Here’s another question from this do-it-yourselfer.
I’ve timber framed (housed mortise and tenon joints) the kitchen and dining room ceiling in our new house. One thing that has always bothered me is how best to finish the areas between where the beams go into the stick built walls. We’ll probably drywall those walls, and working around beams that will shrink and expand seasonally seems like begging for great big gaps to form around crumbling drywall mud. At the same time, I’ve always thought that putting a small bead of trim around it looks sort of patchwork. Any ideas?
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I would cut the drywall close to the beams, and finish the edges with J-metal or L-metal. Make sure to do a nice crisp job of it. Then you can either leave a small gap open to the beam, or caulk it and paint. Drywall mud run right to the beam will be fugly.
Sounds as though you have faux framed within your sticks...............sheetrock first then timber frame.
Eric
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I nail blocking or studs to the posts and beams where needed and flat tape the drywall. The beams will shrink but not all of them may open up. It depends on the grain direction of the beams. Later, when it comes time to repaint, you can re-mud the gaps as necessary.
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
I had a similar issue w/ dry wall abutting an interior brick wall. I used J-bead and feel it turned out well. You have a gap but its straight and consistent. I set the DW and bead and then masked off the brick at the junction prior to mudding in the bead.
Weaf, I'm doing something similar. Using 6X6 rough cut/weathered spruce as a sort of decorative coller tie in a cathedral ceiling. Out of curiousity, how did you frame the horizontal members into your stickbuilt walls?
I'm leaning toward what was suggested above. Blocking the hell out of the stud cavity, and using big beefy powder-coated angle brackets (which simpson makes) to hold the beam in place after the plaster is up. If I hang them first, I'll likely use the bead.
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I actually used an approach that was in an FHB article a while back about hybrid timber frames. Basically, I decided to take the approach of entirely screwing up the first wall, then figuring it out on the other side. The beams are 8x10 where they go into the walls, and windows are centered between them. I ganged 2x6's to put under the beams. In retrospect, a beam width that divides by 1.5 would have helped the cause here, but the roomy pockets ended up coming in handy when I double checked the straightness of the beams. The major problem I ran into was that the window king studs ran into the beam pockets (bad design on my part) and it turned out to be difficult to tie the pockets and windows into the top plate. My walls are embarassingly full of wood as a result. I looked at my Dad at one point and said, "You know, I might have overdone it a bit." On the plus side, every joint in the central beam fit beautifully, which is my high point of the job so far.Weaf
crazy q. but do you have any digital pics from that phase?_____________________________HomeBase______________ LLC
No, but I could post one, assuming I-Photo on a mac doesn't cause problems for everyone. In retrospect, I think I might have framed so the walls so that the beams sat on them, then squared the beams and blocked in between them. It would have required a lower window header or a higher beam, but I think I could have avoided some headaches that way.If I think of it, I'll post a pic tomorrow.
Why not cut a stepped tenon. cut the tenon.then cut back another 1/2 inch about 1/2 deep all the way around. You'll still have your shoulder to pull up tight and your drywall can still slip behind the end of the beam. Any expansion/contraction shouldn't show. Nice and clean and you should'nt lose any strength ,
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Well, now THAT would have been a good idea! Unfortunately, the beams are up and untouchable. Weaf
oh man you just gotta laugh, I know the feeling ..