Wood beams/wood floors ideas?

6 years ago

We've just recently purchased our first house on Salt Spring Island and we're pretty excited to find a house in our price range that wasn't a shack. It does however needs some love and fresh ideas to make it look less dated. As we don't take possession until Feb, i've included pictures from the real estate website. I'm hoping to make a list of what I want to do before we move in.

First off, it's too much wood so I think we are going to paint the ceilings white and leave the beams. I don't want to feel like i'm living in a cottage. 2nd i don't like the colour of the wood floors or the beams, and so am wondering what the best way to deal with this is? I know i can rent a sander for the floors, and revarnish..but what about the beams?

other than the obvious redecorating and changing the lighting, if you have any ideas, please share! We are new to this and excited!

Featured Answer

PRO

Joseph Corlett, LLC

6 years ago

"I know i can rent a sander for the floors..."

This is a bad idea. Unless you are very experienced, you can do catastrophic damage to a floor with a drum sander in a short time. This is not a job for 90% of DIYers.

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Comments (16)

jhmarie
6 years ago
I think it is pretty and I am seeing a lot more use of wood trim:

If it is too much wood for you, paint door and window casings, baseboards and stair spindles only. Leave doors and beams:

All pics are recent pics from This Old House online.
Brette Little thanked jhmarie
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It is very possible you will get this to work. The beams are pretty far away (20ft ceilings?) and the doors look more in the 'brown' range than the reds. Hickory has 5-7 different colours in it. The stain will lessen this to 2-3. The little bit of variation will help tremendously. If the floors arrived yesterday, where are they being acclimated? When is the 'installation' slated to start? Has anyone tested the moisture of the planks? Traditionally the installer is on hand for the delivery (whenever possible) and the installer stacks/racks the wood properly. While doing this s/he also does random Moisture Content (MC) readings of (roughly) 10% of the planks. This is the 'starting point' for the wood's acclimation. The installer also deals with the current subfloor situation (MC rating for either plywood or concrete slab). The installer would write down ALL of these readings and hand a copy over to you once the install is finished. Has any of this been done?
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PRO
Uptown Floors
6 years ago
Not a job for a handyman either. I did this video about four years ago. Pros differ everywhere on how each and every floor is done. This was a 1930's era floor in Plymouth, Michigan.

66 thumbs up, 16 down. The latter probably learned their lesson after the fact.
Brette Little thanked Uptown Floors
PRO
Johnson Flooring Co Inc
6 years ago
I will add to the voices recommending you don't DIY floor sanding. It's hard to get a decent job using rental machines and if you find someone renting professional machines you can do a lot of damage in a short amount of time.

Beams should be fairly easy to refinish since they don't have to be sanded to raw wood. You're not walking on them so adhesion isn't the same issue as it is on a wood floor. A brushing stain can be used followed by clear coats.
everdebz
6 years ago
Idk if these would look less obvious -

Callaway Architect says: by lightolier / Tech Lighting.
Brette Little thanked everdebz
everdebz
6 years ago
Looking at it... the toasty warm greys seem a medium tone to 'ease the beams'....
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Kathi Steele
6 years ago
I'm going to be the elephant in the room. WAIT. Live in it for a while, at least 6 months, before you do anything. Get the feel of the house. See what does and does not work for you. You may be surprised to find the wood is the least of your worries.

That way, you will also be able to find handymen that are recommended and see their work.
Brette Little thanked Kathi Steele
PRO
Beth H. :
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
those ceilings are great. This is what you said,

I don't want to feel like i'm living in a cottage.

If you paint the ceiling white, this is what it will look like. cottage-y.

I vote for leaving the wood as is and either painting or staining the beams in EBONY!

Do some white walls, black doors,,,,,amazing. Look how good this looks.

going over the beams in an ebony gel stain or ebony stain mixed with some black paint, will be a lot easier than priming all the wood and then painting it white, or sanding and refinishing the ceiling.

in the bedrooms, maybe to the slats in black and natural wood beams or do the beams in white

kind of digging this look too.

You may want to look through this blog. they had the same wood ceiling and other wood in their home. you'll have to scroll through to find the afters.

http://sarahmdorseydesigns.blogspot.com/2014/01/wood-in-our-house-to-paint-or-not-to.html

http://sarahmdorseydesigns.blogspot.com/2015/07/painting-update.html#more
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Brette Little thanked Beth H. :
Brette Little
Original Author
6 years ago
You make a good point. Maybe white isn't the solution afterall.
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K Laurence
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
I second the suggestion to WAIT until you live there for a year or two. Trust me, your ideas might change quite a bit after living there a while, mine certainly did after living in my house for a few years, glad I waited.
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babophz
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Beth's examples with the ebony and black are great! I absolutely love the look. I did notice that out of the 4 examples, 3 rooms have light flooring. You might want to take that into consideration.
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K Laurence
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
In addition to waiting some , I think you should consider the overall look you are going for. The black beams skew more contemporary / MCM to me while the white ceilings seem more traditional / coastal casual to me, & not necessarily “cottage” by any means. Although I like the cottage look depending upon the house, location & decor.
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janedoe2012
6 years ago
In the photos you posted, the ceiling you want to paint white is the flooring in the loft. I don’t think it’s a terrible idea to paint it white, but your wood features are integral parts of the home’s structure. They aren’t pasted on features. I’m not expressing myself very well, but I agree with those who have suggested you wait. If you really want to paint it, paint it. But remember that you can’t un-paint it. I think you could do a lot with lighting.
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Brette Little thanked janedoe2012
janedoe2012
6 years ago
BTW - it looks like a very, very nice house. Definitely not one step up from a shack! If you are dying to spend money, buy some awesome furniture. I don’t think the house needs work.
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Brette Little
Original Author
6 years ago
Thank you everyone for your wise words. Though I know there is no hurry, I also know that if I don't do something right away, it doesn't get done. Especially because we have a baby coming in June and the last thing I'll care about for a while is renos. The floors are really scratched up so I think it's a no brainer to have them sanded and re-varnished. The ceilings are something I will think about. Maybe when I have all my furniture and new lighting in there it will change things.
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PRO
User
6 years ago
You actually have a few options, though they aren't a DIY project except maybe for the painting portion. You can paint the spindles on the stair case white leaving the railing. You can paint the ceiling white leaving the beams as they are. OR you can encase the beams in an elegant trim leaving the ceiling colored wood as is. You can remove the carpet on the steps, sand the steps, paint the risers and stringers white and install a runner or choose not to. Or if your up for a a challenge, sand the floors and beams, and trim. For a more modern and contemporary feel, stain dark and keep the walls light. Or change the trim around the windows and doors, although there isn't any wrong with what I see in the photos. Luckily, it's all cosmetic work that you can do, other than sanding the floors, while you live in the home. You have many options. It would be best to find some inspiration pictures and go from there.