Recently, we showed you a fantastic trade show display that one of our customers created for MasterCorp, plus scenes from a beautiful museum display dedicated to African-American history.

Why did these enterprising folks decide to go with artificial wood beams instead of using the real thing? Here are 5 of the best reasons:

• False beams look just as good as the real thing. Molded from tough and durable polyurethane, our artificial wood beams perfectly capture the texture of real timber and wood – from each grain and knot, to the authentic tooling marks used to cut the wood to shape. When trying to recreate a period look, or create a rustic atmosphere, nothing except authentic aged, wooden beams even comes close.
• Faux wood beams can be turned into just about anything – from a faux wood truss to a museum display. Each beam can be cut to size with a regular wood saw, and attached to other beams with nothing more complicated than wooden blocks and screws. This allows enterprising faux wood engineers to build an almost limitless range of frames, displays, commercial designs, structures and more using nothing more complicated than regular carpentry equipment and basic wood shop skills.
• Artificial wood beams can seamlessly include all sorts of cool extras. Our false beams are hollow, which keeps them light and versatile, and also allows creative folk to seamlessly run wires and cables through them, as well as easily cut holes for recessed lights, switches and hidden speakers. When building a trade-show display, these options provide the perfect combination of old-world look with 21^st technology.
• False beams are light and easy to transport. Trade show displays don’t just have to look great – they have to be light enough to easily disassemble and transport to new locations. False beams from FauxWoodBeams.com fit that bill perfectly. Although looking just like real wood, each beam is a fraction of the weight; and can easily be carried by one person.
• Faux beams are affordable. Everybody’s working to a budget these days. When it comes to balancing looks with cost, nothing can touch the price of our faux wood products. It goes without saying that they cost a fraction of what it would to use real wood; but they also offer incredible value in comparison to other popular materials for commercial designs, trade shows and displays.

We’ve been building up quite a collection of pictures and emails from customers who’ve used our artificial wood beams for commercial purposes. Our team has been working to create some new dedicated galleries on the site – hopefully you’ll be able to check them out in the near future. But in the meantime, we’re always looking for more! If you’ve used our false beams for your store, business or as a display, we’d love to know all about it. Send us an email at info@fauxwoodbeams.com.

This trade show display is constructed entirely from false beams, with vivid faux timber detailing.

Produced for MasterCorp, who specialize in outsourcing resort housekeeping services, the trade show display is made incredibly simply from a faux wood framework, assembled using our timber beams.

Russ used our four-sided beams to accomplish this – and the result is practically indistinguishable from real wood.

What is very different, however, is the weight. Molded from durable polyurethane foam, Russ’s false beams weigh a fraction of what real wood would; making them effortless to transport to trade shows and much more practical to assemble.

Of course, the real edge to Russ’ trade show is the clever way he’s incorporated signage and additional details to combine effective marketing with a touch of resort fantasy.

The flowing white curtains, for example, wouldn’t look out of place on a white sandy beach – and when you step inside the display it’s difficult not to immediately think of the beautiful resorts MasterCorp provides housekeeping services for.

And we’re not the only ones who appreciate his incredible work. Russ’ display has been recognized at numerous trade shows.

“Without your realistic product and time-sensitive service, I could not have created a transportable cabana, on budget, that was considered best of show,” Russ writes.

It’s incredibly exciting to see our products used in such an innovative and original way. It’s great to see false beams installed in people’s living rooms and kitchens – but sometimes it’s just as interesting to see how they’re used for projects like Russ’, or for other commercial designs like the incredible new store we wrote about that opened up in FAO Schwarz.

If you’ve used our products for a trade show display, or in your storefront, be sure to drop us an email at info@fauxwoodbeams.com and let us know all about it. We’d love to feature pictures in our gallery, and on the blog.

False beams are a seamless addition to the stunning displays of the Africa America museum.

The Central Pennsylvania African American Museum was built by the Old Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Reading to recognize the incredible history and heritage of African Americans.

The museum features vivid displays covering slavery, civil rights and other pivotal moments in black history – and Marketechs used our false beams as a way to bring that rich history to life.

Our false beams and planks helped transform the interior of a relatively modern building (in terms of American heritage, anyway) into an immersive experience with historic style sure to capture the imagination of visitors young and old alike.

In the sections on the slave trade, for example, the beams visually mirror the creaking wood of the slave ships that would have ferried tens of thousands of slaves to the “New World” during the eighteenth century.

For everybody at FauxWoodBeams.com, it’s an incredible honor to have our products incorporated into such an important and inspirational museum. We’re also proud of the fact that they serve that purpose so well.

One of the challenges of any museum is to take visitors out of the “here and now” and immerse them in history. Our false beams are vividly realistic, which helps with that goal, but also have some practical touches the museum no doubt found useful.

For example, unlike real timber, our beams are hollow – and can be used to run wires and cables through seamlessly, out of the eye-shot of museum visitors. Our beams are also ideal for mounting concealed lighting or speaker systems; which is great for building interactive displays and exhibits.

If you’re in the area, we definitely recommend checking out the Central Pennsylvania African America Museum. It’s located on North Tenth Street in Reading, Pa. – and you can contact their office directly by calling (610) 371-8713.

Some like our beams finished in the factory - others like to do it themselves, for a more customized look.

“Knots” are dark spots in wooden beams and planks that reveal where branches used to grow.

These areas of wood often feature a different grain pattern and a distinctly different color – and some faux wood enthusiasts want that look for their own DIY faux beam projects.

Fortunately, it’s straightforward to get the knotty look. We have a full guide to making your false beams look like knotty pine – but here are the basics, and some additional ideas.

Firstly, order your faux wood beams unfinished. All of our products are available intricately colored to perfectly resemble real wood – but in this instance, you’ll be doing it yourself. Order our beams pre-primed, or if you’re using our faux timber or sandblasted beams, prime them yourself first.

We recommend MinWax water based stain for coloring your artificial wood beams.

You’ll need two stains for this project – a dark one for staining knots themselves, and a lighter one to stain the rest of your beams. We recommend MinWax water-based wood stain, and have had some great results using their American Walnut stain for the knots, and English oak for the rest of the beams. Experiment with your own color combinations before you begin.

Look over the entire length of your beams to locate any knotty textures. These are where you’ll apply your knot coloring. Because our beams are molded directly from real wood, the knots you’ll find will be exactly where they would be on real timber.

Paint your knots over the knotty textures molded directly onto the beam

Next, paint your knots directly onto the knotty patterns of your primed beams. You want to paint them to resemble an oval, just like they’d appear in real wood. Google some images of knots before you begin to get a good idea.

After painting, blot any excess stain from the knot pattern. This will bring out the grain pattern and make the knot appear more realistic. Remember to leave them to dry fully before you proceed!

Finally, use your lighter stain to finish your beams. This should give them the beautiful look of real timber that you’re going for – but with the addition of some beautifully colored knots to enjoy!

Stain the rest of the beam as you would normally for a stunningly realistic finish.

Just like with the knots themselves, remember to dab off any excess stain to help bring out the grain pattern and create a more natural look.

There we go! Using this technique, you can achieve some truly stunning results. An additional benefit to staining your false beams yourself is that you can use stains to perfectly match any existing wooden features, or your favorite furniture items.

And if you’ve tried our knotty technique – let us know about it! Being added to our photo galleries or used in a future blog post could net you cash or credit towards a future purchase. Email us pictures to info@fauxwoodbeams.com. We’d love to see the results!

There’s a reason shows like Man Caves and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition use our faux wood products. With a tight budget, short deadlines and high expectations to meet, the versatility of our faux wood products is without equal.

Off-screen, hundreds of contractors have recognized the same advantages of our false beams – and that’s why more and more of them won’t use anything else.

We checked in with a few of our satisfied professional customers, and here are the five reasons they all agreed made our faux wood beams special:

1. They look amazing: Molded directly from real timber beams, our false beams capture every grain, twist, knot and imperfection – making them practically indistinguishable from the real thing. Even in cases in which cost and time have not been an issue, contractors often still prefer our false beams because in many cases, they’re literally better than the real thing.
2. They’re affordable: Compared to the cost of using authentic timber beams, our faux wood products are remarkably affordable. Contractors working with tight margins love this fact; since it allows them to bid competitively without compromising any of their artistic or creative vision. Our tag line is: “the look of real wood for less” and our satisfied customers prove that every day.
3. They’re easy to install: Real timber beams can weigh hundreds of pounds. By contrast, our faux wood products are light enough for one person to pick them up and move them around. This weight benefit means it’s possible for a single contractor to complete projects that would take an entire team to build using real wood. Likewise, our beams can be installed using nothing more technical than construction adhesive and screws.
4. They’re versatile: The state-of-the-art design of our false beams means, in many cases, they are literally “better than the real thing.” For example, our beams are hollow, so offer the opportunity to install recessed lighting, ceiling fans or run wiring invisibly through them; giving contractors the opportunity to achieve looks that simply wouldn’t be possible with real timber.
5. They’re environmentally friendly: For contractors who think “green”, our beams are a great choice. Firstly, using faux wood saves a real tree being chopped down and turned into timber. Secondly, our false beams are made using environmentally responsible materials, and don’t give off CFCs or other greenhouse gases during their production. Finally, the carbon footprint of transporting our lightweight beams is just a fraction of what it costs to transport heavy, real wood.

Neil's stunning Allentown home has an all-American look thanks to our faux wood beams and panels.

Forget the brick, steel and glass of the big city – everybody knows that America was really built on wood.

From the rustic log cabins of the early pioneers, to the cattle towns and cities that sprang up literally overnight across the Great Plains, each story was constructed from good, old American timber.

That’s why, for homeowners looking to add a touch of classic Americana to their modern homes, a wood element is an absolute essential.

Here’s one example of how a customer managed to achieve that look using our false beams in addition to our vividly realistic faux wood panels.

“The look I was going for,” wrote faux wood beams customer Neil Hughes, from Allentown Pa., “was the classic American cabin.” He’d already taken to one level by wood panel walls, a rugged brick chimney and a black iron stove that wouldn’t have looked out of place on the Old Frontier.

But to take the look even further, Neil added our artificial timber beams across his ceiling; mirroring the way real wooden timber would have been used in the old days as structural support.

The combination of artificial wood veneer and our false beams is impressive.

And this is where it gets clever – because before the beams were installed, Neil used ceiling panels to enhance the design.

“They were really easy to install,” Neil wrote. “The panels are incredibly light, and slot together so you really can’t get the pattern wrong. The only challenge I had was cutting them to the right size – which I ended up doing with a regular wood saw.”

Neil installed them to his sheet rock ceiling with construction adhesive, and then added a few wood screws for extra security.

Next came installing our artificial wood beams, which was also easier than Neil had anticipated:

“The beams are hollow, in a kind of U-shape,” he wrote. “I screwed on a pair of mounting blocks, right on top of the faux wood panels I’d fitted, and then slotted the beam onto it. A few screws finished the job and then I was done.”

And the finished product looks amazing. By using wood panel walls and building out this faux wood ceiling, it’s impossible to tell that Neil’s rustic little cabin was actually built from board and sheet rock in the late 1990s.

“I love it,” he wrote. “It’s given me the classic American look I was going for, plus the pride of knowing I did all of it myself.”

Our faux wood beams span the entire length of the ceiling, adding a stunning rustic look.

Recently, we were lucky enough to revisit the experience of helping rebuild Joplin, Missouri, when we received new shots from the seven incredible homes Ty Pennington and the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition team built there in just seven days. Many of them included our products.

For example, this stunning home features our decorative beams across the apex ceiling; adding a beautiful rustic touch to a home already rich with color and character.

The theme of this particular home design project was family; an important value that paid tribute to the tragic fact that almost all of those who received new homes on the Joplin episode of EM:HE had lost loved ones during the tragedy.

Hand detailed murals add a beautiful, homey touch to our decorative beams.

And just as we thought we’d seen every possible way in which design experts could use our faux wood products, we were once again astonished at one of the simplest, but most beautiful design touches we could possibly have imagined being employed to bring out product to life; a simple mural.

It ties in beautifully with the heartwarming message on the chalkboard in the main room: “It’s the LOVE of a FAMILY that turns a house into a HOME.”

“It’s the LOVE of a FAMILY that turns a house into a HOME.” -- An incredible motto to live by.

With a paintbrush and stencil, the theme of family and love was extended and emblazoned across the ceiling through the use of colorful murals; another far cry from the drab prefabs most disaster survivors wind up in.

Our decorative beams were a great addition to Ty Pennington’s home design arsenal precisely because of that fact. With just seven days to build seven houses, the crew of EM:HE wouldn’t have had the opportunity to use real timber beams, even if that had been in the budget (or the floor plans.)

The fact that our products are affordable and easy to install means that even those living in rapidly assembled prefab homes can have a rustic touch with just a few hours of installation time.

It's hard to believe that this warm and welcoming home was built from the ground up in less than seven days.

And one final aspect that makes false beams so perfect for a region like Joplin is safety.

It’s a well-recorded fact that tornadoes can send timbers spinning off into the distance at over a hundred miles an hour; enough to blow through brick or concrete walls like mortar shells. Using faux timber is a much safer alternative; with our durable polyurethane beams weighing a fraction of what real wood does.

Although these design factors made our products a more than logical choice for addition to the designs Ty Pennington and the EM:HE crew, we’re still incredibly honored to have been included as contributors to this episode, and all the others that came before it.

Thanks for the opportunity ABC!

Photos courtesy of Catherine Rhodes Photography

Now here’s our final post about the talented Mr. Conrad – and you’ll have to decide for yourself whether we’ve saved the best until last.

Faux wood beams really make Chuck's lounge stand out.

Perhaps the centerpiece of Chuck’s stunning home is his luxurious lounge, which features a dining area, a full wall of large, sun-drenched windows and a stunning stone fireplace reaching right up to the ceiling.

Incorporating faux wood beams so seamlessly took some serious thought with so many incredible features already present.

Chuck’s first inspired move was to keep the framing style he’d used in his faux wood beam corridor project, and with the false beams in his sitting room.

A carefully planned false beam frame matches the way Chuck has used our faux timber throughout the rest of his home.

That involved installing our artificial timber beams around the corners of the ceiling, then intersecting them with carefully measured cross beams to give the impression of real structural wood supports.

By using this same style, Chuck created a cohesive look to all his false beam additions; further reinforcing the illusion that these stunning faux wood beams were real.

The second clever decision, though, was more subtle – a “less is more” approach.

With so many striking architectural features already present in his lounge, Chuck needed to carefully balance just how striking his faux wood framework would appear. It certainly shouldn’t blend into the background, but nor should the first things guests think when they see the room be: “Wow, look at all these beams!”

Some serious thought went into this faux beam framework, the intersecting false beams meet seamlessly and rationally.

By keeping things simple – using just a few measured cross beams to give the impression of a real timber structure – Chuck managed to seamlessly incorporate faux wood beams into his design in a way that highlighted their appeal, without dominating the décor.

Clever details include Chuck’s use of our rubber beam straps; which seamlessly cover the joint between one length of beam and another. He also used our synthetic wood corbels to great effect; especially at those tricky corners where one length of beam intersected another and there was a challenge to make the end result look realistic.

So what do you think of this ceiling design? And which of the rooms Chuck decorated with our faux wood beams is your favorite? Here at FauxWoodBeams.com we’re pretty evenly split between the three of them (although my personal favorite is this room, the lounge.)

Let us know what you think in the comments below.

BEFORE: A wide expanse of ceiling needed a focal point.

The next room on Chuck’s DIY home improvement list was the living room – which he framed with elegant faux wood ceiling beams.

Just like with the corridor, Chuck’s first step was to design a framework similar to how real wooden beams would have been used in home construction – but then a new challenge presented itself when he tried to install them.

While installing our beams is a straightforward affair – and can be accomplished in just a few hours with nothing more specialized than a wood saw, screws and an electric drill – Chuck’s problem was the sheer size of his room.

AFTER: The results are impressive; and the faux wood corbels and rubber beam straps help complete the illusion.

In order to have false beams spanning the ceiling as planned, he’d have to stick two or more beams end-to-end.

The good news is that our faux wood ceiling beams are designed to do exactly that – and, unlike real timber, are perfectly proportioned to give a seamless appearance. The bad news is that Chuck had a tell-tale crack where the two beams joined; which he was worried revealed them as faux.

Fortunately, the solution was to be found at the same place Chuck had found our beams. Designed especially to cover up where two beams join, our rubber beam straps look just like the iron straps that once held together real wood beams – except these ones are lightweight, flexible and easy to install.

Chuck used the beam straps to join each length of false beam together – giving the impression of a single length of wood running from one end of the ceiling to the other.

The next clever trick he pulled was using artificial corbels as accents. Corbels are structural supports common in older homes that feature real wooden beams. Chuck bought some of our faux wood corbels and installed them at strategic points to give the seamless impression of real timber framework.

As you can see from the before and after pictures, Chuck’s simple and understated project looks amazing; and the final details like our beam straps and corbels helped seal the deal.

We have more pictures from Chuck’s home coming up – but if you’ve got a DIY home improvement project using our faux wood beams that you think rivals his, don’t wait – email pictures to us at info@fauxwoodbeams.com and we’ll take a look.

BEFORE: An already beautiful corridor had scope for a more structured ceiling.

As you can see from the “before” picture, it’s clear that FauxWoodBeams.com customer Chuck Conrad knows a thing or two about DIY home improvement and design. His beautiful Pennsylvania home is the epitome of good taste – with luxurious hardwood floors, warm colors and clever use of accessories.

But when it came to adding the finishing touches, Chuck turned to us.

Over the next few posts, we’ll highlight each room in turn – but his entrance corridor is a great place to start. A long, broad passageway, Chuck added scope and depth in his ceiling makeover by creating a narrow false beam framework all the way from one end to the other.

Chuck demonstrated the three most important aspects to good use of our faux wood ceiling beams – research, planning and measurement.

In the research stage, he reviewed how real timber beams are used in older homes as structural features; and designed his faux timber roof fittings to resemble the authentic article.

AFTER: Understated, yet impressive, Chuck's faux timber framework adds a dynamic new element.

In the planning stage, he developed a visual impression of what the finished ceiling makeover would look like; which allowed Chuck to adjust the design depending on his aesthetic preferences. In this example – because our faux wood beams merely resembled structural features – he could build his framework around the existing light fixtures.

Finally, Chuck measured – calculating the exact length and width of his corridor and planning out a false beam framework that would be perfectly symmetrical once installed. The result is incredible; simple in its elegance, and beautiful to look at.

There are other rooms in Chuck’s beautiful home that use our faux wood beams, and we’ll be covering those in later blog posts – but if you’re looking for inspiration for transforming a corridor or hallway of your own, we can’t think of a better place to start.