Tips for Decorating Exposed Beams

Exposed beams in the ceiling are an increasingly common architectural feature in homes and commercial properties. In a residential setting, they can help to add both height and character to a room. They also give you plenty of options for adding some decoration that will help you create your ideal design aesthetic for your home.

If you’re interested in trying some decoration for your Santa Fe, NM home’s exposed beams, here are a few tips for you to keep in mind:

• Dealing with real wood: Most solid wood beams in ceilings are made out of oak. Oak is a highly durable wood that’s generally capable of withstanding the test of time, but that doesn’t mean it’s entirely maintenance free. Almost all wood is susceptible to rot and disease, so you should make sure you take all the necessary precautions to prevent the wood from aging too quickly. If you’re going to use decorations, the wood should be treated ahead of time with the proper materials, just in case the decorations you select would hasten wear and tear on the wood.
• Disguising the wood: If you wish, you can disguise the wood or whatever other material is used for your support beams in the ceiling. Adding accessories to them can create a very unique appearance that you can completely customize for your personality.
• Painting or finishing the beams: You can paint, stain or varnish the beams in your ceilings to alter their appearance. You might simply make to wish them lighter or darker than their natural color while still giving off a wooden appearance, or you may want to play with some accent colors in your room. Whatever your reasoning for adding stain or paint, you can really create a luxurious aesthetic by choosing the right finishes for your beams.
• Pegs: If you want to go a step farther in adding character to the exposed ceiling beams present in your home, you can add some pegs into them by drilling out small holes for dowels. Make sure to flatten the pegs to make them look as though they were designed in such a way that holds the joints together. If you place the pegs correctly, they will look like an authentic feature of your home to give you a bit of a more old-fashioned, old-world appearance. You might even stain the pegs a darker color than the wood, which will make them look like bolts.
• Faux beams: There are some exposed beams that are made of composite materials and simply exist to be aesthetic features rather than actual functional beams holding up your home. They’ll need to be treated with certain solutions to prevent them from disintegrating over their lifespan, so make sure you apply those solutions before adding any decorations to them.

For more information about some of the ways you can use your home’s exposed ceiling beams for additional decoration, we encourage you to contact Apple Construction LLC today. We’ll be happy to provide you with more tips for your exposed support beams in Santa Fe, NM.

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