Box beams generally give your ceiling a homey feeling. They are both attractive and stylish for the modern home. Though they are built to last, the beams may lose their splendor and physical appeal over time. For example, the paint may peel off with time. They can also be attacked by pest or even rot. However, this doesn’t mean that there is nothing to do to restore them to their original glory. As a matter of fact, there are several things that you can do to get the most out of them. You don’t even need an expert to help you as everything is DIY.
Here’s a general guide to use:
- Restoration
When you look at your box beam ceiling, do you see dust or dirt trapped around the edges? What about the presence of holes and cracks on the ceiling? These are signs for restoring your ceiling into its former self. You also need to check for protruding fibers and fix them when present.
Here are the tips to follow:
- Dusting: Dust may affect surface applications such as waxing and painting. You need to get rid of it from your beam box ceiling. Before you dust off the ceiling, you should ensure that your furniture is well covered. You can use a bed sheet. You’ll need a dry paint roller to remove the dust. This is because it’s gentle and thus wouldn’t scratch your ceiling. Make sure that you dust off each side of the box beams. If you can’t reach the ceiling, you may have to tie the paint roller on an extensive pole. This is easier than using a ladder.
- Cleaning: After you have gotten rid of dust, it’s time to give your ceiling a proper cleanup. Just like in dusting, you’ll need a paint roller for cleaning. However, you’ll have to slide a woolen cover on it. Then, you should add soap to a pan containing water and saturate the roller. You should use a mild detergent so as to prevent the paint from peeling off. Alternatively, you can use a commercial wood cleaning solution. They are available locally.
When cleaning, you should handle one section after another to ensure that every grid is properly cleaned. You have to ensure that all dirt is cleaned off and that your ceiling is looking spotless. You can re-immerse the paint roller in the cleaning solution as much as it’s necessary. In case the cleaning solution becomes dirty in the course of the cleaning, you should replace it. You basically have to avoid adding grime to your ceiling as this will happen if you use dirty water. Once you are done with the soapy solution, you need to replace it with clean water and use it to rinse the ceiling. The last thing to do is to dry the ceiling using a clean dry towel.
- Filling: Once you have gotten rid of dust and dirt from your ceiling, it’s important that you seal holes and cracks that might be present on the ceiling. This is to ensure that the sources for dust and dirt accumulation are no longer available. You should use a filling compound to plaster the gaps. You can use a spatula to scoop the filling material.
- Grinding: This practice is applicable when there are wood fibers shooting from your ceiling. It’s also useful when there are rough edges around your box beams. There are several grinders that you can use when it comes to clearing the protrusion. If you want a quick and effortless process, you should use an electric grinder. However, you have to be careful not to hit a nail as they may be exposed. In case you don’t have an electric grinder, then you can use sandpaper. It’s a safer option but may not be as quick as an electric grinder. Either way, you should wear safety glasses, a respirator, and hand gloves to protect yourself.
- Surface Treatment
Once you are done with correcting the mess on the ceiling, the next thing is to improve the surface appearance of your ceiling. There are several solutions that you can consider depending on what you like. They include:
- Oiling: You need to find natural oil such as linseed oil that is designed for wood protection. It’s readily available locally. It’s meant to protect your ceiling from environmental factors such as high humidity and extreme temperature. It’s also meant to give your ceiling a natural color. Actually, your ceiling may regain its original color if the paint hasn’t peeled off.
- Painting: In the case of the bars, it may be ideal to paint them as opposed to oiling. Paint is just as protective as wood oil. The difference is that paint protects the wood superficially while oil gets inside. However, wood oil can be more expensive than paint. Besides, painting allows you to change the appearance of your ceiling as you have the freedom to choose whatever color you like.
- Waxing: It’s also necessary to apply wax to the box beams as a way to boost the natural appearance of the ceiling. Wax gives a ceiling a shiny look.
- Decorations
We’ve already covered painting and oiling as ways to improve the surface appearance of your ceiling. In addition to the two, you can decorate your ceiling in the following ways:
- Add wallpaper: You can add wallpaper around the edges of the beam boxes or place a few at the center of the boxes. They are a cheap way of decorating a box beam ceiling. They’ll add an element of style to it.
- Light up: Light makes your room to look brighter and everything to radiate, including the ceiling. In case there are old lights hanging from the ceiling, you should update them with modern designs.
- Colorful stripes: This idea requires you to paint thin stripes around the edges of the beam boxes. The color used needs to be different from that of the beam boxes. You can use different paints in an alternating manner.
Clearly, there’s so much that you can do to get the most out of your box beam ceiling. In case your ceiling is too worn out to be transformed using the above tips, you should think of replacing it. To ensure that you get the best materials, you should consider using heavy timber truss from a trusted provider. It’s what you need to transform your house into a contemporary and stylish one.
