Installation Process Of Wood Beams On A Vaulted Ceiling
It is always a good idea to have vaulted ceiling beams, particularly in a kitchen. There are several different approaches that you can take when it comes to doing vaulted ceiling beams, ranging from the design to the type of beams you use. Wood box beams is considered one of the best beams that you can install on your vaulted ceilings. They make installation much easier, due to the fact that they are so much lighter in comparison to solid wood beams.
Tools & Materials Needed
- Wood Box Beams
- Tape Measure & Pencil
- 3? Wood Screws & Miter Saw
- Finish Nailer With 2? Finish Nails
- Drill With 1/4? Bit & Wood Stain
- Stainable Wood Filler
Step 1: Determine Layout Of Beams
First of all, you need to establish or ascertain the amount of beams you would need for the vaulted ceiling & how they would be spaced out. Make sure to come up with a beam count as well as spacing that doesn't create an uncomfortably small or restricted appearance on the ceiling. Therefore, you don't need to use too many beams, however, use enough beam that your space looks filled and not too empty. You can use an application known as sketchup in order to create a mockup of the kitchen, which in turn allows you to play around with the spacing as well as number of beams as long as you are satisfied with the layout. If your kitchen had a 3' wide plaster hood that stretches or elongates all the way to the ceiling, then it would look best if one beam hugged the hood on each side. This will help establish or ascertain the spacing between the rest of the beams. Yu can also run one beam through the ridge of the vault, and have the other beams butt into it. For the ridge beam, you can use two
Rustic Ambrosia Maple 5×5? Beams from Ornamental Decorative Millwork, and for the rest, you can use
Rustic Ambrosia Maple 3×5? Beams.
Step 2: Stain The Beams, Measure & Mark Beam Placements
You can easily stain the beams using Minwax Aged Oak, which is regarded as a nice medium brown having no red tones. Due to the fact that there could be one beam on each side of the hood, you need to mark those two first. In order to be absolutely certain that they are running straight, you need to measure off of the wall to where the underside of the beam would hit. Then, you need to use that same measurement in order to mark where the top of the beam would hit. As soon as you had the first two beams marked, you can measure off of those using the spacing value of 3' and marked the two outer beams. You need to repeat this for the other side of the vaulted ceiling.
Step 3: Install Mounting Plate
These beams come along with a mounting plate, that you can secure or affix to the framing in the ceiling or the drywall. Relying completely on toggle bolts in order to hold up the beams is not a goo idea, however, it is recommended to add blocking to the framing before your drywall was installed. You need to start with the ridge beam before trimming the mounting plate based on the length of the room, with the help of a miter saw. Then, you can use a drill as well as 1/4? bit to drill pilot holes for the screws. Then, screw in each of the holes. With the help of an impact driver, fasten or secure the mounting place onto the ceiling, ensuring it was aligned with the marks you made in step 2.
Step 5: Install Beam
As soon as you have securely installed a mounting plate, it is time to cut the wood beam to the correct length before sliding it onto the plate. Then, you can use a finish nailer in order to fasten it in place by nailing into the side of the beam nearly 1/2 inch from where it touched the ceiling. For the ridge beam, you only need to make straight cuts, but when it comes to the vertical beams, you can use the angle of the ceiling in order to determine the angle of the cuts on each end of the beam. After installing all the beams, you can use stainable wood filler to fill any holes. And touch up those areas using more stain.