How To DIY Faux Wood Beams

I’m so excited to finally be sharing my tutorial on how to make DIY faux wood beams! Our DIY faux wood beams have made an enormous impact on the overall look of our home and I couldn’t love them more!

Faux beams have become so popular over the years and I am a huge fan of this “trend”! What is so interesting is that these have been a part of our architectural history for many, many years. In my opinion, they are CLASSIC!

What I love about faux wood beams is that you get the appearance of sturdy, wood beams but in reality, they are really light and simple to install.

Is my house ready for faux wood beams?

Possibly! As you can see in my photo here, my ceilings are vaulted which makes them a good candidate for beams. Beams will make your space appear smaller so it is recommended that you only install beams on high ceilings.

How to make faux wood beams materials:

• 1″x6″x8′ cedar boards – total linear feet needed x 3 (Note: We wanted our main center beam to be a little thicker than the side beams so we used 1″x8″x8′ boards for the very center board at the top pitch of our ceiling.
• sander / sandpaper
• Quality wood stain -I used Varathane Sunbleached
• Stain brush or cloth
• Brad Nailer / brad nails
• 1-3 2×4″ studs – I used about 1 ft of 2×4 for each 8′ beam
• 3″ wood screws
• Painter’s tape
• Pencil
• Saw (Miter, Chop, Circular, Jigsaw etc. will all work for this project.)

Faux Beams DIY Video:

How to make faux wood beams

1. Remove any staples, splinters or other objects from your cedar boards.
2. Sand each board until smooth.
3. Stain all boards with 1-2 coats of stain (I only did 1) and try to maintain color consistency throughout.
4. Allow to dry.
5. Using a brad nailer and brad nails, assemble and nail 3 boards into a 3 sided rectangular box. You can add wood glue to joints for strength, if desired.
6. Cut 2x4s into approximately 4″ squares. To find our trusses, we used a stud finder and snapped a chalk line down where the trusses were. Next, screw 2x4x4″ boards into the trusses of your ceiling where you want to install your beams. These will act as your anchors to install the beams onto the ceiling. We placed painters tape on the sides of our anchors so when the faux wood beam is slipped over the anchor for installation, we know where to nail or screw them in. The more anchors you install, the stronger your beam will hold.
7. Begin on one side of the wall and slip your 3-sided beam over the anchors. The painter’s tape marks will indicate where to screw (or nail if you’d like) your beams into the anchors.
8. Repeat for the length of your room and other beams desired. If you have a vaulted or angled ceiling, you may need to cut the ends of your beam at an angle to sit flush against the walls and ceiling. We created a wood template to make sure the angle was accurate and consistent every time. We made straps out of a thin metal material to cover all the seams. I will post a tutorial for that soon or you can purchase them at a few places online. 

I really love how my living room looks now with our beams! It’s amazing the difference it makes! Hope you enjoyed this tutorial for how to make faux wood beams!

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If you liked this tutorial for how to make faux wood beams, check out:

• Faux Brick Wall
• How to install floating shelves over tile
• How to paint a front door

For more DIY ideas, check out:

• Sharpie Wall Tutorial
• DIY Wood Accent Wall
• DIY Brush Stroke Wall
• Chalkboard Wall Tutorial