How to install decorative beam

wease · 12-15-2006, 07:16 AM

I will be installing a 4x10 cedar beam that's about 20 feet long along the top of a new vaulted ceiling in my living room. How should I install this? Before sheetrocking? After? How to secure? Thanks for any tips.

Bonus · 12-15-2006, 12:52 PM

More info, please. What is the structure now, you say vaulted, are there exposed rafters, or is this a stick or trussed building? Is the timber planed/sanded/rough/treated/finished? Will you have visible posts under it or are they buried in the wall?

If the walls are open now, you can put studs in to support it either end, or exposed posts. If you need a vapour where you are make sure you put that in before you put it up and then drywall up to it.

wease · 12-15-2006, 01:18 PM

I'm building a vaulted ceiling in my living room. 8/12 pitch. Where the roof comes together at the very top I want to install a piece of 4x10 timber that will run the 20 feet of length in the vault. I don't want any posts supporting it visually. Not sure if I should drywall first or afterwards.

troubleseeker · 12-15-2006, 09:55 PM

Beam first, as you will need to run it into the end walls and support it with studs ganged together to form a post.I also like to block on the sides to help keep it from wanting to twist or roll. Be sure there is a continious line of support to transfer the weight all the way to the foundation.Once it is hung and you are satisfied that it is straight from end to end, "toenail" it with some 3 inch screws to every third or fourth roof rafter.

Bonus · 12-16-2006, 10:29 AM

Trouble's got it, except as it is not load-bearing I wouldn't worry about transferring loads to the foundation.

Bury the beam in the wall and drywall up to it. I tried to write about vapour barrier in my other post but missed half of it, if you live somewhere it is necessary, put it up, then the beam, then drywall.

lbros · 12-23-2006, 12:24 PM

Instead of using a solid wood beam, try building a three sided 4x10 box (2 sides and a bottom) using 3/4 inch cedar plank. Then rip lengths of ply wood to the inside width of your hollow beam ( minus 1/16 in ). Fasten a double row of this ripped ply to your ridge beam using 2 1/2 inch drywall srews. Then cut your 3 sided beam to length. I recommend transfering your pencil line around the beam with a speed square, cutting a little off the mark with a worm drive saw, and then sanding to your line with a belt sander, slightly rounding the top corners. Set up ladders at both ends of the room and shoulder up the beam, slipping it over the plywood cleats. I use a 15 g 1 3/4 inch pneumatic nailer. This can be done before or after finish drywall. Good luck.

747 · 12-26-2006, 09:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lbros

Instead of using a solid wood beam, try building a three sided 4x10 box (2 sides and a bottom) using 3/4 inch cedar plank. Then rip lengths of ply wood to the inside width of your hollow beam ( minus 1/16 in ). Fasten a double row of this ripped ply to your ridge beam using 2 1/2 inch drywall srews. Then cut your 3 sided beam to length. I recommend transfering your pencil line around the beam with a speed square, cutting a little off the mark with a worm drive saw, and then sanding to your line with a belt sander, slightly rounding the top corners. Set up ladders at both ends of the room and shoulder up the beam, slipping it over the plywood cleats. I use a 15 g 1 3/4 inch pneumatic nailer. This can be done before or after finish drywall. Good luck.

I WAS THINKING THE SAME THING. No sense in wrestling with the weight of that beam when its not structual. But i guess it to late now because he has already bought it. To the original poster you could have just built a illusionary beam nobody would have been able to tell the difference and it would have been really easy to do.