Faux Beam Construction & Installation *Lotsa Pics*

[Keith Starosta]

Howdy, Folks!! As described in this thread, http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=27443, I had a project to take care of. Originally, the beams weren't going to go up until after the drywall, but the inspector wanted to see how I was going to handle the wiring and spacing inside the cavity. So, since I had a pretty serious schedule to keep at this point, I enlisted the help of my father-in-law, and we got to work.

After inputting my dimensions into Cutlist, it determined that I'd need four sheets of MDF. I had hoped and prayed that it would be a nice day, so we could do all of the mill work outside. My prayers were answered with a sunny, 50 degree day!!

This picture shows some of the pieces sliced up, awaiting the router...


As designed, I needed to run a groove along the length of all the side pieces. A bosch 3/4" straight bit and The Incredible Hulk did the trick very nicely. I clamped the piece to the top rail of my basement walk-up railing. It worked great!!

By the way...how come nobody told me how much dust MDF produces!?

Here is a picture of all beam components milled and ready for construction. The lights themselves needed a 3 1/8" hole for installation. I had purchased a forstner bit from MLCS for this, but quickly realized this wasn't going to work very well, due to lack of space around my drill press. So, I ended up free-handing the holes with the router and the same 3/4" straight bit. I'm pretty happy with the results!


We assembled all of the beams using yellow glue and brads. Here's a stack of beams, waiting to be installed...


There were a total of eight beam sections, each approximately 5'8" long. Two sections would make up one full-length beam. The original plan was to use sections of 2x2's inside the beams, both for alignment purposes and to attach the beam to the ceiling. We quickly realized that this was going to be way more trouble than it was worth, due to warped 2x2's and spacing. We decided it would be easiest to use 1" 'L' brackets, screwed into the side of the beam and the blocking I installed between the ceiling joists. I worked great! Half of the bracket will ultimately be covered by drywall, and the bottom half will be covered by molding once it's time to finish. Here's a picture of one full beam installed...


I have to wire up the lights and call for a re-inspection. At that point, I should be good to go with my drywall. Overall, I'm very happy with the way these came together. It was fun, as I got to try a couple of things I had never done before. I can't wait to finish it up...

Thanks for looking!!

- Keith

[Pete Harbin]

Nice job Keith! How heavy are those suckers?

I forget, are the beams going to be painted?

Pete

[Keith Starosta]

Thanks, Pete! Each section weighs approximately forty pounds. We attached no fewer than six 1" 'L' brackets to each section using 2" screws up into the joist blocking. My father-in-law was able to hang from one after installation! Those suckers aren't going anywhere!!!

Yes, they will ultimately be painted. I'm going to use some of the finishing techniques talked about in that other thread to get the MDF ready for a top coat. It should look pretty nice.

- Keith

[Keith Starosta]

Is it possible to shape MDF? There are a couple of spots where the joints between the two components don't quite match up, but WOULD if I was able to shave a bit here and there. Any experience with this?

- Keith

[Fred Voorhees]

Keith, it looks as though you took my advice on the construction detail. That is exactly how my father did his faux beams a very long time ago in the house that I grew up in.

[Keith Starosta]

Yeah, Fred. I really liked the way that looked, and so did the LOML, so it took. Thanks!

Keith