Oakmasters’ unique oak beam covers, also known as beam casings are decorative beams designed to conceal unsightly structures, such as RSJs (steel joists) concrete lintels or pipework. Sometimes referred to as fake oak beams or false oak beams, Oakmasters oak beam covers are anything but fake.
Made from solid, kiln dried oak, Oakmasters’ oak beam covers are skilfully hand crafted with meticulous attention to detail. The oak beam covers are shaped to cover your structure specifically and can be either two-sided, with an L-shape profile, three-sided, with a U-shape profile, or four-sided, with an O-shape profile. End capping is also available for exposed ends of oak beam casings. The surface is then hand finished with our trademark hand wrought finish, to make the oak beam covers indistinguishable from solid oak beams.
Example of a three-sided oak beam cover
Using selected kiln dried timber, with small knots and splits, oak beam covers can work either as a distinctive, handcrafted standalone feature or be made to integrate with other oak components in your property.
Our oak beam covers are supply only. This means that we will make the oak beam covers in our workshops and ship them to you for your builder to fit. Fitting oak beam casings is a straightforward process, which can be easily handled by your local contractor. If your project is more complicated, or your contractor needs specialist advice or help, then we are happy to discuss your options.
First, measure the space you need to cover. In order for us to give you a price estimate, we will need to know from you or your building contractor the following:
Take a look at our price guide to see example costs for two-sided, three-sided and four-sided casings and the additional features available.
The terms fake oak beams or false oak beams would suggest that the oak beam covers are made from veneered MDF or other materials, such as polymer and resin compounds. There are indeed fake oak beams moulded from polymer and resin available on the market. However, Oakmasters’ oak beam casings are hand crafted from solid oak.
Will oak beam covers shrink or crack once fitted?
Our oak beam covers are crafted from kiln dried oak, the same quality of oak used for furniture making. The joints are glued and then surface treated to make sure they are almost invisible. You can fit our oak beam cover confidently and plaster around them without worrying about gaps appearing between the oak beam casing and the plaster or indeed the oak beam casing twisting or cracking.
Is an oak beam cover cheaper than a solid oak beam?
Kiln dried oak is more expensive that green oak per cubic metre due to the amount of processing and storage required to produce the planks. In addition, you need to consider that it takes a lot of skill to craft an oak beam casing and it takes a considerable amount of time to make it. It’s a little bit like cabinet making. Therefore oak beam covers are not cheaper than solid oak beams.
Could you supply hollowed out oak beams made from green or air-dried oak?
Hollowing out green or air dried oak beams would be an extremely laborious process. So not only would the cost of it include the cost of the oak that was thrown away from the middle, but it would also include hours of labour that would go into producing a hollowed out oak beam by hand. In addition, both green and air dried oak continue to shrink and crack once fitted, which would be further accentuated by the fact that the walls are now thinner, making the hollowed out oak beam more prone to twisting and warping. This has the potential to cause you a lot of headache in the future.
