Covering support beams makes a ceiling more decorative.
Framing a basement main support beam involves cutting sheets of wood to the length of the beam, then screwing the sheets over the beam to cover it. The sheets need to be cut at the right angle to fit each one together at the joints, forming a seamless box around the support beam behind them. Framing a basement main support beam covers over what can be an unsightly piece of supporting wood, to make the basement more decorative.
Instructions
1. Measure the height, width and depth of the support beam you want to frame, using a tape measure. Note the measurements on a piece of paper. If you are framing the support beam on both sides as well as underneath, measure each side and the underside of the beam to ensure you have the right measurements for each piece of framing; in case the beam is at a slight angle to the walls.
2. Cut a sheet of 1/2-inch thick plywood as long and as wide as the measurements you noted for one side of the beam, using a circular saw. On the face of the plywood sheet that will be screwed in to the beam, write which side of the beam the sheet will be fixed to, using a pencil.
3. Cut a second sheet of 1/2-inch thick plywood to the length and height of the other side of the beam. Mark this sheet in the same manner as the first, so you know where it will go. Cut a third sheet of 1/2-inch thick plywood to the length and depth you measured for the underside of the beam. Mark this sheet as being for the underside, using a pencil.
4. Set the cutting angle bar on the miter saw to cut at 45 degrees. Cut both beam length edges on the marked face of the underside sheet to 45 degree angles, using the miter saw. Cut one beam length edge of the marked face on both side sheets to 45 degrees. This allows the sheets to connect seamlessly with one-another when fixed to the support beam.
5. Hold the first side sheet against the support beam with the edge cut at a 45 degree angle facing the beam at the bottom of the sheet. Screw the sheet to the beam using a hammer drill with screwdriver drill bit to countersink a 1-inch long screw in each corner of the sheet. Countersink two more 1-inch long screws into of the sheet to firmly hold the sheet in place.
6. Screw the second plywood side sheet to the other side of the support beam in the same manner as the first, so both 45 degree angle sheets face toward the support beam.
7. Hold the underside covering sheet against the bottom of the support beam with the 45 degree angle cuts facing the beam. Screw the sheet to the beam with one countersunk 1-inch long screw in each corner and two more screws on each side.
Tags: support beam, 1-inch long, 2-inch thick, 2-inch thick plywood, beam with, degree angle, each side