I am SUCH a sucker for a good beam. Not only can it add so much character to a space, but the visual interest it adds is just incredible. Growing up, we had a box beam in our living room and I was always drawn to it. Now, my condo has a very similar vaulted ceiling, giving way for the perfect box beam that my dad so generously offered to build for me. I’ll show you how he did just that in this post.
Upon moving in, I noticed how weird the vault in my living room was. It was almost like a beam was there, but also not really. It was just a flat, construction-grade 2×6 on the ridge that had been painted to match the ceiling. It was not enjoyable to look at. Check out what it used to the look like in the picture below.
We decided to just box it in and give it the faux beam look. For the wood, he used a 1×6 and stained it with Sherwin Williams Alluvium. Forewarning, this stain is much darker than I envisioned. I chose the stain in hopes that it would mirror the color of my kitchen floor, which is more of a greyish-brown. Instead, the stain was so dark that it almost looked like espresso. I had a minor panic attack and almost said forget it to the entire thing, but then decided to give it a go.
After the wood was stained (and I was happy enough with it) it was time for it to be assembled, in place. He sandwiched it over the existing board, using a nail gun to secure one side at a time. This process took less than an hour, thanks to the help of my brother as well. I was lucky enough to just watch it get installed and enjoy the process.
It seriously looks so much better, I can’t stop staring and it’s been in place for weeks now. The beam transformed my builder-grade condo into a home. I am so happy with the color of the stain and I can’t even imagine if it would have been lighter, like I wanted. I think I would have hated it. Sometimes things turn out way better than I expected and I thank God this beam was one of those times.
