Remove paint from exposed ceiling beam

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Draughtsman

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Well, more like exposed bottom rails of roof trusses, with plasterboard recessed between for that mock Tudor effect.

An extension has added new beams which I think will look better without paint, or maybe a very light stain (new ceiling plasterwork white emulsioned).

However, the original showing joists are black painted. What would be the best way to clean the black paint off and not end up with too smooth a finish?

C'mon guys, a shortcut on this one would be a massive lift.

Thank you.
 

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I really don't see those old beams having paint removed sufficiently to allow a stain to be applied that would look remotely good. Nothing I can think of would get the black specks and streaks that you will find stubborn .So with an actual natural look being unrealistic you are between a rock and a hard place. Even wood effect paints would not help as so far as I am aware they need a fairly smooth surface as a base.
 
Dain1, good evening.

I am assuming that you have cleaned, as best as possible the beams on the left and the ones on the right still have the black paint?? Cleaning paint from timber above your head is a Headache, not to mention small bits in your eyes??

It looks as if you have differing colours now on the left hand beams? and that finish is not acceptable? probable cause is the treatment of the timber prior to the trusses being fabricated.

Given the differing porosity of the timber once painted, can produce different colours when the paint is removed.

How about you consider shall I call it over-boarding?

Suggest you consider using thin strips of figured Ply wood, this will give you a clean, timber grained surface to work on?? Other thin material can be called into use? Plasterboard, Etc.

Or? There are Proprietary so called "Mock Beams" produced in various timbers, they are designed to wrap around existing down-stand beams to give the impression of old Pre-finished beams, BUT there is generally a BUT?? Cost??

Hopefully some of the above may be worthy of a glance??

Ken.
 
Ken, if I read it correctly the light ones are new trusses lined up with the old black ones. So the new ones are just dirty at the moment no paint at all.
 
I can't think how I would do this. Any method is going to be horrible messy and not very effective. Consider painting the new to match?
 
I did originally intend to paint the new timber black to replicate the existing but once the new was in place I thought that it not only looked better bare, that it would also then only require the plasterboard panels to be cut in.

The ceilings are all like this...a regular PITA to redecorate, cutting in those beams in black plus the ceiling panel edges in white amounts, combined, to 150m not including 28m external edges of ceiling...in that room alone.

I would just overboard the lot but at 5'9" tall I can touch the ceilng panels without difficulty.

Bite the bullet, stop moaning and just get on with it. Maybe get plenty of masking tape.

Paint beams 1st, or ceiling panels?
 
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If I was doing it I would do the ceiling first - why? - because most likely if some paint ran down it would be over the lower parts. Also a smudge or two of white from the ceiling onto the beams would be covered by the darker beam paint carefully cut in.
 
I'd do the ceiling first - easier to cut in a dark colour over a lighter one.

You have my sympathy. My current project will have me cutting in around 24 compartments like that...
 
You'll probably never have to do it again. And you only really have to do the annoying close cutting in for the first coat...

Please come back and show us the result :-)
 
Oh, what paint to use for the beams? It needs to be matt but I remember watering the last lot down to prevent it going on too thick and losing the grain of the wood, I ended up with a sort of a weak blackwash and it looked good.

Any thoughts? Does this sound right?
 
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