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Adding faux beams to 8' ceilings, achievable?

7 years ago

I have 8' ceilings. I love the look of faux beams and think it would work with the style of my home. We're removing the wall that divides the kitchen from the living room, but am not sure if adding beams would even work or how we'd make that work in the space. Thoughts?

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sherri1058

7 years ago

last modified: 7 years ago

We have beams in our large living room with 8 foot ceilings. The comment we get the most is....... how cozy! And they are right.

I wouldn't do it in your kitchen. It will look smaller, and you'll hate what it does to your lighting!

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Comments (8)

chisue
7 years ago
Why do this? It will only make the kitchen look smaller.

We once combined two bedrooms. We had to add a support beam to replace the supporting wall. To make that less obvious, we added two false beams, evenly spaced across the room(s). That home had 8-foot ceilings.
cyc2001
7 years ago
I'm preparing to remove beams from our 8' ceilings because they make the space feel too closed in. An 8' ceiling just isn't high enough for that to look good.
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Way up thread you said "...but will give some thought to perhaps painting the ceiling. (Although that sounds like hard and messy work. I don't know that I've ever painted a ceiling, out of ALL the painting I've done in my life!) I've done a lot of painting, too, and I can tell you that if you think painting a ceiling is hard and messy, just you wait until you start unloading those bookcases to paint the insides. Either you have to paint just the backs which means carefully edging all four sides, or you paint the entire inside of each box. You'll be on a ladder for the top row before you switch to lying on your back. If you're going to do it I guess foam boards would be the way to do it, but even that sounds pretty tedious to me. Your bookcases are beautiful as they are.
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It's not a dumb idea, but I suggest that you think about your goals. Do you want a quick and inexpensive fix? Do you want something that's going to pass the time test, i.e., more than five years? Faux beams could solve your problem, but they could also call attention to the problem if they look "faux," i.e., don't fit with your home's architecture or structural layout. You may need to consult with a professional designer for input, to help you make informed decisions about what to do. Good luck!
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cpartist
7 years ago
Agree with everyone else.
Amy Schmieg
Original Author
7 years ago
Thank you all for the comments, I appreciate the honesty.
blfenton
7 years ago
Look at your soffits. Now imagine them extending out into the ceiling of the kitchen. Do you really want that? I know I wouldn't.
friedajune
7 years ago
I agree with what the others have written. Also, unless you are willing to spend quite a lot of money, faux beams always look faux.
townlakecakes
7 years ago
The house 2 doors down from us has the same floor plan, flipped. They have beams in the 15x25 living room, (the beams are 15', not 25'.) We do not. Cozy is a good word to describe their living room. Ours feels brighter and bigger. Always.

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