People often encounter situations where an unsightly modern structure such as a reinforced steel joist or pipe work, for example, interferes with the aesthetics of a particular room and is difficult to disguise. Oak Beam Casings are a unique and complex product designed specifically for this purpose.

Rather than hollowing out a full oak beam –a long and involved process- three pieces of 1’’ thick oak are joined together to create a ‘casing’ which is then fitted over the structure to be disguised.

This may sound easy, but in fact it requires much skill to achieve something which is going to be aesthetically superior to the existing eyesore. If one were simply to glue together several pieces of straight-sawn timber without much care or attention the result would be very shoddy. However this is more often than not the only option available.

Ideally one should not be able to differentiate between a solid oak beam and a ‘fake’ Oak Beam Casing.

In order to achieve the best results, Oakmasters’ process is fairly involved. In the first instance Oakmasters needs to know the dimensions of the RSJ to be covered. Working from these we tailor make a Beam Casing to fit, leaving a quarter of an inch tolerance all around. The pieces of inch thick kiln dried oak are connected using a specially developed method resulting in a join that is almost invisible. To further improve the overall appearance the beam is fumed and given a hand-wrought finish. More information on our Beam Casings is available in our brochure and price guide (just click on Download).

Oak Beam Casings blend in seamlessly with existing full oak components and can be easily installed, by simply screwing them into place (the structure to be covered should be clad with plasterboard or some other material). A single casing can be produced anything up to 4.0meters long. If a longer beam is required it must be made in two sections and the join hidden by a special blacksmith’s strap.