was a special tackle the standard tray ceiling remedy and we LOVE the way it turned out! 

I had assist with the primary a part of this challenge and due to that I did the steps a bit backwards. I might have a lot most well-liked 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 other means 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 once we nailed the aspect and backside collectively, it might appear 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 will see the seam the place they meet, so it would not look fairly as genuine.

We went with the latter, principally as a result of we had 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 could have been WAY extra work and the ultimate outcome appears nice with out that additional step. 

Add your helps to the ceiling and wall

To start out, you may 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 (make sure to connect to studs) was there to stabilize the aspect board, and the wooden connected 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 had been connected to. You’ll be able to see the underside a part of the beam began in that picture above. 

Full dimension boards aren’t wanted — you would even use scrap wooden to do that. Simply ensure it is the identical distance from the tray wall all all through. 

Set up the perimeters and backside of your beams

When the underside items had been up, the perimeters might go on — nailed into the board connected to the ceiling after which nailed to the underside piece. The arrows present you the place to nail: 

Building wood beams

Whenever you’re achieved you could have “beams” operating across the outdoors of the tray ceiling.

Like I mentioned…the best solution to full this challenge 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 might. I used a protracted portray pole to get the 2 coats up. 

We moved furnishings and put an enormous painter’s fabric over all the pieces as I moved across the room. I did should 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 begin the staining course of. Even with the wooden already put in, it went a lot simpler than I believed it might!

Prep in your stain 

I taped off the ceiling after which began with what I believe is a VERY essential product, particularly on a challenge like this: 

Prepping wood for stain
I discuss utilizing the pre-stain wood conditioner so much as a result of it’s SO essential. Conditioning the wooden preps for stain so it is not blotchy. 

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

Pre-Stain conditioner for wood

It is essential to maintain a “moist edge” when staining — which suggests you wish to make certain you do not apply the stain after which let it dry in any respect at any level. In case you do, you may see the place you stopped and began. 

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

Stain and defend the wooden

Provincial wood stain Minwax

Through the years I’ve discovered the simplest solution 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 achieved? (The stain to the precise 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 would 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 often solely use one coat of stain on my initiatives — extra coats will deepen the stain however I discover it is hardly ever wanted. 

I like the Provincial colour, nevertheless it was leaning a bit 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 an exquisite colour! Positively extra brown, which is what I wished. 

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

provincial and jacobean stain

That is another excuse I like working with stain! You’ll be able to experiment with totally different layers of colours and get a customized look. You may also combine stains forward of time to discover a colour 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 challenge!:
Wipe on poly over stain

Once more, you may want gloves and a clear rag to use. You’ll be able to see how the poly on the left actually deepens the stain and makes it look even higher!

One factor to notice right here — once you stain there might 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 had been lastly capable of get pleasure from 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 utterly modifications the texture of the entire room. It would 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 top and having a bunch of home windows in right here, it would 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. Possibly black? 

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

bed centered on windows

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

Dark ceiling with wood beams
short four poster bed

Listed here are just a few ideas for this tray ceiling wooden beam challenge: 

  • If you are able to do the staining and portray earlier than the wooden goes up, that is ultimate. Nevertheless it actually wasn’t that massive of a deal to do it after. I believed it was going to be so much worse! 
  • We did not lower down the width of the boards — they’re off the shelf and simply the size was lower. We used 1×4 and 1×12 boards. We discovered the lengthy 16 foot boards at a neighborhood lumber retailer (I do not imagine the large field {hardware} shops carry that size however I could possibly be flawed.)
  • 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 hassle me in any respect. You do not even discover it. 
I 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