Faux Art Deco Steel Beams

Intro: Faux Art Deco Steel Beams

I had big double 2"x12" beams in a room that was being turned into an Art Deco styled theater. The beams obviously are not ideal for the design as they are. The thoughts of wrapping in oak or sheetrock were more money then I wanted to spend or just lack luster. So I researched Art Deco era steel work and felt I could give the wood rafters the cool look of steel but on the cheap. Just a bit of detail work will go a long way in creating the look of steel.

STEP 1: The Before

The 2"x 12" doubled up rafters were 24' long by 6" wide. These need to be disguised to blend into the room design.

STEP 2: Painting the Rafters and Creating the I-Beam Look

I started with a light sanding with the orbital sander to smooth out as much as possible. Then I used a black caulk and went over any holes, knots and cracks to smooth it out even more. I used a tinted grey primer and then Benjamin Moore Gunmetal 1602 for the look of natural raw steel. To create the look of an I beam I used 3/8" smooth Plywood the cap the top and bottom. Because there is a 2" space between the 2"x12"'s that make up the 6" wide rafter I made the pieces10" wide so there is a 2" over hang.

STEP 3: The "steel" Brackets

There are 7 beams so I needed to make 28 of these as each beam has 2 on each side on both ends

STEP 4: Creating the Pieces for the Brackets

I cut out all the pieces needed to construct 28 of these brackets. I created a jig that would make all of them the exact same size. This was made to be able to make 14 left and 14 right sided brackets. With all the pieces cut out and the jig set it was a quick and easy assembly line to make them all exactly the same. I used wood glue and a staple gun with 5/8" staples to hold together. After they were together I used rounded furniture tacks to add the look of steel rivets.

STEP 5: Coat of Primer and Paint

Once together I sprayed a coat of grey primer on both sides and then finished by painting a 2 coats of Benjamin Moore Gunmetal 1602 latex paint.

STEP 6: Nuts and Bolts

To add to the realism of the beams I created Nuts and Bolts from a 2"x4" and a 1/2" dowel. Creating the six sided hexagon on the table saw from the 2"x4" then with the miter saw I cut them into 1" pieces. I then glued the dowel pieces on half the nuts to created the illusion of a bolt going through the beam. These were glued and nailed to plywood pieces made to look like iron plates. Again once together Once together I sprayed a coat of grey primer on and then finished by painting a 2 coats of Benjamin Moore Gunmetal 1602 latex paint.

STEP 7: Installing the Parts

Because the rafter ties are 24' long I made the beam look like it was made from two steel beams joined in the middle. This helps to add interest to a rather long beam. Now both ends and the middle have something to catch your eye. I began with installing the bolt plates on each end with glue and finish nails and then the brackets went on over top of them. The bolt pattern was created so that they would "peek" out through the bracket.

STEP 8: The Finished Beams

The finished beams turned out great and add an amazing visual effect to the room that could have easily been lost with a covering of sheetrock. This project was dirt cheap. I used used what I had left over from other projects. The only thing I had to get special for it was the paint. The creation of all these pieces on the other hand was very time consuming but worth every second. Anyone could do this project, you just need patience! Good luck!

Comments

[byondspun]

That is seriously cool.
An alternate build would be to 3D print the side pieces.

[ArtisanEclectic]

In a low key way, rnd head furniture tacks kind of ARE tiny steel rivets

[DianeS186]

Great ideas! Just a suggestion, if you'd like all your chairs to match in color. Buy some Heirloom Traditions Paint, and you can paint your chairs, leather or vinyl. It's really a great product. I painted my stepdaughters living room sectional which was a disgusting white/brownish color to a charcoal grey. They were going to toss it. Now, someone comes to the house and they are introduced to a "new" sectional.

[ProjectsandThings]

Well done! I like the idea of a fake connection in an allready faked metal structure. So meta, and also well executed!

[curiosity36]

What an ingenious coverup! As for the grain? It's a theater. People will not be there to focus on the overhead. You did a great job in crafting the faux supports and splice plates too. Thanks for taking time to post this ible.

[jillybean3]

Oh my gosh, this is genius!!! So cool!

[1403creed]

Brilliant!

[TomM68]

This is a fun idea. Good job!

[oragamiunicorn]

These look great, very effective.

Can I suggest you change the main image from a 'before' to an 'after' image

The only flaw seems to be that on close inspection you can see the wood grain of the ply. MDF might have been a better choice as no grain.

Very impressive though

[RoccoM]

Thanks, yes that's not supposed to be the first image you see. MDF would have been good but as I said I was trying to not spend the extra money. Thank you