New Faux Beams in our Dining Room- Cost and Details

I have wanted to add beams since we moved into our 1970’s ranch remodel. We could have had them installed when we were remodeling, but to be honest, we were just so anxious to move in, we decided to wait. Fast forward to living in our home for about a year…we still wanted the beams in the dining room! Adding beams can be a DIY project, that being said, we decided to hire it out and we are glad we did. It is a time consuming project, and we didn’t have time to accomplish. I am answering all your beam questions today and sharing all the details!

Dining Room Before Beams-

Dining Room with Beams-

Since we last shared our dining room besides adding the beams, we added a banquette. The banquette I found while vintage shopping. It feels extra cozy and more our style! The banquette can lock in the center, but we don’t lock it in place, that way we can pull it apart and get in from the middle or the ends.

We also added curtains, I shared those on another blog post. I am still loving what they add to the room. When we added the beams it made it so we had to install the curtain rod lower, making the curtains too long. I just used this fabric tape to “hem” them! And this is my go-to curtain rod.

And another update since the beams, we added this scallop edge rug! I had no plans of adding a rug, until I saw this one. It has all the right colors and the added of a light blue.

Dining Room Sources-

Curtains // Curtain Rod // 36 Ball Light Fixture // Dining Chair // White Cake Pedestal

Dinner Plate // 72″ Dining Table // Brass Candelabra // Wood Candle Holder // Battery Tapers

Scallop Rug // Salt & Pepper // Wood Holder *(I emailed to make it custom size)*// Picture Light

Large Woodblocked Botanical Art // Console Table // Stool // Ottoman // Portrait Art

Large Vase // Ceramic Pear // Salt and Pepper Shaker // Bookcase // Gingham Napkins

I also like how the dining room coordinates with the rest of the house colors and cozy feeling.

Another thing we did that is hard to see in a photo, but I bet you will notice if you scroll back up at the before photo. The painters originally painted the ceiling in a semi-gloss. I didn’t notice until after the fact, because all our other ceilings were painted in a flat. So after it bothering me for a year, we fixed the paint before we added the beams, then we touched them up after.

FAQ Faux Beams-

What wood is your beams? Alder.
Did you stain your beams? No, we left them natural and just filled in the nail holes (see below).
How tall are your ceilings? 8′.
How much did the wood cost? $2500k. We have four beams that are 15’x5″.
How much was the labor for the beams? $5k. It took about a week to build the beams and then to install them. They took the pieces of wood to a shop and cut each piece at a 45 degree angle so you see less of a seam. (Mike and Jessie are who we hired #801-362-8134).
Does adding beams make your ceiling feel shorter? We don’t think so! I think it adds interest and draws your eye up, making it feel bigger and yet cozy.
How big is your dining room? 15’x17′
How did you decide what direction to run the beams? We decided to do the shorter distance of the room. There isn’t one right way. Consider objects in the room, windows and doorways. We wanted the focal point to be the window and dining table, so the beams were centered around that.