# Vaulted Ceiling, faux wood beam, ceiling fan?



## wiremeup (Jul 5, 2007)

How thick is the faux beam? Can you get to the peak from above in the attic? You will need to have some wood in the peak to securely fasten a fan rated box onto. I would probably screw a 2x4 directly to the peak of the ceiling and then carve out the faux beam to cover it. The 2x4 would have to be 1 1/2" above the bottom of the faux beam which would then make the fan box flush to the bottom. I don't know of any "kits" for this kind of installation.


----------



## dmaceld (Jul 4, 2007)

This doesn't answer your question, but do you already have the beam, or know exactly where you are going to buy it? I ask because two years ago I looked around for such a beam and came to the conclusion they don't exist any more. I couldn't find one anywhere! I ended up making a beam from MDF.

I take it you have access above the ceiling to build the frame. Is the wire(s) long enough to move to the new spot? What do you plan to do with the existing box?


----------



## Zel1 (Mar 21, 2007)

Thank you guys for the replies.

I will know tomorrow which company/beam I will be dealing with. Once I know that, I will be able to plan ahead and do as wiremeup suggested and mount a small 2x4 in the peak, and build it down if necessary so that the box will be at the proper height. The beams come in a "U" shape, but I might need to hollow out the sides a bit to fit the box correctly. I think after reading wiremeup's reply, and staring at the ceiling, I know what needs to be done. I do have access above the, and the wires are plenty long enough to make the changes. 

dmaceld, there are a few companies that sell these beams, the most popular on google is fauxwoodbeams.com They seem to have a good selection and I remember folks here speaking highly of them. The company I am most likely going to order from is outwater.com They arent too far from me and have sent me a sample that seems pretty realistic at the 10' height. Also, the lead time from FWB.com was 3-6 weeks and I just cant wait that long to get this room finished. Its been a disaster since October when I tore it all apart. Now, our new furniture is sitting in the dining room, and all thats left to do is lighting, painting, and flooring.


----------



## Zel1 (Mar 21, 2007)

*Update*

I am going to post this in case anyone else is doing something similar.
I went into the attic to see what was above the peak. At the very center, there is nothing along the peak, except for where the trusses from the roof above were, which was every 2'. The builder used the existing roof trusses, and added some framing to hold the ceiling up. I first marked the very center of the room and drilled a 3/4" hole up through the drywall to run the wires through and to let me see the center when I went into the attic. I added a 2X4 with 90 degree deck brackets in between the trusses, sitting level on top of the drywall peak above the hole I drilled, after putting the wires through the hole. 

I then drew out on paper a diagram of how the beam will sit against the ceiling and took a bunch of measurements. I cut 3/4" plywood in 1' by 6 1/8" sections. I glued/screwed 2 together and drilled a 3/4" hole for the wires. I marked the board down the center, lined it up with the peak and attached it to the center of the ceiling using 4 3" drywall screws, through the drywall and into the 2x4 I installed in the attic. The 6 1/8" is the measurement of inside the beam, so the beam fits over the plywood. Now, I measured down to just short of flush with the beam surface and ripped a 7" 2x4 so the electric box sat down at the right height. I cut notches out of the ends and predrilled them for 2 screws. I installed the box, making sure it was centered and level. The beams came in 10' lengths and the seam is right in the middle. I filled the seam with small pieces of the stained edges from cutoffs and caulked them in place with brown caulk. I'll post a pic of the finished beam over the weekend. I got the res of the beam and fan up there last night. Looks great and works great too!


----------



## HouseHelper (Mar 20, 2007)

Just hope that plastic box is one that is approved for use with a ceiling fan....


----------



## Zel1 (Mar 21, 2007)

It was a "ceiling fan box" according to the label and the mounting screws that came with the fan go through the box and into the wood above it.


----------



## HouseHelper (Mar 20, 2007)

zel said:


> It was a "ceiling fan box" according to the label and the mounting screws that came with the fan go through the box and into the wood above it.


Then you done good!


----------



## Jeekinz (Jan 29, 2007)

dmaceld said:


> This doesn't answer your question, but do you already have the beam, or know exactly where you are going to buy it? I ask because two years ago I looked around for such a beam and came to the conclusion they don't exist any more. I couldn't find one anywhere! I ended up making a beam from MDF.


 
Outwater in NJ sells them......and a whole lot of other stuff.:thumbsup:

http://www.outwater.com


----------



## Zel1 (Mar 21, 2007)

Thats where I got them from. I called Friday, and had them Tuesday! Cant beat that!


----------

