Recommendations for wood to case ceiling beam?

15 years ago

Hi all,

I'm new to this forum, so please redirect me if necessary.

We just had our kitchen ceiling replaced (frozen pipe upstairs - guess the kitchen reno project starts sooner than expected!), and our contractor installed a ceiling beam to head off the beginning of a sag. Rather than sheetrock over the beam, we decided to leave it exposed and make it an architectural focus. The contractor used three 2x6's for the beam, and two 2x4's for the post along the wall.

What would you recommend as the wood to encase the lumber? We like the look of post and beam, and we'd like to stain it instead of paint. The contractor suggested pine, while a friend of mine recommended poplar. From searching the forum, it sounds like both are tough to stain. Is there anything else that's reasonably easy to obtain we should consider?

Thanks in advance!

Emily

Comments (4)

User
15 years ago
Cedar is a popular wood for your purpose. You can use a rough surface wood for a rustic look or smooth wood for a more finished look. Stain in the form of deck stains can be used.
kudzu9
15 years ago
I recommend clear vertical grain (CVG) fir. It's a very beautiful wood and all you need to do is wipe on a tung oil finish to give it a beautiful glow. It will take a very even finish with no blotching and it will get richer-looking over time.
hearthside_im_all_in
Original Author
15 years ago
Thank you, handymac and kudzu9. Do you know of a website where pictures of different species are compared with various finishes? I'd like to become more familiar with the woods you have suggested, but I'm not sure where to look.
User
15 years ago
See the list below

Here is a link that might be useful: Wood list and pictures