Should I keep these false black beams?

[claireclaire]

Hello all, I am new on this forum and new to the whole period property thing..... so please excuse my ignorance! I've got these false black beams in the ceiling in my living room, and I'm wondering whether I should keep them or not? They are definitely not supporting and I am pretty sure they are not original, but they probably are "in keeping" with the style of the property, and maybe some people would like them.... although I don't myself. The property is a large Victorian (I believe!) building converted into 8 flats in the 1980s. It's not listed but it is in a conservation area.

(I also have a large black beam in the living room, obviously original and supporting etc... it's been useful to read others' comments about how to deal with this wrt sandblasting and KlingStrip and so on. Saved me from making some big mistakes!!)

Any views would be welcome! Thanks.

 

[MdB]

My view (which probably isn't the same as everyones here) is that if they are a modern introduction, do what you like with them. If you don't like them, then get rid of them. If you do like them, then keep them. Its your house and not a museum so your tastes count the most.

(I personally don't like anything that it fake, so would get rid of them but that is my taste and not yours which should have priority)

 

[Penners]

I agree with MdB.

The only point I would add is that exposed black beams in a Victorian house (and quite a grand one, judging from your description) would definitely not have been de rigueur with the Victorians.

They would have regarded them as very "peasant", and made every effort to conceal them. Any structurally unavoidable beam would probably have been boxed in with decoratively moulded softwood or plaster.

 

[MdB]

They would have regarded them as very "peasant", and made every effort to conceal them. Any structurally unavoidable beam would probably have been boxed in with decoratively moulded softwood or plaster.

I guess they considered them the same way that we look at steel frames and block work. I wonder in 100 years if there will be a thread on PPUK on how to remove multiple layers of paint from block work and whether or not to leave the wonderful RSJs exposed....

 

[middi]

I agree with Mdb and Penners, black beams( or any beams ) and Victorian houses don't go together.

You say " Victorian I believe" and " big existing beam", could it be that the house is pre-Victorian ?.

 

[Penners]

You say " Victorian I believe" and " big existing beam", could it be that the house is pre-Victorian ?.

Our last house was early Victorian. It had a large king joist across the sitting room ceiling, but this had been boxed in with decoratively moulded, white painted softwood.

Mind you, it wasn't as grand a house as claireclaire (so good they named her twice) is talking about. Ours was a modest farmhouse, as befitting folk of our lowly station.

 

[middi]

I suppose the methods of building, especially in a transitional building period overlapped, anything could have happend. The odd beam here and there would be quite the norm, especially where the DIY touch still lingered on from the traditional builders.

Some farmhouses and cottages were built with some hefty beams not normally associated with Victorian era.

As to Claireclare, it should be extremely easy to date the house to the year.

 

[claireclaire]

The plaque out front says 1888, but there are rumours that it's actually 1875. [Checking on Wikipedia confirms that this does indeed fall within the Victorian era ... phew! sorry, not on top of all these eras, not from this country!]

The exterior is mostly red brick laid in herringbone style, with black wooden slats... I'm sure there's a name for it, maybe someone on here knows....? The style I'm talking about is the same as a place called Langshott Manor if you feel interested enough to Google it.... but not *quite* as grand!!

It could be a wonderful building, but sadly amongst us eight owners of the flats, we never seem to have quite enough money to afford the return to glory that it deserves...

Anyway, thanks to those who replied, I can now remove these false beams with a clear conscience.

 

[worms]

Langshott Manor is a beautifully restored 16th century manor house

http://www.alexanderhotels.co.uk/langshott_manor/

Suggests that Claireclaire's house is either much, much older (which I admit is unlikely without at least one of the Claires knowing it) or a Victorian era copy of a Tudor era building (which sounds a bit odd, too!)

 

[showqa]

I have quite a few beams in my Welsh farmhouse of 1840ish. I know they're not an affectation because, well frankly, the previous occupants were just not interested enough! Not to mentoin being pretty tight when it comes to spending cash on the place.

 

[MdB]

I have quite a few beams in my Welsh farmhouse of 1840ish.

Beams or fake beams? I've nothing against proper beams and I've plenty here to show off. I'm even going to double the number but not because I like the look of them (though I do), but because there aren't enough of them structurally and the floor upstairs bounces far too much.

 

[worms]

I guess it would be interesting to see some pictures of the building. However, I note that Claireclaire doesn't say what the building was before it was converted to flats. I have jumped to the conclusion that it was a large house and we have all assumed that a large Victorian house would not normally have had exposed beams. But perhaps it wasn't a house at all but an industrial/commercial or institutional building which might have been more likely to have a lower "class" of finish?

 

[Penners]

claireclaire (is there an echo in here?), it would be great if you could post a picture or two, to satisfy everyone's curiosity.

 

[showqa]

Well, I don't know how you would define fake beams. They hold up the floor above - rafters then I suppose you might call them. And then there's a huge beam in the kitchen inglenook and a similar one over the fireplace in the sitting room.

 

[Nemesis]

Joists. The floors upstairs wouldn't stay up without them.

 

[MdB]

Well, I don't know how you would define fake beams.

A bit of 3 x 1 painted black and then stuck to the ceiling. Popular in the 1980s and looks awful.

 

[Flyfisher]

At least those 'beams' are wooden. We once moved to a house where the kitchen had been fitted with false beams, but 'proper' false ones - polystyrene. I guess that counts as an 'honest' change

 

[Nemesis]

Is that a Braun Multipractic I see tucked in the corner?

 

[Aidan]

We once moved to a house where the kitchen had been fitted with false beams, but 'proper' false ones - polystyrene. I guess that counts as an 'honest' change

I did some work for a a well-known house building company in the 1980's and they were fitting false beams in the kitchens of their new 'executive' homes. The site manager commented that mock beams were what sold houses. People wanted beams, they got beams.

These beams weren't polystyrene, they were moulded polyurethane. This gave a good reproduction of the surface of the original beam, but it gives off very toxic smoke in a fire (cyano-summat). Probably not a good plan to fit them in a kitchen.

I once inadvertently inhaled fumes from a piece of phenolic foam insulation board, that someone was cutting on a saw bench. The sensation is similar to being smacked around the head with a 3 x 2".

 

[Aidan]

A bit of 3 x 1 painted black and then stuck to the ceiling. Popular in the 1980s and looks awful.

It looks good.

It distracts one's attention from the boiler. :lol: :lol: