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Before & After: A Cathedral Ceiling Gets Beams on a Budget

published Dec 14, 2015
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Living room with brown leather sofa, brick fireplace, TV, and large windows overlooking a garden.
(Image credit: Submitted by Heather )

Our family room has a cathedral ceiling and a large, prominent fireplace. We wanted to make this room a standout, but our budget was more of a washout. By whitewashing the fireplace ourselves, and installing faux beams, we were able to make a big impact, on a not so big budget.

(Image credit: Submitted by Heather )

We’ve always loved beams. But we didn’t love the prices. Luckily, we discovered faux beams, which sell for a fraction (like 1/5) of the cost of real wood beams.

And guess what? They look real. Seriously. Hallelujah, hap-beam days are here again! Installing the beams was not a hard DIY. Nor was whitewashing the fireplace. For well about $500 total, these two changes really spruced up this space.

Thank you, Heather! You can see more of Heather’s project on her blog.