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

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

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

This beam undertaking is one in every of my favourite DIYs on this home to date! I work with Minwax often and this undertaking 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 undertaking! I’ve seen many therapies on a lot of these ceilings, from including crown to putting in wooden to the tray half. 

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

I had assist with the primary a part of this undertaking and due to that I did the steps a bit of 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 manner I’d 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 facet and backside collectively, it will 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 will 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 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 path. It could have been WAY extra work and the ultimate consequence appears to be like nice with out that further 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 facet. 

So the piece on the ceiling (be 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 sensible. The arrows are pointing to the items that the wooden that makes up the beam had been hooked up to. You may see the underside a part of the beam began in that picture above. 

Full measurement boards aren’t wanted — you could possibly even use scrap wooden to do that. Simply be certain 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 had 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 executed you will have “beams” working across the exterior of the tray ceiling.

Like I stated…the best approach to full this undertaking can be to prep earlier than hanging the beams. I painted the ceiling after the wooden was up. 

Portray a ceiling is rarely enjoyable however it went faster than I although it will. I used a protracted 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 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 reducing 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 will!

Prep on your stain 

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

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

Extra importantly, it provides you time to stain the wooden, which is extremely necessary on a undertaking 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 implies you wish to make certain you do not apply the stain after which let it dry in any respect at any level. In the event you do, you may see the place you stopped and began. 

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

Stain and shield the wooden

Provincial wood stain Minwax

Over time I’ve discovered the simplest approach 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 executed? (The stain to the correct appears to be like 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 normally 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 coloration, however it was leaning a bit of 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 gorgeous coloration! Positively extra brown, which is what I wished. 

This is a have a look at the distinction — Provincial on the left, then with a coat of Jacobean on prime on the correct: 

provincial and jacobean stain

That is another excuse I like working with stain! You may experiment with completely different layers of colours and get a customized look. You can too combine stains forward of time to discover a coloration 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 undertaking!:
Wipe on poly over stain

Once more, you may want gloves and a clear rag to use. You may 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 shall be fumes! I had the home windows open all day every day and had an air air purifier working continuously. We did not sleep on this room for a pair days. 

In any case was dry, we had been lastly in a position to take pleasure in this room once more…and we’re obsessive about the ceiling! It appears to be like superb and I could not be happier with it: 

wood beams tray ceiling

westchester gray ceiling

It fully modifications 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 have 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 far 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! This is a reminder of the way it regarded a couple of weeks in the past:

bed centered on windows

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

Dark ceiling with wood beams
short four poster bed

Listed here are a couple of ideas for this tray ceiling wooden beam undertaking: 

  • If you are able to do the staining and portray earlier than the wooden goes up, that is superb. But it surely actually wasn’t that large of a deal to do it after. I believed it was going to be so much worse! 
  • We did not minimize down the width of the boards — they’re off the shelf and simply the size was minimize. We used 1×4 and 1×12 boards. We discovered the lengthy 16 foot boards at an area lumber retailer (I do not consider the massive field {hardware} shops carry that size however I might be mistaken.)
  • The 1×12 used for the facet piece did not go all the best way to the underside of the tray ceiling, which does not hassle me in any respect. You do not even discover it. 
I like the ability of stain! And I simply love the heat of it in opposition to each lighter and darkish colours.

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

Wood planked wall with stain