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 technique to give some character to your tray ceiling. I additionally painted our ceiling so as to add to the comfortable really feel. 

This beam venture is certainly one of my favourite DIYs on this home to date! I work with Minwax often and this venture 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 area. 

Once I see a tray ceiling I see a possible venture! I’ve seen many remedies on these kinds of ceilings, from including crown to putting in wooden to the tray half. 

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

I had assist with the primary a part of this venture and due to that I did the steps a bit backwards. I’d 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 approach I’d usually advocate. Extra on that in a bit! 

The objective 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 facet and backside collectively, it might appear to be 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, largely 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 path. It might 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 will want one thing to connect your wooden to. The wooden “beams” are solely two sides — the underside and the facet. 

So the piece on the ceiling (make sure you connect to studs) was there to stabilize the facet board, and the wooden hooked up to the facet 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’ll be able to 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 ensure 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 accomplished you might have “beams” working across the exterior of the tray ceiling.

Like I stated…the perfect technique to full this venture can be to prep earlier than hanging the beams. I painted the ceiling after the wooden was up. 

Portray a ceiling isn’t enjoyable but it surely went faster than I although it might. I used an extended portray pole to get the 2 coats up. 

We moved furnishings and put a giant painter’s fabric over all the things as I moved across the room. I did must 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 reducing 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 might!

Prep on your stain 

I taped off the ceiling after which began with what I feel is a VERY vital product, particularly on a venture like this: 

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

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

Pre-Stain conditioner for wood

It is vital to maintain a “moist edge” when staining — which implies you wish to ensure you do not apply the stain after which let it dry in any respect at any level. In the event you do, you will see the place you stopped and began. 

This wooden conditioner makes it rather more forgiving so you might 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 technique 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 accomplished? (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 right down to test it out. I often solely use one coat of stain on my tasks — extra coats will deepen the stain however I discover it is hardly ever wanted. 

I like the Provincial colour, but it surely 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 a lovely colour! Undoubtedly 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 high on the suitable: 

provincial and jacobean stain

That is one more reason I like working with stain! You’ll be able to experiment with totally different layers of colours and get a customized look. You can even combine stains forward of time to discover a colour that is good on 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 good for this venture!:
Wipe on poly over stain

Once more, you will 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 — whenever you stain there shall be fumes! I had the home windows open all day every day and had an air air purifier working always. We did not sleep on this room for a pair days. 

In spite of everything was dry, we have been lastly in a position to get pleasure from this room once more…and we’re obsessive about the ceiling! It appears wonderful 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 appeared just a few weeks in the past:

bed centered on windows

And the way it sorted this ceiling and beam venture! Would not that fixture look nice towards the darkish ceiling?:

Dark ceiling with wood beams
short four poster bed

Listed below are just a few suggestions for this tray ceiling wooden beam venture: 

  • 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 huge of a deal to do it after. I believed it was going to be quite a bit 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 an area lumber retailer (I do not imagine the massive field {hardware} shops carry that size however I might be flawed.)
  • The 1×12 used for the facet 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 like the ability of stain! And I simply love the heat of it towards each lighter and darkish colours.

See one other certainly one of my favourite stain makeovers right here!:

Wood planked wall with stain