Beams : paint or strip?
we live in an old house that is full of beams painted black at some time in the distant past, the doors and skirting are varnished dark brown. We have stone mullion windows and they don't let masses of light in. i want to lose the dark beams and dark doors but how? any suggestions? paint with some suitable flat paint? strip them ? could be a messy job. any ideas?
Comments (8)
Lauren
7 years agoHi Helen,
However its done, trying to strip the beams is a long, messy and expensive project. Theres also no guarantee whats found under the paint is going to look substantially better (though I agree the black is too imposing at the moment).
I would suggest first using white primer on them then painting them a pale soft greige/warm grey colour. Enough of a contrast to the walls that you still get to admire them as a feature but light enough to help keep the space feeling bright and relaxing.
Something else you could also consider is installing some warm white led strip lighting on top of the lintel beams. These would face up to illuminate the cross beams and help reduce the gloomy shadows. I've tried to show how this could look in the mock up for you.
helen humphreys thanked LaurenRelated Discussions
How do I strip a painted beam & stone fire place ?
Comments (2)Hi, you can use heatgun for it, it is very slow process but rewarding, you have to make sure that you not going to burn the wood, give a little heat and strip the paint off, or you can try paint remover.....See Morewhat colour to paint beam in large living area
Comments (11)I wouldn’t paint it the same colour as the steel. You are right, it would be too much. If you look at the room from the windows, the horizontal lines are the colour of your walls and the vertical lines are black/anthracite. To keep the balance, I would paint the beam the same colour as the walls. Otherwise you will have a grid effect which will detract from your beautiful plywood ceiling. A great choice of ceiling by the way. Light but warm. It’s going to look great...See MoreStripping back wood beams to remove black
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helen humphreys
7 years agohelen humphreys
7 years agohelen humphreys
7 years ago
Anita
7 years agoYes there's a lot to think about.
A also depends on how many beams you have.
The pic below shows a small section of our lounge ceiling (it's a huge room) so there's much to much of it to strip or paint!
My husband hand stripped 1 oak lintel in our fireplace - it took him 2 days!
I would say start with painting skirting and doors and then see what you think.
HU-93991126
3 years ago
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