Do-It-Yourselfers Can Get on the Beam

Robert Rahn of Whittier wants to know where to buy simulated beams, which were mentioned a couple of weeks ago in a column dealing with improvements that add character and therefore value to a home. He says he purchased some a few years ago, but cannot remember the source. If a reader has this information, we’ll pass it along.

In the April 12 column, we suggested that a do-it-yourselfer can rather easily construct his or her own false (meaning hollow) beams for a ceiling.

Let’s say, for example, you want to put four-inch square beams on your ceiling. There isn’t space here to provide a step-by-step procedure, but here is a general idea of a simple way to do it:

Locate the ceiling joists with a magnetic stud finder and determine the direction they take and the distance between them (usually 16 inches). Draw up a paper plan of the ceiling and indicate where the joists are, because the beams, whether parallel or perpendicular to the joists, will be anchored to the joists.

It’s important that you measure carefully to see that the beams are installed at right angles to the walls at the end of the beams. You don’t want beams zig-zagging across the ceiling. Chalk lines may be necessary.

Next, call in a helper while you anchor 2-by-4s--the length of the beams--to the ceiling joists. These will be the tracks to which you attach the beams.

For each, you’ll need three 1-by-4s the length of the 2-by-4s you nailed to the ceiling. Glue and then nail the three boards with finishing nails into a hollow, U-shaped trough, positioning the two sides of the trough on the outside of the third center board.

You can stain or paint the beams (troughs) at this point.

The time arrives when you are ready to fit the hollow trough over the 2-by-4s on the ceiling, and you’ll need to call back your helper to hold one end of the beam while you drive finishing nails through the sides of the trough and into the 2-by-4s.

Voila! You have a beamed ceiling.

Our thanks to Hal Rubin, manager of training and development for Dunn-Edwards Corp., who has contacted us about a suggested method for finishing an oak front door, a topic discussed in this column recently:

“At Dunn-Edwards, we recommend the use of V 101 Spar-Gloss, a long-oil spar varnish. We have found that varnishes that have a lower oil content, such as polyurethane finishes, do not retain the flexibility required for exterior wood. When this flexibility leaves the varnish film upon aging, cracking occurs.

“In addition, we strongly recommend a thorough weather stripping and sealing of the bottom edge of the door. If the weatherstrip has worn out or been removed, the porous bottom edge will absorb water, and the warmth of sunlight that frequently hits the bottom third of the door will cause the water, through capillary attraction, to come through the door face, destroying any varnish in time.”