I am a rustic farmhouse kind of lady. When we knocked our kitchen wall down and there was still a little bump on the ceiling, I knew exactly how to hide it: a rustic wooden ceiling beam! After doing some research, I decided to have a local lumber company make us a hollow wooden beam. The beam came put together, but unfinished. Then the fun part began!
Here are the steps I took to create my rustic wooden ceiling beam:
1. Measure the space
I measured the space (and checked it about a hundred times), drew a picture (this ended up being very helpful for the company, so I would recommend it), and sent it all off to the lumber company.
2. Pick the wood
If you decide to get your beam made (or if you can put it together yourself), first choose the type of wood you want to use (that’ll depend on how much you want to spend and the look you are going for), then carefully choose your pieces of wood. Obviously I looked to make sure they were straight (since my beam was being put together from 3 pieces of wood), but I also wanted pieces with large wood grains and notches. This helped to create the rustic look I was going for.
3. Hatchet the edges
The lumber company made 45 degree cuts along the edges and attached them together. I wanted the beam to look like it was from one piece of wood. I also didn’t want sharp square edges. I took a hand hatchet and chiseled the edges, slicing the edges off and chiseling some spots more than others. When I was done, you couldn’t even tell there were 3 separate pieces of wood. It looked like one piece with banged up edges. Note – You will still be able to see the hatchet marks, depending on how heavily you distress. If you do not want to see the hatchet marks, focus more on slicing the edges off (using a hatchet and hammer) rather than slicing and hitting.
4. Sand, sand, and sand some more
You’ll need to sand your edges so they are smooth. An electric sander is definitely recommended (sanding by hand will take forever). The smoother edge makes the beam look more natural, like it came from one log of wood rather than separate pieces.
5. Attack the beam
This was the fun part! You can make your beam as distressed as you’d like! I started with light distressing and added more (you can always add but never take away). I found several tools and just went at it (being careful not to ruin the integrity of the structure). My favorite was the tiny dots that look like insect holes which I created with a hammer and a metal pin. You can basically use any tools that you have laying around the house! Some suggestions: heavy chain (just dropped it in places), large screwdriver (stabbed a few spots), hammer (used both ends to beat different parts), and flat and round metal file (like these on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3ZVGrwq).
7. Test out your stains
The color you choose is totally dependent on your taste. I tried to match the wood color on my floor. Suggestion: Find a piece of wood (preferably the same type of wood from your beam or else it won’t look the same) and distress it. Then try out a bunch of different wood stains. I chose transparent stain because I wanted the notches, wood grains, and distressing to show through and really pop. Testing the color is a must! You don’t want to go through all of the trouble of distressing only to find that the color you chose doesn’t show it off. After I chose the stain, applied it, and allowed it to dry, I applied polyurethane.
8. Hang it up!
Now it is time to hang it! We chose to use corner round trim because our wall was not completely level, and gaps were visible. We simply cut it to size and stained it before installing. I enjoy doing little jobs around my house that require some handy work. Hanging a beam on my ceiling (and being confident enough that it won’t fall on us) is completely above my capabilities. Whether you do it yourself (you brave soul) or get someone to do it, now it is time to display your rustic wooden beam (and love it for years to come)!!!
2 thoughts on “How to Create a Rustic Ceiling Beam”
The beam looks great!!!!
Thanks so much!!🙂