The beams on the ceiling are a good remedy to hide wiring, ugly places in the interior. They create unique interior indoors, it feels like you're on an old ship or traveled back in time.
In old wooden houses beams on the ceiling are often present in their present form. Ceilings with beams can be decorated by adding false logs and, for example, fixing lamps in them. Consider the basic subtleties of how you can make beams on the ceiling with your own hands and emphasize the interior. The ceiling with beams is a structure of hollow P or L-shaped structures, they do not give a significant load, but they give a very spectacular look.
Beams on the ceiling
Work preparation
Before starting, it is necessary to prepare and strengthen the ceiling, especially if the elements are made of metal or wood.
We will need the following materials and tools:
- circular or hand saw;
- stapler, knife;
- glue (for a belt);
- nails, hammer, square, tape measure;
- bar 30x40 mm;
- decorative belt (I used imitation forging, semi-antique).
It is very important to purchase goggles and a special mask before work to protect the eyes and respiratory tract from carpentry dust.
After the work, I had dust in my mouth, I could draw on glasses, but I still often neglected this myself simple rule, but when I tried to apply it, I did not regret it, which I recommend to everyone.
decorative beams
Types of false beams
There are a great many of them, ranging from traditional wooden ones, which give warmth to any interior and ceiling, to polyurethane and plasterboard, which differ affordable price, long service life.
Wood is not the cheapest material, but it allows you to make unique interior antique. Despite the cost, wooden false ceiling joists are popular due to the environmental friendliness of the material, practicality and very effective appearance with which nothing compares.
Wooden false beams
The metal gives the ceiling the effect of a modern building, but at the same time, such joists do not have that old warmth that is felt in village houses with clay walls and beautiful old ceilings.
Polyurethane is affordable, practical, such logs on the ceiling can imitate various materials, which is very convenient, but they are harmful and fire hazardous.
Making a wooden decorative beam with your own hands
I'll tell you about one interesting way how to make beautiful wooden beams on the ceiling with your own hands. We will need: an ax, and attachments for the "grinder": rough metal brush, a thin nozzle with sandpaper, a soft metal brush, I use discs from the widespread Brigadier company, which last longer, although they cost a little more, paint, fine-grained sandpaper, varnish or stain are also needed.
Aged wooden beam
To start acute angle we make notches and chips with an ax (which can also be done with a badly damaged old tree that was eaten by bark beetles), after which we pass along the fibers with a coarse brush to clean out the bumps, small grooves remain from it, which also look spectacular.
Then we remove a small layer with sandpaper, where burrs and irregularities remain, paint with black paint, after which we take a fine-grained sandpaper, even a small piece will do, and lightly remove over the paint surface layer, open with varnish. It turns out a beautiful monolithic bar, from which you can then make a false ceiling lag on the ceiling by cutting out the core.
Aged beams
To make a false beam you need circular saw cut three boards from 3 sides of the beam, after which they are evenly set at an angle of 90 degrees and fastened with self-tapping screws, joints and caps are masked with wood putty.
Also, if there is a vertical metal support, it can be sheathed with 4 boards on self-tapping screws, putty joints, after which any thick nozzle is taken, it can even be an old one with a victorious coating for concrete and we pass it along the fibers.
Also, where the pattern of fibers ends - we continue it on another board, not paying attention to the joints, you need to try to copy the natural structure, otherwise there will be an unnatural interior, then we paint, it turns out very beautiful, plus we save time on cleaning and preparation.
Sometimes customers ask original ceiling with beams that would catch the eye, for this I sheathe the ceiling with a burnt clapboard diagonally, which visually enlarges the room. After that, I first upholster with timber at a distance of 30-40 cm from each other, and then I mount the beams on the ceiling.
- Slots can be filled with wax with a spatula to create an iridescent sheen effect on the ceiling;
- Arbitrary holes are made with a drill, as if traces from bark beetles, holes must be made at an angle in order to imitate naturalness as much as possible;
- Corners can be brushed with a metal stiff brush, because before they were equal to an ax;
- Banal but accurate firing blowtorch will give a unique impression to the owner of such a ceiling;
- The composition of pinotex interior is rubbed into the surface with a rag, which gives the wood a special old view, it is important to keep in mind that this is not a varnish, but a decor, and you need to apply it with a rag in a minimal amount.
When rubbing the composition, it is important to do it carefully so that there are no streaks, the tree must absorb the composition naturally, in no case should it be painted with a brush, maklavitsa.
After that, if there are no special “chips” in the form of wax, then I paint the beams on the ceiling with two layers of Tikkurila paint. It turns out an interior with a ship's ceiling, when the floor lies on the beams, very effectively emphasizes the interior of the transition zones and corridors.
Interior with ship's ceiling
Mounting
It is carried out on the ceiling very quickly with your own hands, despite the advice of many companies providing such services.
To fix the false beams on the ceiling, a 30 by 40 mm bar is first mounted " quick installation» to the ceiling on both sides. That is, to fix the L-shaped log as a plinth, you need to fix two slats on the ceiling and wall, a false beam adjoins and fastens to them, for the U-shaped part, “rails” are made along the entire length of the future log on the ceiling.
Beam installation
With a marker matched to the color, you can mask the chips at the ends. Also, when mounting with self-tapping screws, you can hide the hats by pre-drilling small nozzles - crowns of the place, plugs are removed from the nozzle, which, after installation, are inserted back into the slots and covered with a sealant that matches the color of the false ceiling beam.
After that, it is usually nailed to the bars, you can hide the wiring under it, and place the lamps, these options should be thought out in advance, and the joints are hidden with a decorative belt or left as is.
As we can see, you should not rush to install beams on the ceiling, which is much faster than other ways to effectively decorate the interior of the room, but you should think a little about the material for the ceiling lags, because it is easy to embellish effectively with your own hands.
Ceiling beams as an element of decor are installed in rooms to give the interior originality and originality. It may also be released bearing beams, and imitations depicting ceiling beams. In any case, each of them will create an atmosphere of comfort and warmth in the room.
Types of ceiling beams
Ceiling beams are installed in various premises, such as country houses, city apartments, etc. They are also used to delimit an area, for example, to separate the living room from the dining room. There are ceiling beams made of wood and polyurethane.
layout wooden beams carried out in advance, i.e. even at the stage of designing and building a house. The most common wood for their manufacture is larch. Since they are made from natural materials are environmentally friendly. Under such beams, you can easily hide all communications, wires and existing differences on the ceiling.
The disadvantages of wooden elements include the fact that they have significant weight, they are not so easy to install on their own. They are also susceptible to rotting, spoilage by microorganisms and have low moisture resistance.
Due to the fact that the beams are made of natural wood, their natural beauty can be enhanced by sanding and varnishing. You can create a noble look for them, giving the material an artificial old age. And in addition, they are decorated with either carving, or painting, or ceramics.
Polyurethane beams are an imitation of natural wooden elements. They are easy to install by yourself, as they are light in weight. Since they are made from artificial materials, possess the increased moisture resistance and are not exposed to rotting. Polyurethane parts are made U-shaped, therefore, communications and pipes are well hidden under them. On them, you can create both a smooth varnished surface and an old cracked one.
Beams for the ceiling: harmony in style
Decorative elements on the ceiling in the form of beams can be used in various styles ranging from classic to high-tech. If the interior is designed in an elegant classical style, then the surface of the beams must be smooth and varnished.
If luxury elements are present in the interior, it is best to paint them in light colors, for example, in the tone of silver, and decorate with carvings or paintings. For the interior, made in a modern style, details with a smooth surface are used. They can be dyed both dark and bright hues, and in a brighter mischievous color with the use of backlighting on them.
In the high-tech (loft) style, beams painted with metallic effect paint look great, which are in harmony with brickwork. If the house is decorated in a rural style, then decorate it better elements made under an old tree. In color, they can be both light on a dark ceiling, and very dark with a rough finish on a light background.
French lovers rural style- Provence - for decoration it is better to use well-crafted and whitewashed wooden beams. For decorating rooms ethnic style either natural ceiling elements are used, or their imitation of polyurethane with a wood-like texture.
When choosing colors for beams on the ceiling, harmony must be observed. For example, a design with a contrasting color scheme looks great. In this case, to highlight the decor, a combination of dark wood with a white ceiling is performed, or vice versa.
And for more bright interior You can combine any colors, for example, yellow ceiling and blue beams turquoise ceiling and white beams. It can also be done so that decorative element was the same color as the surface of the ceiling. At the same time, the details painted in tone will give the room an expressive structure and visually increase the volume of the room.
Choosing for decor color scheme, you need to remember that the beams installed on the ceiling should be combined with one of the interior elements in color, for example, with a touch of furniture or with a floor covering.
It should also be remembered that dark decor looks bulky and gives the room a graphic feel. Light shades look lighter and more sophisticated, giving the atmosphere a restrained coldness.
Installation of decorative beams
You will need:
- metal profiles;
- screwdriver;
- liquid Nails;
- drywall or plywood.
Beams look great in rooms with high ceilings. In this case, to give comfort to the room, decorative elements are installed, retreating from the surface for a certain distance. In order to visually cover low ceiling, a construction is being carried out that smoothly passes to the walls, or strips are placed on them to match the color of the beams.
With the help of decor, you can create the appearance of a change in the geometry of the room. In this case, in narrow rooms elements are installed according to their width, and to stretch the room - along the longest wall. If in the interior you need to highlight only part of the room, then the beams can be arranged in the form of a Christmas tree or a lattice. Or with their help, you can divide the room into zones, placing the decor at their junction and mounting lamps in it.
Under the decorative elements, all communications, such as electrical wiring, pipes, etc., are easily hidden. Therefore, lighting can be installed directly on them. To do this, you can embed the fixtures directly into the beam or fix it on it with brackets. The design with an LED strip mounted on its upper part looks very original.
If installed suspended ceiling, which covers all the wiring, then the beam in this case will serve only as an element of decor. At the same time, it can be applied with various paintings in the form of an ornament, which must be duplicated on other elements of the interior. If the decor is located in the kitchen, then a special fixture with suspensions (railing) can be placed on it, on which kitchen utensils are stored.
Installing polyurethane beams on the ceiling can be done in several ways. If the decor is heavy, then first, in the places of its further installation, a crate is made of metal profiles or wooden slats(beam). Then the beams are fixed on it with the help of self-tapping screws. Lighter weight elements are attached to the ceiling liquid nails. For greater reliability, a combined mounting method is used. In this case, the parts are both glued and fixed to the crate.
It is possible to make a beam for the interior of the room yourself from drywall or plywood. To do this, marking is carried out on the ceiling, for each element a strong frame of metal profiles is installed. After that, details are cut out of the material required size. Then they are screwed to the prepared frame using self-tapping screws. At the end, all the resulting boxes are processed with putty, then with a primer and then covered with paint or pasted over with a film under the wood.
Polyurethane foam beams can be mounted on glue or mounted on wooden bars. The first method is suitable for non-load-bearing beams. Fastening decorative beams glue is characterized by simplicity and high speed of work, does not require special tool and wooden bars. Anyone can install beams on glue, even those who have never encountered interior decoration. Installation of false beams on wooden blocks is more laborious and takes more time. In most cases, fastening to wooden blocks is not required.
Beams are mounted after completion finishing works. Before installation, they must be kept indoors for a day. If a installation of polyurethane beams(correctly polyurethane foam) is carried out on glue, you need to read the instructions and check on a separate beam for how long the glue sets. You should also pay attention to what temperature you can work. Typically, for such work, the room should be at least 5 ° C.
Before attaching decorative beams, you need to make marks on the ceiling or wall, cut the beams to the desired length. The markup must be done very carefully, because it depends on how the location of the mounted beams will correspond to the designer's project. To cut beams, use a hacksaw with fine teeth. It is more convenient to cut small fragments with a knife that has a hard, sharp blade. The edges of the beam after sawing or cutting are recommended to be treated with coarse sandpaper.
Installation of false beams on glue
To apply glue, use a special gun or simply squeeze the glue out of the tube. The glue is applied to the edges of the beam in an even continuous layer and pressed against the surface of the ceiling or wall in the marked place. Fastening false beams can be performed by one installer if their length is about a meter or less. In the case when the length of the products is significant, the work is carried out together, which ensures the convenience and accuracy of fastening. If necessary, use props until the glue dries completely.
First of all, the main beams are mounted. Installation of jibs and cross beams is carried out after the adhesive has fully cured, usually after 24 hours.
Amaro recommends doing installation of decorative beams on the ceiling and walls using Spantan-1K glue own production. It has proven itself well in terms of reliability and ease of use. The glue is absolutely harmless, quickly seizes, has high strength and good adhesion.
Installation of false beams on wooden bars
For installation, choose bars, the section of which corresponds to the groove of the beam. The bars are attached to the wall or ceiling with dowels along the marked lines after 1 m for each beam. Opposite their middle, a mark is left so that it is visible after the beam is installed. Further installation of decorative false beams comes down to the fact that they are put on the bars and, focusing on the marks left, are fixed with self-tapping screws. Places where self-tapping screws are screwed in are puttied and covered with paint in the color of the beams.
Previously, beams under the ceiling solved a completely functional task - they supported ceiling. Now this extremely decorative element is most often found in interiors made in a rustic or old English style, in Provence, country and chalet styles. It is not bad to integrate beams into modern styles interior: loft, modern, minimalism, hi-tech.
The most advantageous decorative look in rooms with high ceilings, which dictates their placement mainly in houses with a ceiling height of three meters. Wooden beams under the ceiling are a stylish element of home decoration, emphasizing the spaciousness of the room, and in some cases also carrying a functional load (for example, they are used to hide communications). Most often, beams are placed in kitchens, halls, halls and offices.
Types of beams
Certainly, modern houses rarely decorated with real wooden elements under the ceiling. Although there are connoisseurs of the natural, who prefer real heavy beams for decorating the ceiling, as a rule, of a country house.
Building materials stores offer huge selection false beams made of lightweight and easy-to-install polyurethane. Visually, such elements are indistinguishable from natural wood, and in practice they even surpass it in some way.
The advantages of polyurethane false beams include the fact that they:
- not afraid of dampness, do not swell from excessive moisture;
- do not crack or deform;
- very easy to mount under the ceiling (including tension).
However, lovers of naturalness can opt for false beams made of MDF or chipboard, hollow inside. Veneers made of valuable breeds tree. You can find options made from lamellas. Beams come with sharp and rounded edges, U-shaped and L-shaped (for decorating joints).
Table. Comparison of polyurethane and wooden false beams.
To design a high-tech style, some designers use metal beams, however, such elements are more difficult to install and require the involvement of professionals for their installation.
How to make decorative beams on the ceiling with your own hands
Some craftsmen make beams with their own hands, which takes a minimum of time and is inexpensive. For example, in order to make false beams, you can use regular foam, which remained from the insulation of the garage or loggia.
Step 1. Sheets 4-5 cm thick cut into strips of the desired width.
Step 2 Glue the strips with liquid nails into a U-shaped beam.
Step 3 After setting, cut the beams into segments of the desired length.
Step 4 Paste the beams with a self-adhesive film under the tree (except for the side that will be glued to the wall).
Using the same technology, you can make beams from plywood or even from ordinary boards. The boards can then be aged, stained and varnished.
If there is a desire to make beams from natural timber, you can buy edged polished timber, for example, 70x50. When choosing, be sure to check that it is even and dried. Then you need to process the stain and varnish and cut to the required length. It is also an inexpensive and affordable option.
Beam decoration
Each interior style will require its own style of beam design.
- For classic and Victorian styles you can decorate the beams with gold carvings, decorate with patterns and vignettes. You can find such ready-made polyurethane beams for sale.
- White, black, brown as well as colored beams will be ideal solution for modern interiors.
- For high-tech style, the design of metal-like beams is suitable.
- To create a country style, wood will need to be aged.
- The rural style (country) is characterized by an emphatically rough texture.
Options for placing beams on the ceiling
False beams can decorate any type of ceiling: stretch, plasterboard, plain painted, etc. With their help, you can zone the room or create such a popular decorative element as a false window on the ceiling with imitation of stained glass. Decorative beams can imitate window coverings, between which a canvas with photo printing, mosaics, frescoes and even mirror panels. The modern European trend is very interesting, when the beams go to the walls.
Beams can be decorated from above LED backlight, which will give a special decorative effect. The beams in which they are mounted look amazing ceiling lamps. All wiring in this case is hidden inside the hollow structure.
In general, the beams on the ceiling will give a feeling of warmth and comfort to the living space, bring a twist to modern interior styles and allow you to create the necessary authenticity in public institutions like clubs or pubs.
How to position the beams
If the room needs visual expansion, then the following points should be taken into account when arranging the beams.
- If you need to make the room wider, then the beams need to be placed on the short side.
- If you need to increase the length, the beams should be placed along the entire length of the ceiling.
- The criss-cross arrangement will give the room a visual dimension.
- One beam can be distinguished separate zone: for example, a bar counter.
Location frequency also plays a big role. For example, if the ceiling height is very high (which happens on the first floors of buildings), the close location of the beams to each other helps to reduce it a little. If the ceilings are of medium height, the beams should be fixed at a greater distance from each other. Also, beams can be laid "herringbone". Attic rooms without a ceiling, they look especially impressive if the ceiling beams pass through the columns and are fixed at the ends in the walls, creating the effect of a hut.
How to fix beams to the ceiling
The features of the procedure depend on the material from which the false beams are made. Let's take a closer look at each of the options.
How to glue foam false beams on a regular ceiling
This is the easiest option for placing false beams in modern apartment. If you want to decorate a kitchen or hall quickly, inexpensively and on your own, the best option can not found.
Step 1. First, marks are applied on the ceiling and on the walls to indicate the places where the false beams will be glued. Places of the sticker must be primed for better adhesion.
Step 2 Then the beam is smeared with liquid nails and glued to the required place. Styrofoam products are almost weightless, and liquid nails seize literally instantly.
Some instructions advise to spread the wall at the same time, but in case of excess glue, the beam may begin to slide down the wall. So golden mean must be determined empirically.
Step 3 If the room is narrow, you can stick 2 beams along long walls rooms, and cross beams just place it perpendicular to them. Such the simplest ceiling will help to hide the irregularities of the usual concrete ceiling and will look very advantageous.
How to quickly fix wooden beams to a wooden or concrete ceiling
This is also not very difficult and not expensive to do.
Step 1. On the ceiling we draw lines for placement.
Step 2 We drill holes in the beam with a 12 mm drill with a depth of not more than 0.5 cm every 30 cm.
Step 3 In the same holes we drill 8 mm holes, into which we drive 120 mm self-tapping screws.
Step 4 We apply the timber, mark the places for the holes on the ceiling.
Step 5 On the ceiling in the marked places with a perforator, we drill holes of 8 mm.
Step 6 We drive chopsticks into them.
Step 7 We fasten the beam.
Since the head of the self-tapping screw goes in, we cover these places with putty on wood. After drying, tint with stain, then with varnish. You can cover the caps of the self-tapping screws with wooden corks or special decorative overlays imitating the caps of forged nails. You can attach nails to ordinary dowels - this is an even faster option.
If you plan to cross-distribute the beams, then unevenness may occur at the joints. The design of these nodes depends on the style in which the room is designed. If this is country music, for example, then these places can be covered with leather decorative belts or large string glued in several rows.
Installation of polyurethane decorative beams on beams
This is professional way installation.
Decorative beam B1 made of polyurethane (wenge, cherry, oak, olive, walnut, light oak)
Step 1. For a polyurethane false beam, wedge-beams are made of wood, which fully correspond to the internal cavity of the beam.
Step 2 The ceiling is marked: lines are drawn along which the beams will be attached.
Step 3 Wedge bars are installed along the line every 1 meter on self-tapping screws or dowels.
Step 4 When installing a false beam, glue for polyurethane is applied to the ceiling. This is necessary not for fixation, but for a tighter fit to the ceiling so that there are no gaps left.
Step 5 The beam is tightly put on the bars and screwed through the sides with screws.
Step 6 The screws that fasten the false beam to the beam and the joints of the beams are covered with decorative leather straps with rivet imitation.
Features of the installation of beams on a stretch ceiling
To do stretch ceiling and decorate it with decorative tanks, you should install embedded parts similar to those installed for hanging chandeliers. Mortgage for a decorative false beam - it's easy wooden block required thickness. It is attached to the main ceiling, and the stretch ceiling is stretched so that it passes touching the lower plane of the bar. Then false beams are attached through the ceiling to the timber.
You can use the fastening of beams with suspensions. Hangers are attached to the base. and after stretching the ceiling, cuts are made in the canvas. Specific actions depend on the type of material.
If the stretch ceiling has been hanging for a long time, but you want to somehow diversify the interior without dismantling the canvas, you can use external consoles with fasteners to the wall or internal bars screwed to the walls. Beams will be attached to them with self-tapping screws.
Features of the installation of beams on a plasterboard ceiling
As plasterboard ceiling is suspended, you can’t just attach beams to it. You will have to remember / tap the places where the frame profiles go, and attach the beams to them. Can be attached to any convenient way: with a long anchor through a beam, plasterboard and profile or on a bar attached with a self-tapping screw to the plasterboard and profile. A self-tapping screw screwed exclusively onto drywall will not hold the beam for a long time.
Some nuances
The joints of the beams or the exit points of the self-tapping screws are covered with various kinds of decorative overlays, among which the following can be distinguished:
- masking with a decorative rope;
- masking with a wax pencil;
- masking with forged copper plates;
- decorative leather belts.
To decorate the space, you can use decorative consoles that are sold with beams and create an imitation of supports on the walls. If cables for lighting devices pass inside the polyurethane beam, they must be hidden in a corrugated protection.
Video - Installation of wooden decorative beams on the ceiling
In this way, you can get a very beautiful unusual interior with an emphasis on wooden beams under the ceiling. This interior does not require a large investment of money, and you can fix the beams with your own hands in just a few hours.
Competent installation and decor ceiling beams, installation features of products from different materials, ways of finishing old beams.
The content of the article:
Finishing ceiling surface beams looks stylish and respectable. This is great way emphasize the originality of the design and transform the room. Laying wooden beams on the ceiling is carried out even in the process of building a house. However, such elements are heavy and expensive, therefore, for decoration, peculiar false beams from different materials are most often attached.
Styles for beams on the ceiling
If you decide to finish the ceiling in this way, then you need to correctly combine the installed beam with other decorative elements. Moreover, if you have certain design skills, this detail can be beaten in almost any style.
Let's look at what style decisions can be used to decorate beams:
- Classical. Beams made of wood or wood imitation material, combined with matching furniture or parquet, are undeniably classics. Contrasting dark wood on a pastel light background looks original. But carving and painting will add traditional interior respectability.
- Victorian. The rooms, decorated in this style, look aristocratic and luxurious. Therefore, the beams must be installed from expensive mahogany with antique finishes.
- Modern. Beams in rooms with this design can be painted in bright colours, install lighting inside and embody various stylistic ideas.
- Hi-tech and loft. Finishing the ceiling in such rooms with polyurethane beams with a texture that imitates metal will be very useful. Especially if the walls in the room are in the form of brickwork.
- Provence. Perfectly smooth, white painted beams on the ceiling will be a great addition to the French, rural style.
- Rustic. A rough wood finish that emphasizes the natural structure of the material is the best option.
Do-it-yourself technology for mounting beams on the ceiling
The equipment for simulating beams on the ceiling consists of several stages. In order to carry out installation work quickly and efficiently, you need to decide on the type of model, correctly draw up a diagram taking into account the characteristics of the room and securely fasten it so that the structure is smooth and durable.
Rules for drawing beams on the ceiling
The location of the beams on the ceiling can visually expand the space or make the room lower. Therefore, the scheme of their installation primarily depends on the effect that you want to achieve.
- If the beams are arranged along the length of the room, then it can be visually extended even more. Accordingly, to expand the space, the ceiling elements are placed across.
- The cross-shaped fastening of the beams visually makes the space more voluminous.
- You can visually reduce the height of the room by fixing the beams below the ceiling.
- One beam with installed lamps or other decorative details is able to divide the room into zones.
- Placing several beams in one part of the room will visually highlight it. In this case, the elements do not have to be fixed in parallel or crosswise. The Christmas tree arrangement looks interesting.
- You can visually increase the height of the room by fixing the structures on the wall and making a continuation on the ceiling. At the same time, not the entire beam, but only part of it, needs to be fixed on the ceiling.
Selection of materials for mounting beams on the ceiling
Variety of building and finishing materials allows you to use for mounting beams:
- wood. It is environmentally friendly and looks respectable. Most often, preference is given conifers(pine, larch, spruce, cedar). They are more practical and durable. Hardwoods (for example, oak) are used less often because of the high cost.
- Drywall. Practical, relatively inexpensive, easy to handle. It can be finished in almost any way.
- Polyurethane. modern material, characterized by high operational characteristics. It is released in a wide range colors and textures, a light weight and is moisture resistant.
Beams made of artificial materials also differ in the types of profiles:
- From chipboard or MDF. Veneer elements in parts with straight joints in this case are connected at angles of 90 or 45 degrees. Beams with rounded edges are made of veneered MDF or chipboard and connected with a profiled rail on inner junction. Such models can be patinated and painted.
- From durable wood lamellas. For manufacturing use oak, ash, pine, larch. May have straight or rounded edges. Treated like a normal tree.
- From array. Used in production ordinary timber from wood. The beam can be suspended and bearing. Facing is carried out in the same way as from ordinary wood. These models are much more expensive.
When choosing the material of manufacture, it is important to take into account the specifics of the room in which the installation is planned. For installation in conditions high humidity, for example, polyurethane products are optimal.
Preparing to Install Ceiling Beams
Before proceeding with the installation of beams on the ceiling, the coating should be prepared. This is a stage consisting of the following processes:
- Remove all furniture from the room lighting, mirrors, curtains, carpets, cornices.
- We clean the surface of the old finishing layer.
- We get rid of unreliably fixed elements.
- If necessary, remove the old wiring.
- We treat stains of mold, fungus or rust with a special primer. You need to get rid of them, otherwise they will later appear on the new finish.
- Close up with cement-based putty large cracks and cracks.
- We prime the coating with an antiseptic composition.
- We level the surface with plaster (for irregularities from 5 cm) or starting putty (for irregularities up to 5 cm).
- We prime the ceiling and paste over with fiberglass for reinforcement.
- Applying a layer finishing putty and wait for it to dry.
- We grind the roughness with fine-grained paper and impregnate with a primer based on acrylates.
Features of fastening wooden beams to the ceiling
Ceiling elements made of natural wood are heavy, and therefore the reliability of fixation must be given Special attention. The beams themselves can be purchased ready-made or made with your own hands from a bar. In the latter case, it is worth choosing a tree with a shrinkage of up to 12%, on which there are no damages and traces of rot. It is also important to treat the material with antiseptic compounds to protect against moisture, mold, rodents and insects.
We perform the installation as follows:
- We adjust the ends of the elements with a planer and grind with fine-grained paper for the most snug fit.
- We fix the bars to the side panels using self-tapping screws.
- To fix the lower element with a drill, we drill holes in the bars in increments of 15-20 cm. They should be located at an angle of 90 degrees to the self-tapping screws connecting the bar and the sidewall. The distance from each hole to the self-tapping screw should be about 5 cm.
- For reliability at the junction, we coat the wood with carpentry glue.
- We connect all the details with self-tapping screws, forming a U-shaped false beam.
- On the ceiling we fix the bars in increments of 0.5 meters. The width of the bar must match internal size box voids.
- We attach the beam to the bars with the help of self-tapping screws, deepening the caps of the fasteners inward.
- We cover the places of the recesses with putty to match the color of the wood.
- We carry out the finishing of the ceiling element.
Please note that in order not to damage the ceiling finish, when painting the beam, you can paste over the joints with the ceiling covering with masking tape.
How to install plasterboard beams on the ceiling
The correct installation of the plasterboard structure on the ceiling, first of all, depends on the accuracy of the markup. That is why, using a level, a tape measure and a chopping cord, it is first recommended to apply the profile attachment lines and only then proceed to work.
Before you make a beam on the ceiling of the plasterboard, we recommend that you read the installation instructions:
- We attach the guide profile with dowels along the marked lines.
- We make segments from the carrier profile, which will be equal to the height of the beam.
- Insert the cut pieces into start profile and fasten with self-tapping screws in increments of 10-15 cm.
- Along the bottom edge we connect all the segments with a guide profile.
- Jigsaw or sharp knife for drywall, we cut out parts from sheets according to the size of the beam.
- We attach drywall to the profile with self-tapping screws.
- We glue the joints with sickle tape. We putty gaps and places of deepening fasteners.
- We apply a finishing layer of putty and, after complete drying, rub the roughness with fine-grained sanding paper.
- We prime the surface and finish the beam.
Fixing polyurethane beams to the ceiling
The main advantage of installing polyurethane beams on the ceiling is the simplicity and speed of installation work. The design is lightweight, therefore, for fastening a polyurethane beam standard length(3 meters) you only need three wedges.
In the process, we adhere to the following action plan:
- We mark the fastening of the beam.
- We drill a hole in the wedge bar, with a diameter of 2 mm less than that used to fix the screw.
- We fasten the blanks to the ceiling in increments of up to one meter. If a joint of elements is planned, then a wedge must also be fixed on it.
- We process special glue surfaces of the wedges and attach the beam.
- For additional reliability, we fix the structure with self-tapping screws.
If you want to hide communications inside the beam, then cutouts can be made in the bars through which corrugated pipe wires are laid.
Ways to decorate old beams on the ceiling
Installing false beams does not take much time and does not require special skills. Anyone can handle installation work. But what if there are already old beams on the ceiling? They can be aesthetically pleasing.
To do this, you need to use the following methods: painting (if necessary, preliminary putty and primer), installation on the old structure of a polyurethane false beam, decoration with ropes in nautical style, pasting mirror tiles. If there is a beam in the kitchen, then a special suspension (railing) can be attached to it and used to store dishes, bags of herbs and kitchen utensils. Using the same methods, you can beat a concrete beam on the ceiling.
As for the ways to completely mask the ceiling elements, the most common are:
- Stretch fabric. In order not to lose the height of the ceiling, you can make a two-level design.
- Plasterboard ceiling. Sheets and frame should be attached to the ceiling, and not to the beam.
- Caisson structure. The most elegant and expensive option.
- clapboard. The easiest way. Instead of lining, you can even use an ordinary edged board.
Please note that you can completely mask the beam only in high rooms, otherwise by hiding 15-20 cm of room height, you can absolutely ruin the interior.
How to decorate beams on the ceiling - look at the video:
In the material, we examined the main ways of installing false beams on the ceiling from different materials. Acting according to the instructions and taking into account the recommendations, you can personally perform installation work. And the tips provided on how to beat a beam on the ceiling will help you transform the room and make this element not only decorative, but also functional.
