What to do with Wood Beam Ceilings???

16 years ago

Hello,

My kitchen, actually, my entire loft has wood beam ceilings that just don't appear to be "clean". They were sand blasted by the previous owner (building is over a 100 years old, and the beams were once painted), but the beams still have many dark spaces, and just look plain ole dusty and dirty. I would like to give the wood a warmer appearance, but I would hate to try and stain the entire ceiling! That would be quite a job! Any suggestions on what we should use, and how to apply?? So far we've tried using a hand sander, using just sand paper ( I know..not a good idea), orange glo, mild soap and water (another bad idea), wood bleach ( it does lighten the wood, but a little too much..plus it's pretty powerful stuff.)

Any ideas???

Thanks!

D.

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Comments (5)

faucetman886
16 years ago
I saw a great idea on HGTV where they boxed old beams in with new lumber and then stained them to match what they were doing. The boxing made the beams a bit more contemporary because they were clean and planed as opposed to rough. Depending in how many beams you have, boxing them with 1"x stock in fir or pine would be less expensive and less time consuming than trying to sand, treat, or bleach your old beams.
Hope this helps
Richard
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vedazu
16 years ago
I broke through the wall between my kitchen and an enclosed screened porch with big beams. Old, undoubtedly very dirty. We packed insulation between the beams, put a herringbone pattern of pine slats between the beams, pickled them, and painted the remaining 6 inches of beam an ivory color. Looks great. Washed them first, primed them very, very well, and then painted.
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Your inspiration photo is not a stain. It is the colour of the wood species with a coat of finish over it. Your ceiling is probably a different species of wood. I think yours is pine (I'm guessing). The inspiration looks like fir. Fir is a much softer yellow whereas pine can be a STRONG orange. You could strip the finish (which is probably an oil based finish that turns orange all by itself) and then see what colour you have underneath. Then you can SEAL it and then apply a few coats of WATER based finish over top to stop it from getting DARK ORANGE as it is now. You *might get it a step or two lighter....but it will not go as light as your inspiration photo. And the reason you need a sealant is TANNIN PULL. Many species of wood exhibit tannin pull (the orange colour bleeds into the surface finish = turns yellow/orange). This is made WORSE with water based finishes. Therefore you will require the sealant over top of the raw wood. Then you apply a few coats of water based finish. Again, I think you will get a colour that is half way between the two photos you are showing. Whew. All that work just to get a slightly lighter ceiling. Personally I would leave the beams, paint the slatted planks of the ceiling white (after stripping and priming...and priming again because of tannin bleed). Then I would tackle the flooring. It is easier to strip down to raw wood...and then look at a water based finish that will be two steps lighter. Those two things will get you CLOSER to your inspiration photo.
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You’re certainly going to get a range of answers here! I think, as you have already lost the warmth of wood coloured beams (without a lot of remedial work), I think the last thing I would choose is a high contrast option. To get a feel of soaring height without constantly drawing the eye across the ceiling, (following what in effect would be stripes - bam, bam, bam), I would keep the walls, ceiling and beams the same colour. Just perhaps alter the sheen as Color Zen mentioned. A range of contrast would occur, through continual tonal light play, rather than via definite colour contrast. You still have the sense of openness and space but would soften the complexity of the ceiling allowing the view and art works at eye-line height to be the focus. Less formal and more relaxing for the eye I think. If your eye does crave more contrast, I would keep it super subtle for the same reason. You may find it offers a gentler, perhaps more sophisticated overall look.
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sweetd313
Original Author
16 years ago
faucetman- that is a good idea...although I would hate to cover up the entire beam. I don't mind some 'character', I just wish that it was cleaner looking.
Vedazu- what cleaning solution and tools did you use to clean the wood?

Does anyone else have any ideas??
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ci_lantro
16 years ago
Questions: What wood variety? Does the wood have any finish on it?

If there is no finish on it, it's going to look dusty & probably pretty lifeless (esp., considering that it was sandblasted.) To get an idea of how a finish will warm it up, wet a section & stand back & see if you're satisfied with the look, keeping in mind that a finish will enhance it somewhat more than just the wet look.

Penetrating oil would be my choice because the wood needs feeding. All the more because it's on the ceiling where the warmest air stratifies & cooks the life out of wood.

(I hate to say it, but since it was sandblasted, sanding or scraping may be in the Rx to make it look it's best.)

Another option might be using a semi-transparent oil stain. I'm including a link for reference. Note that this is an exterior product. If you decide to go this direction, be sure to inquire & sample interior formulations.

Here is a link that might be useful: Semi-Transparent Stain
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sweetd313
Original Author
16 years ago
Ci_lantro- I'm not sure what kind of wood we have...The beams currently do not have a finish on them. I have wet the beams, and I do like the look. What type of penetrating oil would you suggest? I've seen Tung oil..would something like that work?
I wouldn't mind the scraping or sanding if we could just find the right tools..the hand sander didn't seem to do anything.
I will also look into the Semi-Transparent stain. At this point, I'm willing to try anything.
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What to do with Wood Beam Ceilings???

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faucetman886

vedazu

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What to do with Wood Beam Ceilings???

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faucetman886

vedazu

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sweetd313Original Author

ci_lantro

sweetd313Original Author

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sweetd313
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