When I was nine years old, my parents designed and built (one of) their dream home(s) on the shores of Lake Michigan. It was a gorgeous 3-story home, tucked away in the woods, oozing with character and outdoorsy charm. The second level had these gorgeous exposed beams a few shades darker than the hardwood floors. We moved around a lot growing up, but that house always felt the most like “home” to me, and my love affair for exposed wood beams has never died!
Fast forward to a few months ago, when I saw this incredible bathroom makeover on my dear friend Traci’s blog. She showed off her gorgeous new bathroom complete with faux wood beams! Say wha??? Faux beams that look like rustic barnwood beams that I can actually lift and install (with minimal help)! Oh yes please!
I contacted AZ Faux Wood Beams to discuss the benefits of faux beams and design options for my kitchen.
This is what I learned:
- The beams are made of polyurethane.
- They are made from the molds of actual wood beams so are very authentic in appearance.
- They will not split, crack, or dry out like real wood but can be easily cut to size with a hand saw.
- They are incredibly lightweight making them easy to ship and install.
- They are termite resistant.
- They can be painted or stained.
- They look exactly like real wood!
- They come in a variety of finishes, sizes, and styles.
- They are manufactured by Superior Building Supplies.
AZ Faux Beams has been featured on HGTV and the DIY Network. They offer such amazing products that I was thrilled to try them out for myself! I discussed my design options with the AZ Faux Beam team, and with their help I was able to choose the number of beams in the style and finish that was perfect for my kitchen. I chose the Old Timber Beams and I LOVE them.
The color is exactly what I was hoping for. They are a gorgeous true brown without a lot of reddish tone to them and they look beat-up, chunky, and straight from an old barn 
. The beams I chose were actually close to 15′ long. The total cost of three beams of the size I chose runs around $350 before shipping. I think it would be very difficult to achieve a similar look for less. And they are so light that two of you can easily install them in a day!
I was already loving all of the recent changes that I made to my kitchen but the beams are definitely the icing on the cake! They separate the kitchen visually as a “room” in our open floor plan and add some additional architectural interest and character.
And since I haven’t really shown you my kitchen in it’s non-Christmas state yet, how about a few more glam shots for you before you go?
Okay, and here is where you can really see how far my kitchen has come in the past few years. Below is the before.
And the much improved after . Eek! I am thrilled with it now! It is EXACTLY what I was hoping for when I started my kitchen makeover journey several years ago.
If you are wondering how in the world to install the beams, I’ve included Traci’s video tutorial below. I was going to make my own tutorial for you, but Traci did such a great job that there was really no need. We used toggle bolts to install wood blocks in the ceiling (because there were NO studs in place) and then drilled wood screws through the wood beams and into the wood blocks. It’s not hard to do, but is a two person job. Click on over to AZ Wood Beams and see if there is a beam that speaks to you!
I loved these beams so contacted AZ Faux Beams and asked them if I could review their product. They agreed and were excited about reaching all of you. As always, the opinions expressed in this post are 100% mine. My family loves these beams, how easy they were to work with, how natural they look, and the character they add to our home. I highly recommend them!
Linking this post to: Transformation Thursday, Beneath My Heart
What a neat way to add character to your kitchen! The entire space is amazing.
Enjoy! Megan
Thank you Megan!
It looks gorgeous Beth! You’ve done so much to your kitchen and it is truly cottage cozy and beautiful!
Thanks Britt
. It has come a LONG way over the years!
Holy crap Beth that looks awesome. I love the light airiness with the contrast of the wood. Gorgeous girl!
Thanks love!
Super pretty Beth. We had beams in our last house and I miss them. Yours look great. They really do make a nice delineation between the space. Enjoy
With a “bowling alley” floor plan in our home, I’m so glad to have he beams separate the space a bit. Thanks for visiting me
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Beautiful! But where is your stove?? lol
Good question Marlene! It’s so hard to photograph my kitchen without a wide-angle lens but my stove is on the right-hand side. The right-hand side has my frige, more cabinets with my stove and then the pantry. You can see it in my Christmas kitchen post
: http://www.homestoriesatoz.com/kitchen/christmas-kitchen.html
Look like they’ve been there forever!
Kelly
Thanks Kelly! I think so too
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Hey Girl! I came over to check out your beams, and I saw the links to mine AND our video! Thank you so much for including them.
I LOVE The way the beams look in your kitchen! Aren’t they awesome?! Like you said, I love the way they define your kitchen space. They really do add so much charm to your kitchen.
Woohoo!!
Thanks for introducing me to a fab product Traci! I am in LOVE with how they look
. Thanks also for letting me use your video (without asking your permission). Ha! It was perfect and explained exactly what we needed to do to hang them.
Love love LOVE them!! Ahhh dying over how beautiful they look in your kitchen…its like they just complete the space & tie the whole room together!!
Thank you Christina! Even my husband said, “Wow, they actually look like they have always been there.” Ch-ching!
I love exposed wood beams. The home I grew up in had exposed wood beams in our living room and a big vaulted ceiling. I have always wanted to have beams in my home too. I have a client that has these in her home office and I had to touch them to actually believe they were not real wood. Your kitchen looks gorgeous, and I LOVE the beams. That is quite the transformation. So fun to see what a bright coat of paint can do to open up a kitchen. My home is very open concept, but when my kids are a bit more mature and we make our upstairs playroom more like a media room, I am putting them in there!
Good idea Karen! In many ways we have outgrown our current home. The design is getting trickier as the boys get older. I wish I had a “tv room” to send them to. I’m actually thinking of how to make that happen with the space we have available upstairs. Do I really need a guest room?
Love them! What a cool product.
Love them!!! Great addition.
Wow! They look gorgeous & your kitchen looks amazing! We LOVE our faux beams & wasn’t everyone at AZ Faux Beams so great to work with! We installed the sandblasted ones and it has totally changed the look & feel to our home! In case you want to see…http://www.scoutandnimble.com/2012/12/02/beam-me-up-scotty/
Jesse @ Scout & Nimble
Jesse they look AMAZING! What a huge transformation! Thanks for sharing your post
. And yes, I was so pleased to be able to bounce design ideas off of the AZ “Beam Team”. I really wasn’t sure what size to get and how many would look best. They suggested exactly what I needed and hit the nail on the nose 
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Your kitchen is lovely! My grandmother had beams in her kitchen and they added such warmth. Have a great weekend.
Leslie
Hi Beth, Your beams are great with your kitchen. I love the look of the baskets on top of your cabinets too. What a beautiful transformation!
Totally in love with your kitchen
Beautiful job!!!! The Beams look fantastic!
oh my word, girl! Your kitchen turned out gorgeous! I love how much brighter it is!
I am so impressed with the beams, they look so real. We don’t have a space for them in our living area (our kitchen, dining and living rooms are all in one big square. What do you think of these beams in a master bedroom? Also, how high are your ceilings? We have 8′ ceilings… do you think that is too low for beams??
Thanks in advance for your expert opinion
Thanks Leen! I’ve seen beams in homes with 8′ ceilings and I think it all depends on the room design and amount of natural light that a room receives. If they are too low they can sort of mess with the “chi” of a room and make it feel crowded. Our ceilings are at least 10 ft on each level.
Love your kitchen, Beth. I am partial to white cabinets ( I have them in my kitchen). I like the clean, fresh look of your new space along with the decor you added (those baskets are too cute!). To me, it’s a timeless look. You really did a great DIY job!
Nancy
Thanks you Nancy and I agree. My mom has had a white kitchen for over 15 yrs now and it still doesn’t look dated. I love white!
Oh wow, the transformation is absolutely stunning! Love it!
LOVE!!!!
The beams are fabulous and I think they add so much character to the kitchen. My mom and dad have a vaulted ceiling in their master bedroom that we are considering adding beams to. Something like these would look great
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At first I thought I wanted them for our master bedroom (actually I still do!) because our ceilings are vaulted and go up to 14 ft at the highest point. I think they look awesome on vaulted ceilings!
Oh my Beth!! This is just so fabulously gorgeous! I want some beams right now! Every details is so lovely and I totally relate to how happy you must be feeling with your new kitchen. You did an amazing job! I will definitely be ordering some beams when I finally get settled in a new home. Thank you for sharing this great product with us.
Heather
Thanks so much Heather!
They look amazing Beth! They seriously fit right into the age and style of your home! Great, great, great choice for your 100 yr old home!
Thanks sis!
Hi Beth! I actually just found your site through a Google Alert I had set for DIY stuff to get some more inspiration. I had to comment and tell you how much I love the kitchen remodel. Lightening up the colors like that really makes it appear more open and inviting and I really like the stone backsplash (is it real or faux as well?). As far as the beams go, I agree they look great… I actually did something similar to help frame our dining area and give it a subtle visual separation from the adjoining living room in the middle of last year with a couple faux wood beams. I can’t wait to read through the rest of the site. Seeing other DIY interior design plans has really helped spark the do-it-yourself gene in me.
SOOOOOOO beautiful. I love those beams so much!
Holy cow – your kitchen is gorgeous!! I love seeing before and after pictures.
The beams look fantastic but the kitchen improvement over the years is wonderful! Love all the things you’ve done!
Thank you so much Lorraine!
Gorgeous kitchen! Love that soft blue too, was it hard to cover the orange paint? We are tackling our kitchen soon, so I’m off to learn more about the Faux Beams!
Thanks for sharing!
~Liz@HoosierHomemade
Hi Liz! Yes, it took a few coats of primer to cover it all up. It was a bright very dark red!
It’s absolutely GORGEOUS, Beth!!
Thanks so much Dacia!
Beth,
Your kitchen is fantastic…love it! The beams are the icing on the cake.
I love your kitchen so much!! You have been such an inspiration to me!! I love all your ideas and it looks so beautiful together!!! Thank you!
Gorgeous kitchen! So inspiring. Question for you – how did you go from wood cabinets to white? Did you have a professional painter come spray them or was it something you did yourself? If so, how? I have similar wood cabinets now that I like but don’t love. Thanks! xo Liz
Thanks Liz! I had them professionally painted in White Dove by Benjamine Moore.
Wow! I love your kitchen redo, Beth! So light, bright and pretty.
Thank you!
Love them, Beth! How hard did they hit you with the shipping? I’d love to keep these in mind for when we move. Your kitchen makeover is wonderful!
Shipping varies depending on where you live of course but it’s NOT cheap. You need to factor in the cost of shipping into the total project cost for sure!
Oh my goodness! Your kitchen is absolutely stunning. I love every element and the beams look wonderful. The The back splash is amazingl. And the colors….WOW! I grew up on Lake Michigan in Union Pier across the lake from Chicago.
Beautiful Beth! What a gorgeous space you have! I love everything…the colours and the open shelving and the white cabinets! You are such a lucky girl to have such an awesome space! The new beams looks amazing too! Have a lovely week! Angie xo
Wow! What a difference. I love the beams, Beth! Now, where can I find a place for them???? Hmmmm!
Beth your kitchen has turned out so beautiful! My oak-ey kitchen has hope
xoxo, Tanya
Beth, this looks fantastic! What an amazing makeover. It really changed the whole appearance of the before picture! The exposed beams add character to the space. Well done!
Wow your kitchen looks fantastic, I leave your blog with a severe case of kitchen envy!
The whole kitchen looks gorgeous! The beams give it such character and I love the contrast between all the rustic elements and the white cabinets.
it looks so good! i love it
wow! Looks wonderful!! When we were in Lexington, I would look at our wonderful back room and try to think about how I could get some beams back there! When we moved to Virginia Beach, voila ! Beams already there in the family room ! God is so good. wendy
What’s so great about the kitchen is that the beams do not look at all out of place. They look as though they are really part of the structure. Love the white cabinets too!!
Maude
wow! this looks so awesome. i love the beams…actually the entire kitchen set up is perfect!
Oh, my gosh. Gorgeous!! I think I need some of those in my kitchen now.
Hi Beth! I have real beams in my house and I’ve been looking at updating the look. What color do you have on the walls? it’s almost a blueish? does it feel cold?
Thanks,
Ali
Hi Ali, Color is such a personal preference. I have Sherwin Williams Sea Salt on my kitchen walls and I love it. You can see what it looks like at Christmas here: http://www.homestoriesatoz.com/christmas/home-stories-a-to-z-christmas-home-tour.html